Business performance management system and business performance management method

Abstract

To obtain a destination of a server of an order receiving enterprise by a terminal.SOLUTION: A business result management system includes: a server of each of a plurality of companies; and a terminal connected to at least a server of an outsourcing company through a network. The server is configured to: determine whether or not order information to which acquired identification information is attached is stored in a first storage unit; in a case where the order information to which acquired identification information is attached is stored in the first storage unit, search for a server of an order receiving enterprise in stages by acquiring address information on the network of the server of the order receiving company of the order information; and in a case where the order information to which the acquired identification information is attached is not stored in the first storage unit, transmit information indicating that the enterprise is the final order receiving enterprise to the terminal. The terminal is configured to specify address information on the network of the server of a sender of information indicating that the enterprise is the final order receiving enterprise as address information on the network of the server of the final order receiving enterprise.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a business performance management system suitable for performance management in a case where a business operator undertakes a business and then outsources and re-contracts the business. [Background technology]

[0002] In the logistics and construction industries, in order to meet demand during busy periods while maintaining efficient management, it is common for companies to outsource all or part of the work they receive from customers to other companies. In addition, a subcontracted company that receives work from a client company may then outsource the work to another company, creating an outsourcing structure in which order placement and receipt processing occurs between multiple companies. In this way, when a single task is repeatedly outsourced, subcontracted, and subcontracted again, and the task is outsourced in a chain or flow pattern, the client company that ultimately accepts the task will complete the task.

[0003] In the logistics and construction industries, in order to improve work efficiency, it is necessary to grasp the work status of the worker (final worker) who performs the work and the delivery status of the goods in real time. For example, in the logistics industry, the driver in charge of delivering the goods is the final worker, and the delivery record of the driver is required to be shared among the companies that participated in the flow (order receiving and placing) from the receiving company.

[0004] Currently, in the logistics industry, delivery records are shared by sending receipts signed by the person in charge at the delivery destination, starting from the receiving company that handled the final work, and then from that receiving company to the ordering company in sequence. However, since sending receipts between multiple companies takes time, a system is needed that can quickly share electronic delivery records.

[0005] A technology for estimating a supply chain in which multiple companies are linked in multiple stages is described in JP 2011-008309 A (Patent Document 1).Patent Document 1 describes a system that estimates member information of a trading partner to be evaluated and a supply chain related to the item information from order information related to the product item information, narrows down the estimated supply chain using attribute information related to the item information, evaluates the information response period for each member from the information request date and information response date in the environmental information exchange history of each member in the narrowed down supply chain, aggregates the information response period for each evaluated member according to the narrowed down supply chain, and responds to a user computer via a network with the aggregated information response period of the company to be evaluated (see abstract). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-008309 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, order information related to product item information is held in a common storage unit, and the relevant member information and the supply chain related to the relevant item information are inferred from the order information. However, Patent Document 1 does not anticipate concealing order-receiving relationships or information on trading partners from members who are not directly involved in transactions among members participating in the supply chain. Even when order-receiving information related to each member participating in the supply chain is managed in a common storage unit, concealment can be achieved by access control to the storage unit, but it is necessary to set which data is to be concealed from whom, which causes a lot of work for the person managing the storage unit.

[0008] Therefore, it is necessary to realize a system that satisfies the following conditions, obtains delivery records as electronic data, and shares the data among the companies participating in the delivery business. As the electronic data of delivery records, for example, an image of a signed receipt can be considered.

[0009] The first condition is that the person in charge at the company that ultimately carries out the work (hereinafter referred to as the "final order receiving company") must be the first to receive the delivery record.

[0010] The second condition is that when suppliers use their devices to send delivery records, they will not be required to perform complicated operations. For example, a system will be created that allows suppliers to easily send delivery records to a specified server on the app without having to perform complicated operations such as entering the destination server information or email address.

[0011] The third condition is to take into consideration the case where the final receiving company is a small company. For example, it is desirable to be able to handle cases where the final receiving company cannot prepare a terminal for transmitting the delivery record or cannot develop an app for transmitting the delivery record. Therefore, it is assumed that the outsourcing company will prepare such terminals and apps.

[0012] The fourth condition is to take into consideration the case where the terminal used by the supplier is different each time a delivery is made. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to handle the case where the server information and email address of the delivery record destination cannot be registered in advance on the terminal used by the supplier.

[0013] The fifth condition is that, to prevent the risk of corporate information leaks, the information must be kept confidential from companies that are not directly involved in the ordering transaction (contract). Specifically, even if you are involved in a business outsourcing project, if the flow becomes long, with outsourcing, subcontracting, and then further subcontracting, ordering (contracts) that are unrelated to your own transaction will occur. For the sake of the integrity of commercial transactions, it is necessary to prevent third-party companies that are not related to the ordering party and the contractor from viewing the information. Here, an ordering party is a company that requests work from other companies, and a contractor is a company that receives work requests from other companies.

[0014] Issues of concern here include the difficulty of the final order-receiving company (supplier) inputting server information manually (second condition above), and the difficulty of the outsourcing company knowing the information of the final order-receiving company that is not directly involved in the ordering transaction (contract) (fifth condition above), making it difficult to input the final order-receiving company's server information into a terminal (assumed to be lent by the outsourcing company).Therefore, a system is required that allows the terminal to obtain the address of the final order-receiving company's server and send business results, even if the outsourcing company does not know the order-receiving company or its server information.

[0015] Therefore, the present invention aims to enable, in a commercial transaction in which one company places orders with and receives orders from other companies for work that it has undertaken, and this is carried out multiple times, for the servers of each participating company to manage only the information of directly related ordering and receiving transactions, thereby realizing confidentiality, and also to enable the final order-receiving company to obtain, via its terminal, the information sent to the server address by the final order-receiving company, even if the prime contractor company does not know the server information of the final order-receiving company and is unable to input that information into the terminal loaned by the prime contractor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] A representative example of the invention disclosed in this application is as follows. That is, a business performance management system that searches for a server of an order-receiving company that undertakes business in a commercial transaction in which business outsourcing consisting of ordering and receiving orders is carried out in stages between a plurality of companies, the system includes a server of each of the plurality of companies and a terminal connected via a network to at least the server of the outsourcing company, each of the servers has a first calculation device that executes a predetermined process and a first memory unit connected to the first calculation device, the terminal has a second calculation device that executes a predetermined process and a second memory unit connected to the second calculation device, the server determines whether order information with the acquired identification information is stored in the first memory unit, and if the order information with the acquired identification information is stored in the first memory unit, the server searches for the order-receiving company's server in stages by acquiring address information on the network of the server of the order-receiving company for the order information, and if the order information with the acquired identification information is not stored in the first memory unit, the server sends information indicating that the server is a final order-receiving company to the terminal, and the terminal identifies the address information on the network of the server from which the information indicating that the server is a final order-receiving company as the address information on the network of the server of the final order-receiving company. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to one aspect of the present invention, the terminal can obtain server information of the final order receiving company. Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a solution concept of an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a business performance management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a logical configuration of a business performance management system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4A] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification process procedure according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4B] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification process procedure according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4C] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification process procedure according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a notification process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of order information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of order information according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8A] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification procedure according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8B] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification procedure according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8C] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification procedure according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification process procedure according to the third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a notification process according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of hash value information according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12A] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification process procedure according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 12B] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification process procedure according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a notification process according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification process procedure according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a notification process according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 16A] 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification process procedure according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 16B] 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a notification process procedure according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 23 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a notification process according to the sixth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated configuration. In addition, in many cases, the user refers to the supplier.

[0020] In this specification, the terms "0th", "1st", "2nd" and the like are used to distinguish components and do not necessarily limit the number, order, or content. In the following examples, all or part of the work of one project is outsourced from the 0th company to the 1st company, and then from the 1st company to the 2nd company, and the outsourcing of work through ordering and receiving is repeated in stages, such as subcontracting and sub-subcontracting, to form a chain-like or flow-like outsourcing structure (hereinafter simply referred to as "outsourcing flow"). Note that the 0th company is not necessarily the outsourcing company, and there is an outsourcing source and an outsourcing recipient at each stage.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a solution concept of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] In this solution, a zero-order company 001, a first-order company 002, a second-order company 003, and a financial institution 004 appear. The zero-order company 001 entrusts a task to the first-order company 002 (step S011), the first-order company 002 entrusts a task to the second-order company 003 (step S012), and after the supplier of the second-order company completes the task, the second-order company reports the completion of delivery to the first-order company (step S013), and the first-order company reports the completion of delivery to the zero-order company (step S014). After the first-order company reports the completion of delivery to the zero-order company, the consideration for the task is paid from the zero-order company to the first-order company (step S015). Similarly, after the second-order company reports the completion of delivery to the first-order company, the consideration for the task is paid from the first-order company to the second-order company (step S016). The consideration for the task may be paid by various means, such as legal tender issued by a financial institution such as a bank, or virtual currency.

[0023] Note that an embodiment of the present invention will be described in which the present invention is applied to the transportation industry, particularly the delivery of goods, however, the present invention is not limited to the transportation industry and can also be applied to any industry that has a multi-stage outsourcing flow, such as the construction industry or manufacturing industry. EXAMPLES

[0024] In Example 1, in a situation where each company participating in a multi-stage business outsourcing flow manages only its own information on orders and receipts on its own server, an image of the delivery recipient's signed receipt entered into a system provided by an outsourcing company that does not know the final outsourced company is sent to the server of the final outsourced company as a delivery record.

[0025] The receipt used in this embodiment is a document created to prove that the delivery destination has received the goods, and is issued by the original company, the zero-tier company, and is a proof that the delivery destination has received the delivered goods when the delivery destination signs the receipt. Usually, the receipt signed by the delivery destination is sent from downstream to upstream in the business outsourcing flow, and is often returned to the original outsourcing company.

[0026] The person in charge at the delivery destination is a person in charge of receiving the goods at the delivery destination or a person in charge of the delivery destination. For example, the person in charge at the delivery destination may be a person in charge of receiving the delivered goods at the delivery destination company or a person in charge of the delivery destination site, or the delivery destination individual. The delivery record is electronic information that serves as evidence that the delivery destination has received the goods, and is, for example, an image of a signed receipt from the delivery destination.

[0027] <Example of hardware configuration for business performance management system> FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the business performance management system according to the first embodiment.

[0028] The business performance management system 100 includes a server 110, a terminal 120, and a network 130. The server 110 and the terminal 120 can communicate with each other via the network 130, either wired or wirelessly, and can transmit and receive information.

[0029] The server 110 has a storage unit 111, a control unit 112, a display unit 113, an input unit 114, and a communication unit 115. The server 110 does not need to have the display unit 113 and the input unit 114. For example, a client device capable of communicating with the server 110 via the network 130 and having an input unit, a display unit, and a communication unit may be provided separately, and the client device may display information transmitted from the server 110 or transmit information input to the client device to the server 110.

[0030] Moreover, a server 110 is provided for each company participating in the business outsourcing flow, and the number of servers 110 is arbitrary. In the first embodiment, an example will be described in which there are four companies participating in the outsourcing structure of a certain business, and the business performance management system 100 has a server 110-1 of a zero-tier company, a server 110-2 of a first-tier company, a server 110-3 of a second-tier company, and a server 110-4 of a third-tier company.

[0031] The storage unit 111 is configured, for example, with a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic disk device, a ROM which is a nonvolatile storage element, a RAM which is a volatile storage element, or a combination thereof, and includes a nonvolatile storage area and a volatile storage area. The storage unit 111 stores a program executed by the control unit 112, data referenced during processing by the control unit 112, data output during processing by the control unit 112, and the like.

[0032] The control unit 112 is connected to the storage unit 111, the display unit 113, the input unit 114, and the communication unit 115, and is a calculation device that executes various processes described below in accordance with instructions written in a program stored in the storage unit 111. For example, it writes order information and the like to the storage unit 111, and searches for data stored in the storage unit 111 using data received from the terminal 120 as a query.

[0033] The display unit 113 is a device that outputs information, such as an image display device (display), and displays, for example, a screen for inputting order information and delivery records, such as receipt images received from the terminal 120, on the screen.

[0034] The input unit 114 is an input device such as a touch panel, keyboard, or mouse, and is used to input order information and the like.

[0035] The communication unit 115 is an interface device that connects to the network 130 by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information such as a case ID, an order ID, and address information on the network of the server 110 between the terminal 120 and the communication unit 115, and receives information such as delivery records.

[0036] An administrator terminal (not shown) connected to the server 110 via a network may provide the display unit 113 and the input unit 114. In this case, the server 110 may have a web server function, and the administrator terminal may access the server 110 using a predetermined protocol (e.g., http).

[0037] The programs executed by the control unit 112 are provided to the server 110 via a removable medium (such as a CD-ROM or a flash memory) or a network, and are stored in the non-volatile storage unit 111, which is a non-transitory storage medium. For this reason, the server 110 should preferably have an interface for reading data from the removable medium.

[0038] Server 110 is a computer system configured on one physical computer, or on multiple logically or physically configured computers, and may operate on a virtual computer constructed on multiple physical computer resources. Each functional unit of server 110 may operate on a separate physical or logical computer, or multiple functional units may be combined to operate on a single physical or logical computer.

[0039] The terminal 120 is carried by a user such as a supplier (an employee of the final order-receiving company) at the time of delivery, and transmits and receives information between the terminal 120 and the server 110. For example, in the case of logistics operations, the terminal 120 is carried by a driver who performs transportation operations. The terminal 120 has a control unit 121, a display unit 122, an input unit 123, and a communication unit 124. The control unit 121 is connected to the display unit 122, the input unit 123, and the communication unit 124, and controls the overall operation of the terminal 120.

[0040] The display unit 122 is a device that outputs information, such as an image display device (display). The display unit 122 displays operation instructions and matters to be communicated to the user on a screen. When reading, from a barcode printed on a document such as a receipt, a case ID or network address information of the server 110 with which the terminal 120 will first communicate, the display unit 122 may display a barcode reading screen. In addition, when an image of a signed receipt or an image of a delivered item is used as the delivery record, the display unit 122 may display a camera shot screen.

[0041] The input unit 123 is an input device that receives information transmitted by the terminal 120, such as a case ID for starting the notification process of the business performance management system 100, delivery performance, and address information on the network of the server 110 with which the terminal 120 will first communicate. The input unit 123 is, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, or a mouse.

[0042] The input unit 123 may be a barcode reader or a two-dimensional code reader, and by using such a reader, the case ID and the network address information of the server 110 with which the terminal 120 first communicates can be read from a barcode printed on a document such as a receipt. The input unit 123 may also be a camera that takes an image, and can take an image of a signed receipt or an image of a delivered item to be used as a delivery record.

[0043] The communication unit 124 is connected to the network 130 by wired or wireless communication, and transmits and receives the case ID, order ID, address information on the server 110 on the network, and the like to and from the terminal 120, and transmits information such as delivery records.

[0044] Here, the address information of the server 110 on the network is, for example, the IP (Internet Protocol) address, URL (Uniform Resource Locator), host name, port number, file path, and the like of the server 110.

[0045] <Example of functional configuration of business performance management system> FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a logical configuration of the business performance management system 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0046] Each server 110 includes a storage unit 111 , an order information input unit 211 , an order information transmission unit 212 , a performance acquisition unit 213 , a contractor search unit 214 , and an address transmission unit 215 .

[0047] Order information 231 is input to the order information input unit 211. Delivery record 234 acquired from the terminal 120 is input to the record acquisition unit 213 and displayed on the display unit 113. The data input to the server 110 is stored in the storage unit 111.

[0048] The terminal 120 has an initial information input unit 221, a server connection unit 222, and a delivery record transmission unit 223. The initial information input unit 221 reads the barcode or two-dimensional code printed on the receipt to obtain a case ID 232 and address information 233 on the network of the server of the zero-tier company with which the terminal 120 will first communicate. In addition, the delivery record 234 is input to the delivery record transmission unit 223 and transmitted to the server of the third-tier company.

[0049] Here, the method of acquiring the case ID 232 input to the input unit 123 of the terminal 120 and the address information 233 on the network of the server 110 with which the terminal 120 first communicates is not limited to the method of acquiring from the barcode or two-dimensional code printed on the receipt. For example, the case ID 232 may be acquired by displaying a list of case IDs on the display unit 122 of the terminal 120 and selecting a case ID that starts the notification process of the delivery record transmission. In addition, the address information 233 on the network of the server 110 may be stored in advance in the storage unit of the terminal 120. In this way, even if there is no barcode or two-dimensional code printed on the receipt, the case ID 232 and the address information 233 on the network of the server 110-1 of the zeroth company can be acquired without increasing the user's work.

[0050] 3, it is assumed that the initial information input unit 221, the server connection unit 222, and the delivery record transmission unit 223 are arranged in the terminal 120, but the terminal 120 may execute a web browser, and these functions may be realized by processing of the server 110-1 linked to the web browser. In that case, the initial information input unit 221, the server connection unit 222, and the delivery record transmission unit 223 can be realized, for example, by the control unit 112 executing a program stored in the storage unit 111 of the server 110-1 shown in FIG. In this way, the business record management system 100 can be realized even when a native application cannot be implemented in the terminal 120.

[0051] 3 is not used in Example 3. In Example 3 described later, communication from the server connection unit 222 to the address transmission unit 215 and communication from the address transmission unit 215 to the server connection unit 222 are not used, and communication from the address transmission unit 215 to the supplier search unit 214 is used.

[0052] <Example of notification processing procedure using business performance management system> 4A, 4B, and 4C are a flowchart showing an example of a notification process procedure by the business result management system 100 of the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the notification process.

[0053] Before starting the notification process by the business performance management system 100, the order information input unit 211 of the server 110-1 of the zeroth company acquires the order information 231 to the first company, stores the acquired order information 231 in the storage unit 111, and transmits it to the order information transmission unit 212 (step S301). Details of the order information 231 will be described later with reference to FIG. 6.

[0054] Next, the business performance management system 100 sets the variable n, which indicates the order order sequence of the company, to 0 (step S302).

[0055] Next, the order information transmission unit 212 of the server 110 of the nth-order company transmits the order information 231 from the nth-order company to the n+1th-order company to the order information input unit 211 of the server 110 of the n+1th-order company (step S303).

[0056] Next, the order information input unit 211 of the server 110 of the n+1-order company stores the order information 231 for the n+1-order company in the storage unit 111 (step S304).

[0057] Next, the order information input unit 211 of the server 110 of the n+1-level company determines whether to acquire the order information 231 for the n+2-level company. If there is the order information 231 for the n+2-level company (step S305: Yes), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S306 onwards. On the other hand, if there is no order information 231 for the n+2-level company (step S305: No), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S308 onwards.

[0058] When it is determined in step S305 that ordering information 231 for the n+2-tier company should be obtained, the ordering information input unit 211 of the n+1-tier company's server 110 stores the ordering information 231 for the n+2-tier company in the memory unit 111, and transmits the ordering information 231 from the n+1-tier company to the n+2-tier company to the ordering information input unit 211 of the n+2-tier company's server 110 (step S306).

[0059] Next, the business performance management system 100 adds 1 to the variable n that indicates the order order sequence of the companies (step S307), and returns to step S303.

[0060] If it is determined in step S305 that the order information 231 for the n+2 company is not to be acquired, the terminal 120 determines whether or not there is an instruction to start the notification process by a predetermined operation of the user (step S308). If there is an instruction to start (step S308: Yes), the terminal 120 starts the notification process from step S309 onwards. If there is no instruction to start (step S308: No), the notification process from step S309 onwards is not executed and the process is terminated.

[0061] Next, the initial information input unit 221 of the terminal 120 reads the barcode or two-dimensional code printed on the receipt to obtain the case ID 232 and the address information 233 on the network of the zeroth company's server 110-1, and transmits them to the server connection unit 222 (step S309). Note that the method of obtaining the case ID 232 and the address information 233 on the network of the zeroth company's server by the initial information input unit 221 is not limited to the method of obtaining them from the barcode or two-dimensional code printed on the receipt, and other methods described above may be adopted.

[0062] Next, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 transmits the case ID 232 to the supplier search unit 214 of the zeroth company's server 110-1 (step S310).

[0063] Next, the business performance management system 100 sets the variable m, which indicates the order order sequence of the company, to 0 (step S311).

[0064] Next, the contractor search unit 214 of the server 110 of the mth company determines whether the order information 231 for the mth company, which is associated with the case ID 232 acquired from the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 and whose purchaser 402 is the company, is stored in the storage unit 111 (step S312). If the order information 231 for the mth company is present (step S312: Yes), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S313 onwards. If the order information 231 for the mth company is not present (step S312: No), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S317 onwards.

[0065] When it is determined in step S312 that the order information 231 to the m+1-level company is stored in the memory unit 111, the contractor search unit 214 of the m-th company's server 110 searches for the address information 405 on the network of the contractor's server 110, i.e., the address information on the network of the m+1-level company's server 110, from the order information 231 to the m+1-level company stored in the memory unit 111 in association with the case ID 232, and transmits the case ID 232 and the address information on the network of the m+1-level company's server to the address transmission unit 215 (step S313).

[0066] Next, the address sending unit 215 of the server 110 of the mth company sends the case ID 232 and the address information on the network of the server of the m+1th company to the server connecting unit 222 of the terminal 120 (step S314). Here, if the terminal 120 has a memory unit and stores the case ID in the memory unit in step S309, the address sending unit 215 of the server 110 of the mth company does not need to send the case ID 232 to the server connecting unit 222 of the terminal 120 since it knows the case ID currently being processed. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of data communication between the server 110 and the terminal 120 in step S314.

[0067] Next, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 transmits the case ID 232 to the supplier search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m+1-level company (step S315).

[0068] Next, the business performance management system 100 adds 1 to the variable m that indicates the order order of the companies, and returns to step S312 (step S316). By repeatedly searching for servers in stages by tracing the 0th, 1st, and 2nd orders of the business outsourcing flow in steps S313 to S315, it is possible to reach the server 110-4 of the 3rd order company that has finally received the order for the work, from the server 110-1 of the 0th order company that outsourced the work.

[0069] If it is determined in step S312 that the ordering information 231 for the m+1-order company is not stored in the memory unit 111, the variable m representing the company's ordering order is at its maximum value, i.e., the final recipient, so the recipient search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m-th order company, which is the final recipient, transmits the case ID 232 and NULL data to the address transmission unit 215 (step S317).

[0070] Next, the address transmission unit 215 of the server 110 of the mth company transmits the case ID 232 and the NULL data to the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 (step S318).

[0071] Next, when the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 receives the case ID 232 and the NULL data from the server 110, it transmits the address information on the network of the server 110, which is the transmission source of the case ID 232 and the NULL data, to the delivery record transmission unit 223 (step S319). In this way, the server connection unit 222 judges whether the order information 231 is stored in the storage unit 111, and if the order information 231 is stored in the storage unit 111, it searches for the address information on the network of the server of the receiving company from the order information 231 related to the case ID 232. Then, if the order information 231 related to the case ID 232 is further stored in the storage unit of the server of this receiving company, it obtains the unique information on the network of the server of the receiving company from the order information 231 related to the case ID 232 and transmits it to the terminal 120. If the order information 231 is detected in the server of the receiving company, it searches the servers step by step in this way. If there is no order information, it transmits the case ID 232 and the NULL data to the terminal 120.

[0072] Here, in step S318, the address sending unit 215 of the server 110 of the m-th company may send the address information on the network of the server of the m-th company to the server connecting unit 222 of the terminal 120 instead of NULL data. In that case, in step S319, the server connecting unit 222 of the terminal 120 collates the address information on the network of the server 110 received from the server 110 with the address information on the network of the server 110 that is the sender of the data, and determines whether they are the same. If the address information is the same, the address information on the network of the server acquired from the server 110 is sent to the delivery record sending unit 223. In this way, the terminal's reception of the NULL data (or data replacing it) serves as a trigger to acquire the address of the server of the final order receiving company and send the business record.

[0073] Next, after acquiring the delivery record 234, the delivery record sending unit 223 of the terminal 120 transmits the case ID 232 and the delivery record 234 to the record acquiring unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-th company based on the address information on the network of the server of the m-th company acquired from the server connection unit 222 (step S320).

[0074] Here, the details of the delivery record 234 received by the delivery record transmission unit 223 of the terminal 120 will be described. The delivery record 234 is electronic information that serves as evidence that the delivery destination has received the product. For example, it may be a receipt or delivery note signed by the person in charge at the delivery destination, an image of the delivery at the delivery destination, or an image of the delivery destination and the delivery together. The delivery record 234 may include fingerprint information or facial features of the deliverer to increase the evidentiary value of the delivery record 234. The image of a signed receipt is one example of the delivery record 234, and other forms may be used.

[0075] Next, the result acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-th company stores the received delivery result 234 in the storage unit 111, and then outputs it to the display unit 113 (step S321). Here, the result acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-th company may acquire the approval result of the delivery result by the person in charge of the m-th company. For example, the result acquisition unit 213 may display the approval button of the delivery result together with the delivery result 234. In this case, after the approval button is operated by the person in charge of the m-th company, the result acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 may store the delivery result 234 in the storage unit 111. On the other hand, if the person in charge of the m-th company does not operate the approval button (for example, the rejection button is operated), the result acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 may transmit the disapproval result to the terminal 120 and prompt the user of the terminal 120 to acquire the delivery result again. This allows the server 110 of the m-th company to acquire the delivery result approved by the final order-receiving company.

[0076] In step S321, the delivery record 234 does not necessarily need to be displayed on the display unit 113. For example, after the record acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-th order company receives the delivery record 234, the received delivery record 234 may be stored in the storage unit 111. This can improve the efficiency of operations, except for the task of manual confirmation.

[0077] After step S321, steps S322 to S326 are executed, but the process may return to step S308.

[0078] Next, the contractor search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m-th company determines whether the order information 231 from the m-th company, which is the contractor 404 and is associated with the case ID 232 acquired from the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120, is stored in the storage unit 111 (step S322). If there is the order information 231 from the m-th company (step S322: Yes), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S323 onwards. If there is no order information 231 from the m-th company (step S322: No), the process returns to step S308.

[0079] Next, the performance acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-th company searches for the address information 403 on the network of the server 110 of the m-1st company, which is the orderer, from the order information 231 to the m-th company, which is stored in the memory unit 111 and associated with the case ID acquired from the terminal 120, and transmits the case ID and delivery performance 234 to the searched server 110 (step S323).

[0080] Next, the record acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-1st-order company stores the received delivery record 234 in the storage unit 111 in association with the received case ID (step S324).

[0081] Next, if payment amount information from the purchaser to the contractor is included in the order information 231, the performance acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-1-tier company generates payment data in legal tender, virtual currency, etc. issued by a central bank based on the payment amount information to the m-tier company in the order information 231 associated with the project ID, and executes the payment process (step S325).

[0082] Next, the business performance management system 100 subtracts 1 from the variable m that indicates the order order sequence of the company, and returns to step S322 (step S326).

[0083] In step 324, after storing the delivery record 234 in the memory unit 111, instead of immediately executing the payment process in step S325, the record acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the purchaser 402 may display a payment approval button together with the delivery record 234, and execute the payment process after the payment approval button is operated.

[0084] By steps S322 to S326, the delivery record 234 acquired by the server 110 of the m-th order company from the terminal 120 can be shared with all companies participating in the business outsourcing flow, and after the delivery record 234 is acquired, payment from the purchaser to the contractor can be made promptly.

[0085] In step S309, the delivery record transmission unit 223 of the terminal 120 may transmit the acquired delivery record 234 to another server, and then acquire the encrypted delivery record from the server and transmit it to the server connection unit 222. Thereafter, in step S310, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 may transmit the case ID 232 and the encrypted delivery record to the contractor search unit 214 of the server 110 of the zeroth company. Furthermore, in step S320, the delivery record transmission unit 223 of the terminal 120 may acquire a private key from the other server that encrypted the delivery record 234, and transmit the case ID 232 and the private key to the record acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the mth company. In this way, when the delivery record 234 is shared among the companies participating in the business outsourcing flow, it is only necessary to transmit the private key for decrypting the encrypted delivery record, not the delivery record 234, from the final order receiving company, and therefore the amount of data transmission can be reduced.

[0086] <An example of order information in input data> 6 is a diagram showing an example of the order information 231 input to the server 110 of the business performance management system 100 of the embodiment 1. Note that the data shown in FIG. 6 is an example.

[0087] The order information 231 is information about a task requested by an orderer and undertaken by a contractor. The order information 231 includes a case ID 232, an order ID 401, an orderer 402, address information 403 of the orderer's server on the network, a contractor 404, and address information 405 of the contractor's server on the network.

[0088] The case ID 232 is identification information that is assigned to identify the work ordered between companies. The case ID 232 is generated when creating the order information 231 from the zero-tier company to the first-tier company in step S301, and when the same work is outsourced to another company, such as when the first-tier company outsources the work received from the zero-tier company to a second-tier company, and the second-tier company outsources it to a third-tier company, the case ID 232 of the order information 231 traded between the companies has the same value.

[0089] The order ID 401 is information that identifies an order that is traded between an orderer and a receiver. The order ID 401 is generated each time an order is traded between companies. For example, the order ID 401 of the order information 231 from the zero-tier company to the first-tier company and the order ID 401 of the order information 231 from the first-tier company to the second-tier company will be different values.

[0090] The orderer 402 is information on a client company that orders the work, and the contractor 404 is information on a client company that receives the work. The orderer 402 and the contractor 404 may be the name of the company or may be identification information of the company.

[0091] When the result acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the purchaser 402 acquires the delivery result 234 from the server 110 of the contractor 404, if the server 110 of the purchaser 402 of the order information 231 executes a payment process to the contractor 404, the order information 231 may include the payment amount from the purchaser to the contractor. This allows the payment from the purchaser to the contractor to be executed immediately after the delivery result 234 is acquired.

[0092] As described above, according to the first embodiment, even if an outsourcing company that lends a terminal 120 for transmitting a delivery record does not know the name or server information of the final order receiving company, the terminal 120 can sequentially trace the servers 110 from upstream to downstream of the outsourcing flow, and search for the servers step by step, and transmit the delivery record to the server 110 of the final order receiving company, using the business record management system 100. Also, the delivery record can be easily transmitted to the server of the final order receiving company without the user having to perform complicated operations such as inputting the server information of the final order receiving company, which is the destination of the delivery record, into the terminal 120.

[0093] In addition, in cases where the final receiving company cannot lend the terminal 120 for transmitting the delivery record to the user (employee of the final receiving company) or cannot prepare an environment for transmitting the delivery record, the consigning company may lend the terminal 120 for transmitting the delivery record instead of the final receiving company, and the delivery record can still be transmitted to the server of the final receiving company. Furthermore, even if the terminal 120 for transmitting the delivery record is different for each delivery, or if the terminal 120 cannot store information such as server information and email address in advance, the delivery record can still be transmitted to the server of the final receiving company.

[0094] Alternatively, the order information of all companies participating in the outsourcing flow may be managed on a common server, and the terminal 120 for transmitting delivery records may search for the server information of the final order-receiving company on the common server and transmit the delivery records to that server. However, a third party is required to manage the common server, which incurs server operation costs, and the payment amount information, the names of the order-receiving business partners, and server information described in the order information should be kept confidential from companies that are not directly involved in the transaction. In this case, it is necessary to set up access control for the order information, which requires a large amount of work for the person managing the common server.

[0095] On the other hand, when the business performance management system 100 of this embodiment is used, each company manages only the order information that is directly related to them on its own server, so there is no need for a common server, and server operation costs can be reduced. Also, by distributing and managing the order information among the companies, the order information can be kept confidential from companies that are not directly related to the transaction, and the workload of the person managing the common server can be reduced. EXAMPLES

[0096] Next, a description will be given of a second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, a case ID 232 common to all related companies is assigned to all order information 231 traded in the business outsourcing flow in addition to the order ID 401. In the second embodiment, a case ID shared by all companies participating in the business outsourcing flow is not assigned.

[0097] In the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same configurations and processes as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. Below, the differences from the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8A, 8B, and 8C.

[0098] <An example of order information of input data in Example 2> In the second embodiment, the order information 231 in FIG.

[0099] <Block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration in Example 2> In the second embodiment, the storage unit 111 of the server 110 stores the order information 500. Details of the order information 500 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0100] <Example of notification processing procedure using business performance management system> 8A, 8B, and 8C are flowcharts showing an example of a notification process procedure by the business result management system 100 of the embodiment 2. In the embodiment 2, the sequence diagram showing the flow of the notification process is the same as that of the embodiment 1 (FIG. 5), but steps S314, S315, S318, and S320 can be read as steps S314a, S315a, S318a, and S320a, respectively.

[0101] In the second embodiment, the processes in steps S301 to S305 and S307 shown in FIG. 8A are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0102] When it is determined in step S305 that the order information 231 for the n+2-tier company is to be acquired, the order information input unit 211 of the server 110 of the n+1-tier company creates order information 500 based on the order information 231 for the n+1-tier company acquired from the server 110 of the n-tier company in step S303 and the order information 231 for the n+2-tier company input in step S305. Thereafter, the order information input unit 211 of the server 110 of the n+1-tier company stores the order information 231 for the n+2-tier company and the order information 500 in the storage unit 111, and transmits the order information 231 for the n+2-tier company to the order information transmission unit 212 of the server 110 of the n+1-tier company (step S306a).

[0103] Next, steps S308 to S317 shown in FIG. 8B will be described.

[0104] If it is determined in step S305 that the order information 231 for the n+2 company is not to be acquired, the terminal 120 determines whether or not there is an instruction to start the notification process by a predetermined operation of the user (step S308). If there is an instruction to start (step S308: Yes), the terminal 120 starts the notification process from step S309 onwards. If there is no instruction to start (step S308: No), the notification process from step S309 onwards is not executed and the process is terminated.

[0105] Next, the initial information input unit 221 of the terminal 120 reads the barcode or two-dimensional code printed on the receipt to obtain the order ID 401 of the order information 231 to the first-tier company and the address information 233 on the network of the server of the zero-tier company, and transmits them to the server connection unit 222 (step S309). Note that the method of obtaining the address information 233 on the network of the server of the zero-tier company by the initial information input unit 221 is not limited to the method of obtaining it from the barcode or two-dimensional code printed on the receipt, and other methods described above may be adopted.

[0106] Next, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 transmits the order ID 401 of the order information 231 for the first company to the supplier search unit 214 of the server 110-1 of the zeroth company (step S310).

[0107] Next, the supplier search unit 214 of the zeroth company's server 110-1 searches for address information on the network of the primary company's server from the order information 231 to the primary company associated with the order ID 401 obtained from the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120, and transmits the order ID 401 and the address information on the network of the primary company's server to the address transmission unit 215 (step S801).

[0108] Next, the address sending unit 215 of the zeroth company's server 110 sends the order ID to the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120, and the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 sends the order ID 401 to the supplier search unit 214 of the first company's server 110 (step S802).

[0109] Next, the business performance management system 100 sets the variable m, which indicates the order order sequence of the company, to 1 (step S311a).

[0110] Next, the supplier search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m-th company determines whether the order information 500, in which the order ID 401 acquired from the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 is set as the value of the order ID 501, is stored in the storage unit 111 (step S312a). If the order information 500 is present (step S312a: Yes), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S313a onwards. If the order information 500 is not present (step S312a: No), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S317a onwards.

[0111] When it is determined in step S312a that the ordering information 231 for the m+1-order company is stored in the memory unit 111, the contractor search unit 214 of the m-th order company's server 110 searches for the ordering ID 401 and the address information 405 on the network of the contractor's server 110, i.e., the address information on the network of the m+1-order company's server 110, from the ordering / receiving information 500 in which the ordering ID 401 obtained from the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 is the value of the order ID 501, and transmits it to the address transmission unit 215 (step S313a).

[0112] Next, the address sending unit 215 of the server 110 of the mth order company sends the order ID 401 and the address information on the network of the server of the m+1th order company to the server connecting unit 222 of the terminal 120 (step S314a).

[0113] Next, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 transmits the order ID 401 to the supplier search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m+1-level company (step S315a).

[0114] Next, the business performance management system 100 adds 1 to the variable m that indicates the order order of the companies, and returns to step S312a (step S316). By repeatedly performing a stepwise server search from step S313a to S315a by tracing the business outsourcing flow, it is possible to reach the server 110-4 of the third-tier company, which is the final recipient, from the server 110-1 of the zero-tier company that is the outsourcing source.

[0115] If it is determined in step S312 that the order information 231 for the m+1-order company is not stored in the memory unit 111, the variable m representing the company's order order order has reached its maximum value, i.e., the final recipient, so the recipient search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m-th order company, which is the final recipient, transmits the order ID 401 and NULL data to the address transmission unit 215 (step S317a).

[0116] Next, the address transmitting unit 215 of the server 110 of the mth order company transmits the order ID 401 and the NULL data to the server connecting unit 222 of the terminal 120 (step S318a).

[0117] Next, when the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 receives the order ID 401 and the NULL data from the server 110, it transmits the address information on the network of the server 110 that is the source of the order ID 401 and the NULL data to the delivery record transmission unit 223 (step S319a). Here, in step S318a, the address transmission unit 215 of the server 110 of the m-th company may transmit the address information on the network of the server of the m-th company to the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 instead of the NULL data. In that case, in step S319a, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 collates the address information on the network of the server 110 received from the server 110 with the address information on the network of the server 110 that is the source of the data, and determines whether they are the same. If the address information is the same, it transmits the address information on the network of the server acquired from the server 110 to the delivery record transmission unit 223.

[0118] Next, the delivery record sending unit 223 of the terminal 120 acquires the delivery record 234 and then transmits the order ID 401 and the delivery record 234 to the record acquiring unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-th company based on the address information on the network of the server of the m-th company acquired from the server connection unit 222 (step S320a).

[0119] Next, the result acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-th company stores the received delivery result 234 in the storage unit 111, and then outputs it to the display unit 113 (step S321). Here, the result acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-th company may acquire the approval result of the delivery result by the person in charge of the m-th company. For example, the result acquisition unit 213 may display the approval button of the delivery result together with the delivery result 234. In this case, after the approval button is operated by the person in charge of the m-th company, the result acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 may store the delivery result 234 in the storage unit 111. On the other hand, if the approval button is not operated by the person in charge of the m-th company (for example, the rejection button is operated), the result acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 may transmit the disapproval result to the terminal 120 and prompt the user of the terminal 120 to acquire the delivery result again. This allows the server 110 of the m-th company to acquire the delivery result approved by the final order-receiving company. In step S321, the delivery record 234 does not necessarily have to be displayed on the display unit 113. For example, after the record acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-th order company receives the delivery record 234, the received delivery record 234 may be stored in the storage unit 111. This can improve the efficiency of operations, excluding the work of manual confirmation. Also, after step S321, steps S803 to S326 are executed, but the process may return to step S308.

[0120] Next, the performance acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-th company searches for the address information 403 on the network of the server of the m-1st company, which is the orderer, from the order / receive information 500 stored in the memory unit 111 and in which the order ID 401 acquired from the terminal 120 is stored as the value of the order ID, and transmits the order ID 401 and delivery performance 234 to the searched server 110 (step S803).

[0121] Next, the record acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-1th order company stores the delivery record 234 in the storage unit 111 in association with the order ID 401 (step S804).

[0122] Next, if payment amount information from the purchaser to the contractor is included in the order information 231, the performance acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-1-th order company generates payment data in legal tender, virtual currency, etc. issued by a central bank based on the payment amount information to the m-th order company in the order information 231 associated with the order ID 401, and executes the payment process (step S805).

[0123] Next, the supplier search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m-1st order company determines whether the order information 500 linked to the order ID 401 acquired from the server 110 of the m-th order company is stored in the storage unit 111 (step S322). If there is order information 500 from the mth order company (step S322: Yes), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S323 onwards. If there is no order information 500 from the mth order company (step S322: No), the process returns to step S308.

[0124] Next, the performance acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-1st company searches for the address information 403 on the network of the server 110 of the m-2nd company, which is the orderer, from the order / receive information 500 stored in the memory unit 111 and associated with the order ID 401 acquired from the server 110 of the m-1st company, and transmits the order ID 401 and delivery performance 234 to the searched server 110 (step S323).

[0125] Next, the record acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-2nd company associates the value of the order ID 501 received from the m-1st company as the order ID 401, and stores the delivery record 234 in the storage unit 111 (step S324).

[0126] Next, when the payment amount information from the purchaser to the contractor is included in the order information 231, the track record acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the m-2nd company generates payment data in legal tender or virtual currency issued by a central bank based on the payment amount information to the m-th company in the order information 231 associated with the order ID 401 received from the m-1st company, and executes the payment process (step S325). In step 324, after storing the delivery record 234 in the memory unit 111, the track record acquisition unit 213 of the server 110 of the purchaser 402 may display a payment approval button together with the delivery record 234 and execute the payment process after the payment approval button is operated, without immediately executing the payment process in step S325.

[0127] <An example of order information stored in the server> 7 is a diagram showing an example of the order information 500 stored in the storage unit 111 of the server 110 of the business performance management system 100 of the embodiment 2. Note that the data shown in FIG. 7 is an example.

[0128] Order information 500 is information that associates order information 231 that another company has ordered to oneself with order information 231 that one company has ordered from another company when one company requests a third company to perform work related to order information 231 that another company has ordered to oneself. Order information 500 includes an order ID 501, an orderer 402, address information 403 on the network of the orderer's server, an order ID 401, a contractor 404, and address information 405 on the network of the contractor's server.

[0129] The order ID 501 is the order ID 401 of the order information 231 in which another company has placed an order with the company. Therefore, the orderer 402 is the orderer (the other company) of the order information 231 from the other company to the company.

[0130] The order ID 401 is the order ID of the order information 231 from the company to a third company. The contractor 404 is the contractor (the third company) of the order information 231 from the company to a third company.

[0131] As described above, according to the second embodiment, even if there is no case ID shared by all the companies participating in the business outsourcing flow, the business performance management system 100 allows the terminal 120 that transmits the delivery performance to sequentially trace the servers 110 from the upstream to the downstream of the business outsourcing flow, and to search for the servers in stages, and transmit the delivery performance to the server of the final order-receiving company. EXAMPLES

[0132] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, after the server 110 of the final order receiving company is identified via the terminal 120, the delivery record 234 is transmitted from the terminal 120 to the server 110 of the final order receiving company. In the third embodiment, the servers 110 of the companies participating in the business outsourcing flow are traced from upstream to downstream, without going through the terminal 120, and a stepwise server search is repeatedly performed to identify the server 110 of the final order receiving company, and then the delivery record is transmitted from the terminal 120 to the server 110 of the final order receiving company.

[0133] In the third embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same configurations and processes as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. Below, the differences from the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4C, 5, 6 and 9.

[0134] <Example of notification processing procedure using business performance management system> Fig. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of steps S308 to S317b of the notification process procedure by the business result management system 100 of the third embodiment, and Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the notification process. Note that steps S301 to S307 executed before step S308 in Fig. 9 are the same as those in the first embodiment (Fig. 4A), and steps S318 to S326 executed after step S317b are the same as those in the first embodiment (Fig. 4C).

[0135] Steps S308 to S311 in FIG. 9 are the same as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 4B).

[0136] After step S311, the contractor search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m-th company determines whether the order information 231 for the m+1-th company, which is associated with the case ID 232 acquired from the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 and whose purchaser 402 is the company, is stored in the storage unit 111 (step S312). If the order information 231 for the m+1-th company is present (step S312: Yes), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S313b onwards. If the order information 231 for the m+1-th company is not present (step S312: No), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S317b onwards.

[0137] When it is determined in step S312 that the order information 231 to the m+1-level company is stored in the memory unit 111, the contractor search unit 214 of the m-th company's server 110 searches for the network address information 405 of the contractor's server 110, i.e., the network address information of the m+1-level company's server 110, from the order information 231 to the m+1-level company stored in the memory unit 111 in association with the case ID 232, and transmits the case ID 232, the network address information of the m+1-level company's server, and the network address information of the terminal 120 to the address transmission unit 215 (step S313b).

[0138] Next, the address sending unit 215 of the server 110 of the mth order company sends the case ID 232 and the network address information of the terminal 120 to the contractor search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m+1th order company. After that, the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S316 onwards (step 314b).

[0139] Next, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 transmits the case ID 232 to the supplier search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m+1-level company (step S315).

[0140] Next, the business performance management system 100 adds 1 to the variable m that indicates the order order of the companies, and returns to step S312 (step S316). By repeatedly performing a stepwise server search from step S313b to S315 by tracing the business outsourcing flow, it is possible to reach the server 110-4 of the third-tier company, which is the final recipient, from the server 110-1 of the zero-tier company that is the outsourcing source.

[0141] If it is determined in step S312 that the ordering information 231 for the m+1-order company is not stored in the memory unit 111, the variable m representing the company's ordering order is at its maximum value, i.e., the final recipient, so the recipient search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m-th order company, which is the final recipient, transmits the case ID 232, NULL data, and the network address information of the terminal 120 to the address transmission unit 215 (step S317b).

[0142] The subsequent steps S318 to S321 are the same as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 4B).

[0143] As described above, according to the third embodiment, the servers 110 of the companies participating in the business outsourcing flow can be traced from upstream to downstream in sequence to search for the servers step by step, without going through the terminal 120, the server 110 of the final order receiving company can be identified, and the delivery record can be transmitted. Also, since the terminal 120 communicates only with the servers 110 of the zeroth order company and the final order receiving company, the number of data transmissions between the terminal 120 and the server 110 can be reduced, and the power consumption of the terminal 120 can be reduced. EXAMPLES

[0144] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the fourth embodiment, a process is added to the first embodiment to obtain hash values ​​of order information associated with the same order ID 401 from the servers of the orderer and the order recipient, respectively, and confirm that the order information stored in each server of the orderer and the order recipient is equal.

[0145] In the fourth embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same configurations and processes as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 4C, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12A, 12B, and 13.

[0146] <Block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration in the fourth embodiment> In the fourth embodiment, the terminal 120 in FIG. 2 includes a storage unit.

[0147] <Block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration in the fourth embodiment> In the fourth embodiment, hash value information 600 is stored in the storage unit 111 of the server 110 in Fig. 3. Details of the hash value information 600 will be described with reference to Fig. 11.

[0148] <Example of notification processing procedure using business performance management system> 12A and 12B are flow charts showing an example of steps S308 to S317 of the notification process procedure by the business result management system 100 of the fourth embodiment, and Fig. 13 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the notification process. Note that steps S301 to S307 executed before step S308 in Fig. 12A are the same as those in the first embodiment (Fig. 4A), and steps S318 to S326 executed after step S317 in Fig. 12B are the same as those in the first embodiment (Fig. 4C).

[0149] Steps S308 to S312 in FIG. 12A and steps S315 to S317 in FIG. 12B are the same as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 4B).

[0150] When it is determined in step S312 that the order information 231 for the m+1-order company is stored in the memory unit 111, the contractor search unit 214 of the m-th company's server 110 searches for the order ID 401 and the address information on the network of the contractor's server 405, i.e., the address information on the network of the m+1-order company's server 110, from the order information 231 for the m+1-order company associated with the case ID 232 and stored in the memory unit 111, and the contractor search unit 214 of the m-th company's server 110 transmits the case ID 232, the order ID 401, the address information on the network of the m+1-order company's server 110, and the hash value of the order information 231 for the m+1-order company to the address transmission unit 215 (step S313c).

[0151] Next, the address sending unit 215 of the mth company's server 110 sends the case ID 232, the order ID 401, the network address information of the m+1th company's server 110, and the hash value of the order information 231 to the m+1th company to the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 (step S314c).

[0152] Next, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 stores the case ID 232 and the order ID 401 acquired from the server 110 of the mth-order company, and the hash value information 600, which stores the hash value of the order information 231 to the m+1th-order company as the hash value 601 of the order information of the purchaser, in the storage unit of the terminal 120. Next, the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S702 onwards (step S701).

[0153] Next, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 transmits the case ID 232 and the order ID 401 to the supplier search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m+1-level company (step S702).

[0154] Next, the supplier search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m+1-level company searches for order information 231 to the m+1-level company for which the supplier 404 stored in the memory unit 111 is its own company, in association with the case ID 232 and the order ID 401, and transmits the case ID 232, the order ID 401, and the hash value of the order information 231 to the m+1-level company to the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 (step S703).

[0155] Next, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 associates the case ID 232 and order ID 401 obtained from the m+1-level company's server 110 with the hash value 602 of the contractor's order information in the hash value information 600 stored in the memory unit of the terminal 120, and updates it with the hash value of the order information 231 to the m+1-level company obtained from the m+1-level company's server 110 (step S704).

[0156] Next, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 compares the hash value 601 of the order information of the buyer with the hash value 602 of the order information of the contractor in the hash value information 600 stored in the storage unit of the terminal 120, and determines whether they are the same (step S705). If the hash values ​​are the same (step S705: Yes), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S315 onwards. If the hash values ​​are different (step S705: No), the business performance management system 100 ends the notification process.

[0157] Here, in steps S701 to S705, instead of transmitting the hash value of order information 231 from server 110 to terminal 120, order information 231 may be transmitted, and terminal 120 may generate a hash value from order information 231 and store it in a storage unit of terminal 120. This makes it possible to compare the hash values ​​of order information 231 held by the purchaser and the order recipient even if server 110 of a certain company cannot generate a hash value from order information 231. Note that instead of comparing hash values, it may be determined whether the values ​​of each data item of order information 231 held by the purchaser and the order recipient are equal.

[0158] <An example of hash value information stored in the terminal> Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of hash value information 600 stored in the storage unit of the terminal 120 of the business performance management system 100 of the embodiment 3. Note that the data shown in Fig. 11 is an example, and may be in other forms.

[0159] The hash value information 600 is information in which a hash value obtained by converting the order information 231 into a character string is associated with the case ID 232 and the order ID 401. The hash value information 600 includes the case ID 232, the order ID 401, a hash value 601 of the orderer's order information, and a hash value 602 of the order recipient's order information.

[0160] The hash value 601 of the order information of the orderer is the hash value of the order information 231 acquired from the server 110 of the ordering company. The hash value 602 of the order information of the contractor is the hash value of the order information 231 acquired from the server 110 of the order receiving company.

[0161] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, since the order information 231 contains the address information 405 on the network of the contractor's server, by the process of determining whether the order information 231 held by the purchaser and the order information 231 held by the contractor are the same, the terminal 120 can confirm that the address information 405 on the network of the contractor's server 110 contained in the order information 231 acquired from the purchaser's server 110 is correct. EXAMPLES

[0162] Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, the servers 110 of the companies participating in the business outsourcing flow are traced from upstream to downstream without passing through the terminal 120, and the servers are searched for step by step. After identifying the server 110 of the final order receiving company, the delivery record is transmitted from the terminal 120 to the server of the final order receiving company. In the fifth embodiment, it is determined whether the hash value of the order information associated with the same order ID in the third embodiment is the same as the order information acquired by the contractor's server 110 from the orderer's server 110.

[0163] In the fifth embodiment, differences from the third embodiment will be mainly described, and the same configurations and processes as those in the third embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described. Below, differences from the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4C, 5, 6, 14, and 15.

[0164] <Example of notification processing procedure using business performance management system> Fig. 14 is a flow chart showing an example of steps S308 to S317 of the notification process procedure by the business result management system 100 of the fifth embodiment, and Fig. 15 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the notification process. Note that steps S301 to S307 executed before step S308 in Fig. 14 are the same as those in the first embodiment (Fig. 4A), and steps S318 to S326 executed after step S317 in Fig. 14 are the same as those in the first embodiment (Fig. 4C).

[0165] Steps S308 to S312 in FIG. 9 are the same as those in the third embodiment (FIG. 4B).

[0166] When it is determined in step S312 that the order information 231 for the m+1-level company is stored in the memory unit 111, the contractor search unit 214 of the m-th company's server 110 searches for the order ID 401 and the network address information 405 of the contractor's server 110, i.e., the network address information of the m+1-level company's server 110, from the order information 231 for the m+1-level company stored in the memory unit 111 in association with the case ID 232, and transmits the case ID 232, the order ID 401, the network address information of the terminal 120, the network address information of the m+1-level company's server, and the hash value of the order information 231 for the m+1-level company to the address transmission unit 215 (step S313d).

[0167] Next, the address sending unit 215 of the mth company's server 110 sends the case ID 232, the order ID 401, the network address information of the terminal 120, and the hash value of the order information 231 to the m+1th company to the supplier search unit 214 of the m+1th company's server 110 (step S314d).

[0168] Next, the contractor search unit 214 of the m+1-order company's server 110 reads out the hash value of the order information 231 stored in the memory unit 111 in association with the case ID 232 and order ID 401 obtained from the m-th order company's server 110 (step 801).

[0169] Next, the supplier search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m+1-order company compares the read hash value with the hash value of the order information 231 acquired from the server 110 of the m-order company to determine whether they are the same (step S802). If the hash values ​​are the same (step S802: Yes), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S316 onwards. If the hash values ​​are different (step S802: No), the business performance management system 100 ends the notification process.

[0170] As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, since the order information 231 contains the address information 405 on the network of the contractor's server, the process of determining whether the order information 231 held by the purchaser and the order information 231 held by the contractor are the same makes it possible to repeatedly perform a step-by-step server search by tracing the servers from upstream to downstream in the business outsourcing flow in sequence without going through the terminal 120, and it is possible to confirm that the contractor's server 110 is being accessed from the server 110 of the purchaser 402 of the order information 231 associated with the case ID 232 and the order ID 401.

[0171] Alternatively, instead of comparing the hash values ​​of the order information 231 held by the orderer's server and the order information 231 held by the contractor's server 110, in step S314d, the hash value of the address information on the network of the orderer's server 110 from which the access originates may be compared with the hash value of the order information of the orderer in the order information 231 held in the storage unit of the contractor's server 110, and if the two are the same, it may be determined that the access is from the correct orderer's server. This allows the contractor to confirm that the access is from the correct orderer's server even if server 110 cannot generate a hash value. EXAMPLES

[0172] Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the sixth embodiment, a hash value of order information is written in a tamper-resistant ledger that can be shared between a purchaser and a contractor, and the written hash value is compared to determine whether the order information held by the purchaser's server is the same as the order information held by the contractor's server.

[0173] In the sixth embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same configurations and processes as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. Below, the differences from the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4C, 5, 6, 16A, 16B, and 17.

[0174] <Block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration in the sixth embodiment> In the sixth embodiment, a ledger that can be shared between the purchaser and the contractor and has tamper resistance is added to Figures 1 and 2. This shared ledger may be a ledger that can be shared only between the purchaser and the contractor, or a ledger that can be shared by all companies participating in the business outsourcing flow.

[0175] <Example of notification processing procedure using business performance management system> 16A and 16B are flow charts showing an example of steps S301 to S317 of the notification process by the business result management system 100 of the sixth embodiment, and Fig. 17 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the notification process. Note that steps S318 to S326 executed after step S317 in Fig. 16B are the same as those in the first embodiment (Fig. 4C).

[0176] Steps S301 to S302 and S304 to S307 in FIG. 16A are the same as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 4A).

[0177] After step S302, the order information transmission unit 212 of the nth company's server 110 stores the hash value of the order information 231 to the n+1th company in the shared ledger, associating it with the case ID 232 and the order ID 401, and transmits the order information 231 to the n+1th company to the order information input unit 211 of the n+1th company's server 110 (step S303e).

[0178] Steps S308 to S311 and S316 to S317 in FIG. 16B are the same as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 4B).

[0179] After step S311, the contractor search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m-th company determines whether the order information 231 for the m+1-th company, which is associated with the case ID 232 acquired from the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 and whose purchaser 402 is the company, is stored in the storage unit 111 (step S312). If the order information 231 for the m+1-th company is present (step S312: Yes), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S313e onwards. If the order information 231 for the m+1-th company is not present (step S312: No), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S317 onwards.

[0180] Next, the contractor search unit 214 of the mth-order company's server 110 searches for the order ID 401 and the contractor's server network address information 405, i.e., the address information on the network of the m+1th-order company's server, from the order information 231 to the m+1th-order company in the memory unit 111, in association with the case ID 232, and transmits the case ID 232, the order ID 401, and the address information on the network of the m+1th-order company's server to the address transmission unit 215 (step 313e).

[0181] Next, the address transmitting unit 215 of the server 110 of the mth order company transmits the case ID 232, the order ID 401, and the address information on the network of the server of the m+1th order company to the server connecting unit 222 of the terminal 120 (step 314e).

[0182] Next, the server connection unit 222 of the terminal 120 transmits the case ID 232 and the order ID 401 to the supplier search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m+1-level company (step 315e).

[0183] Next, the supplier search unit 214 of the server 110 of the m+1-level company reads out the hash value of the order information 231 for the m+1-level company associated with the case ID 232 and the order ID 401 from the shared ledger (step 901).

[0184] Next, the hash value read from the shared ledger is compared with the hash value of the order information 231 stored in the memory unit 111 of the server 110 of the m+1-level company to determine whether they are the same (step S902). If the hash values ​​are the same (step S902: Yes), the business performance management system 100 starts the notification process from step S316 onwards. If the hash values ​​are different (step S902: No), the business performance management system 100 ends the notification process.

[0185] As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, by writing a hash value into a shared ledger that can be shared between the purchaser and the contractor and is tamper-resistant at the time when the purchaser sends the order information to the contractor, it is possible to determine whether the order information 231 stored in the memory unit 111 of the purchaser's server 110 has not been altered since it was sent to the contractor's server, and the delivery record can be sent to the server of the final order-receiving company while confirming that the business outsourcing flow is correct and that the order information has not been rewritten due to erroneous operation or the like.

[0186] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modified examples and equivalent configurations within the spirit of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the configurations described. Furthermore, a part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, a part of the configuration of each embodiment may be added, deleted, or replaced with another configuration.

[0187] In addition, each of the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in hardware, for example by designing some or all of them as an integrated circuit, or may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function.

[0188] Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in a storage device such as a memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or in a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

[0189] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines necessary for implementation. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are connected to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0190] 100 Business performance management system, 110 Server, 111 Memory unit, 112 Control unit, 113 Display unit, 114 Input unit, 115 Communication unit, 120 Terminal, 121 Control unit, 122 Display unit, 123 Input unit, 124 Communication unit, 130 Network, 211 Order information input unit, 212 Order information transmission unit, 213 Performance acquisition unit, 214 Order recipient search unit, 215 Address transmission unit, 221 Initial information input unit, 222 Server connection unit, 223 Delivery performance transmission unit, 231 Order information, 233 Address information, 234 Delivery performance, 500 Order information, 600 Hash value information

Claims

1. A business performance management system that searches for a server of a receiving company that undertakes a business in a commercial transaction in which business consignment consisting of ordering and receiving orders is carried out step by step between a plurality of companies, comprising: A server for each of the plurality of companies; The system includes at least a terminal connected to a server of an outsourcing company via a network, Each of the servers includes a first arithmetic unit that executes a predetermined process and a first storage unit that is connected to the first arithmetic unit; the terminal has a second arithmetic unit that executes a predetermined process and a second storage unit that is connected to the second arithmetic unit; The server, determining whether the order information to which the acquired identification information is added is stored in the first storage unit; When the order information with the acquired identification information is stored in the first storage unit, the server of the order receiving company is searched for in a stepwise manner by acquiring address information on a network of the server of the order receiving company of the order information; If the order information with the acquired identification information is not stored in the first storage unit, the terminal is sent information indicating that the company is a final order receiving company. A business performance management system characterized in that the terminal identifies the network address information of the server from which the information indicating that the terminal is the final receiving company as the network address information of the server of the final receiving company.

2. The business performance management system according to claim 1, The identification information is a case ID common to receiving and placing orders between multiple companies in the business outsourcing flow, The terminal transmits a case ID attached to the order information to the server, The server, When the order information with the acquired case ID is stored in the first storage unit, the address information on the network of the server of the company that receives the order information is acquired; The case ID and the address information of the server of the receiving company on the network are transmitted to the terminal. A business performance management system characterized in that the terminal transmits a case ID attached to the order information to the server of the receiving company in accordance with address information on the network of the server of the receiving company received from the server.

3. The business performance management system according to claim 1, The terminal transmits identification information to be attached to the order information to the server of the outsourcing company, The server, When the order information with the acquired identification information attached thereto is stored in the first storage unit, the address information on the network of the server of the receiving company of the order information is acquired, and the identification information is transmitted to the server of the receiving company in accordance with the address information on the network of the server of the receiving company; A business performance management system characterized in that, if the order information accompanied by the acquired identification information is not stored in the first memory unit, information indicating that the company is the final order receiving company and network address information of the server of the final order receiving company are sent to the terminal.

4. The business performance management system according to claim 2, the terminal has a second storage unit that stores a hash value of order information; The server transmits at least one of data indicating order information and data indicating received order information to the terminal, the data being attached with the acquired identification information; The terminal includes: storing the acquired data indicating the order information and data indicating the received order information in the second storage unit; comparing the data indicating the order information and the data indicating the receipt information associated with the same identification information; A business performance management system characterized in that, if it is determined that the two pieces of data are the same as a result of the comparison, the identification information is transmitted to a server of the order-receiving company.

5. The business performance management system according to claim 3, The server, Transmitting the acquired identification information and data indicating order information for the identification information to a server of the receiving company; comparing data indicating the order information having the same identification information with data indicating the order information obtained from another of the servers; A business performance management system characterized in that, if it is determined that the two pieces of data are the same as a result of the comparison, the identification information is transmitted to a server of the order-receiving company.

6. The business performance management system according to claim 4, The server can access a third storage unit having tamper resistance; The server, Transmitting order information to the third storage unit in association with the identification information; 2. A business performance management system comprising: a processor for comparing data indicating order information acquired from another server with data indicating order information acquired from the third storage unit.

7. The business performance management system according to claim 1, The terminal includes: Identifying address information on a network of a server of a final receiving company identified with the identification information and the order information to which the identification information is attached; A business performance management system characterized in that business performance related to the identification information and order information to which the identification information is attached is transmitted to a server of a final order-receiving company identified by the address information.

8. The business performance management system according to claim 1, The terminal includes: Transmitting the identification information and the encrypted business record to the server whose address information is specified; Transmitting a key for decrypting the business performance to a server of the final receiving company whose address information is identified; The business record management system is characterized in that the server decrypts the business record using the acquired key.

9. The business performance management system according to claim 7, The business performance management system is characterized in that the server generates payment data for the order-receiving company based on the acquired business performance.

10. A business performance management method executed by a business performance management system that searches for a server of a receiving company in a commercial transaction in which business consignment consisting of ordering and receiving orders is carried out step by step between a plurality of companies, comprising: The business performance management system includes a server for each of the plurality of companies and a terminal connected to at least the server of the client company via a network; Each of the servers includes a first arithmetic unit that executes a predetermined process and a first storage unit that is connected to the first arithmetic unit; the terminal has a second arithmetic unit that executes a predetermined process and a second storage unit that is connected to the second arithmetic unit; The business performance management method includes: A first calculation unit of the server determines whether the order information to which the acquired identification information is attached is stored in the first storage unit; When the order information with the acquired identification information is stored in the first storage unit, a first calculation unit of the server acquires address information on a network of a server of the order receiving company of the order information, and searches for the server of the order receiving company step by step; a first calculation unit of the server, when the order information with the acquired identification information is not stored in the first storage unit, transmits information indicating that the company is a final order receiving company to the terminal; A business performance management method characterized in that a second calculation unit of the terminal identifies the address information on the network of the server from which the information indicating that the company is the final recipient is sent as the address information on the network of the server of the final recipient.

11. The business performance management method according to claim 10, The identification information is a case ID common to receiving and placing orders between multiple companies in the business outsourcing flow, The business performance management method includes: A second calculation unit of the terminal transmits a case ID attached to the order information to the server, a first calculation unit of the server, when the order information with the acquired case ID is stored in the first storage unit, acquires address information on a network of a server of the order receiving company of the order information, and transmits the address information to the terminal; The first calculation unit of the server transmits the acquired job ID and the address information of the server of the receiving company on the network to the terminal; A business performance management method, comprising the steps of: said terminal transmitting to said server a case ID attached to said order information in accordance with address information on the network of the server of the order receiving company received from said server.

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