Price management device, price management method, and price management program

Abstract

To provide a unit price management apparatus or the like, capable of supporting strategic settings of unit prices for each client flexibly (in other words, strategically managing unit prices to be employed for clients).SOLUTION: A unit price management apparatus is configured to: (1) obtain a group associated with a designated client by referring to a client master; (2) obtain a standard unit price rank and a special sale unit price rank associated with the obtained group by referring to a group master; (3) obtain a standard sales unit price associated with the obtained standard unit price rank and a designated commodity by referring to a standard unit price master, and obtain a special sale sales unit price associated with the obtained special sale unit price rank and the designated commodity by referring to a special sale unit price master; and (4) display, on an order input screen, the obtained standard sales unit price and standard unit price rank, and the obtained special sale sales unit price and special sale unit price rank.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a unit price management device, a unit price management method, and a unit price management program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a unit price management device or the like that can calculate the selling unit price for each product of each customer simply and with low load when calculating the selling unit price for each product of each customer regarding products whose market unit price fluctuates daily.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Here, in the food industry (mainly companies engaged in food wholesaling) with the industry characteristic of "handling a small quantity and a variety of products and having difficulty in securing profits", it is required from the perspective of profit securing to flexibly perform strategic unit price setting for each customer (in other words, strategically manage the unit price to be adopted for each customer), but there has been no information processing means to support this.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a unit price management device, a unit price management method, and a unit price management program that can support flexibly performing strategic unit price setting for each customer (in other words, strategically managing the unit price to be adopted for each customer).

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the unit price management device according to the present invention is characterized by having a standard unit price master that holds standard sales unit prices for each product and each standard unit price master, which holds different standard sales unit prices for the same product as the number of defined standard unit price masters, and which has a corresponding standard unit price master associated with each standard sales unit price, and which is accessible to the standard unit price master and which has a corresponding standard unit price master associated with it, and which refers to the standard unit price master to obtain the standard sales unit price associated with the standard unit price master that is linked to the customer specified on the screen and the product specified on the screen, and which displays the standard sales unit price obtained by the acquisition unit and the standard unit price master that is linked to the specified customer on the screen.

[0007] Furthermore, in the unit price management device according to the present invention, multiple special sale unit price categories may be defined to distinguish the sales unit price of the product during a special sale, and the unit price management device according to the present invention may further have access to a special sale unit price master that holds special sale sales unit prices for each product and each special sale unit price category, a category combination master that holds combinations of the standard unit price category and the special sale unit price category, and a customer master that holds combination identification information for identifying the combinations for each customer, and in the unit price management device according to the present invention, the acquisition unit (1) refers to the customer master and acquires the combination identification information associated with the specified customer, and (2) refers to the category combination master The system may, by referring to the acquired combination identification information, acquire the standard unit price category and the special sale unit price category associated with the acquired combination identification information, (3) refer to the standard unit price master to acquire the standard sales unit price associated with the acquired standard unit price category and the designated product, and refer to the special sale unit price master to acquire the special sale sales unit price associated with the acquired special sale unit price category and the designated product, and the display processing unit may display the standard sales unit price and standard unit price category acquired by the acquisition unit, and the special sale sales unit price and special sale unit price category acquired by the acquisition unit on the screen for order entry or quotation entry, which includes an input area for entering the sales unit price to be adopted.

[0008] Furthermore, the unit price management device according to the present invention may also have access to a customer-specific product unit price master that holds sales unit prices for each customer and each product. In the unit price management device according to the present invention, the acquisition unit may refer to the customer-specific product unit price master to acquire the sales unit price associated with the specified customer and the specified product. The display processing unit may further display the sales unit price acquired by the acquisition unit from the customer-specific product unit price master on the screen.

[0009] Furthermore, in the unit price management device according to the present invention, the display processing unit may display the lowest of the standard sales unit price, the special sale sales unit price, and the sales unit price obtained from the customer-specific product unit price master as the initial value in the input area.

[0010] Furthermore, the unit price management device according to the present invention may further include an update unit that, when the sales unit price initially displayed in the input area is changed, stores the changed sales unit price together with the specified customer and the specified product in the customer-specific product unit price master.

[0011] Furthermore, in the unit price management device according to the present invention, the update unit may store the changed sales unit price in the customer-specific product unit price master together with the specified customer and the specified product only when the changed sales unit price differs from the standard sales unit price, the special sale sales unit price, and the sales unit price obtained from the customer-specific product unit price master displayed on the screen.

[0012] Furthermore, in the unit price management device according to the present invention, the product may be food.

[0013] Furthermore, the unit price management method according to the present invention is characterized in that multiple standard unit price categories are defined to distinguish the standard unit price of a product at the time of standard sale, and one of the defined multiple standard unit price categories is associated with a customer, and the acquisition step includes: an acquisition unit that refers to a standard unit price master which holds standard sales unit prices for each product and each standard unit price category to acquire the standard sales unit price associated with the specified customer and the specified product, and a display processing step in which a display processing unit displays the standard sales unit price acquired in the acquisition step and the standard unit price category associated with the specified customer on the screen.

[0014] Furthermore, the unit price management program according to the present invention is characterized in that multiple standard unit price categories are defined to distinguish the standard unit price of a product at the time of standard sale, and one of the defined standard unit price categories is associated with each customer, and includes an acquisition step of obtaining the standard unit price associated with the specified customer and the specified product by referring to a standard unit price master which holds the standard unit price for each product and for each standard unit price category, and causing the information processing device to execute the acquisition step, and display processing step of displaying the standard unit price obtained in the acquisition step and the standard unit price category associated with the specified customer on a screen. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] This invention has the effect of supporting the flexible and strategic pricing of each customer (in other words, strategically managing the unit prices adopted for each customer). [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of the outline of this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of the business support device according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of various master data. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a management structure for various master data. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the order entry screen and various master data when acquiring the sales price. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of the order entry screen and various master data when the sales price is manually changed. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of the order entry screen and various master data after the customer-specific product unit price master has been updated. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the unit price management device, unit price management method, and unit price management program according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by this embodiment.

[0018] [1. Overview] An example of the overview of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and the like.

[0019] The food industry has the industry characteristic of handling a small quantity and a variety of products. In addition, in companies engaged in the food wholesaling business, it is necessary to set and maintain the selling unit price. Regarding the setting of the unit price, it was necessary to set the unit price determined for the product (set one unit price as a company) or set the unit price for each customer. In the case of the former setting, although the maintenance load is reduced, there is a problem that strategic setting cannot be performed. In the case of the latter setting, there are problems that the load of setting and maintenance work is imposed and setting errors occur.

[0020] That is, regarding the management of the selling unit price, it is usually managed by product or by product and customer. However, when managed by product, the problem is that strategic price setting cannot be performed as a company. When managed by product and customer, the problems are that the human load is imposed on the setting or management of the unit price, and incorrect setting of the unit price occurs.

[0021] Therefore, in this embodiment, customers are grouped by unit price management unit, and sales unit prices are managed by group (corresponding to the combination identification information of the present invention), product, and rank. In addition, the unit price management group maintains a rank (e.g., A to C). In this embodiment, the sales unit price for each product based on the rank (corresponding to the standard unit price classification and special sale unit price classification of the present invention) is set when the order is entered (or the estimate is entered). There is no priority for each unit price master; sales unit prices are obtained from all masters and displayed as reference information on the order entry screen (or estimate entry screen). The sales unit price on the order entry screen (or estimate entry screen) is initially set to the lowest amount obtained from the unit prices. It is also possible to manually change the initially displayed unit price.

[0022] The ranks mentioned above are maintained for the purpose of strategically managing the unit prices used for sales to trading partners. For example, the unit price ranks and amounts for cabbage could be A rank: 90 yen, B rank: 100 yen, and C rank: 110 yen. In this way, ranks are used to maintain multiple unit prices even for the same product. By dividing the unit price into ranks and setting groupings, it becomes possible to change the catalog (list of unit prices) presented to customers for each price rank you want to sell, and this can be used for pricing strategies from various perspectives (see the image in Figure 1).

[0023] In this embodiment, instead of the usual method of setting unit prices for each customer, strategically ranked sales unit prices are displayed initially when an order is entered (or when a quote is entered) by grouping them as "unit price ranks." Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a product is sold at a different price (for example, a lower price) than the initially set unit price based on the rank, the same sales price entered in the order (or quote) is stored in the unit price master, and the same set unit price is set as the initial price when an order (or quote) is entered in the future. This reduces the burden and errors associated with unit price maintenance.

[0024] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the categorized unit prices can be set simultaneously, the burden and errors associated with maintaining sales unit prices can be reduced, enabling more strategic sales (unit price setting). This contributes to securing profits in the food industry, where profit margins are low and sales volume is high.

[0025] [2. Structure] An example of the configuration of the business support device 100 (including the unit price management device of the present invention) according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 2, etc. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the business support device 100.

[0026] The business support device 100 is built on a commercially available desktop personal computer. However, the business support device 100 is not limited to being built on a stationary information processing device such as a desktop personal computer; it may also be built on a portable information processing device such as a commercially available notebook personal computer, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), smartphone, or tablet personal computer.

[0027] The business support device 100 comprises a control unit 102, a communication interface unit 104, a storage unit 106, and an input / output interface unit 108. Each part of the business support device 100 is connected to communicate via any communication path.

[0028] The communication interface unit 104 connects the business support device 100 to the network 300 via communication devices such as routers and wired or wireless communication lines such as dedicated lines. The communication interface unit 104 has the function of communicating data with other devices via communication lines. Here, the network 300 has the function of connecting the business support device 100 and the server 200 so that they can communicate with each other, and is, for example, the internet or a LAN (Local Area Network). The data stored in the storage unit 106 may be stored in, for example, the server 200.

[0029] The input / output interface unit 108 is connected to an input device 112 and an output device 114. The output device 114 can be a monitor (including a home television), a speaker, or a printer. The input device 112 can be a keyboard, mouse, microphone, or a monitor that works in conjunction with a mouse to provide pointing device functionality. In the following, the output device 114 may be referred to as the monitor 114, and the input device 112 may be referred to as the keyboard 112 or mouse 112.

[0030] The storage unit 106 stores various databases, tables, and files. The storage unit 106 also stores computer programs (including a unit price management program) that work in cooperation with the OS (Operating System) to give instructions to the CPU (Central Processing Unit) to perform various processes. As the storage unit 106, for example, memory devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), fixed disk devices such as hard disks, flexible disks, and optical disks can be used.

[0031] The memory unit 106 stores customer master 106a, group master 106b (corresponding to the classification combination master of the present invention), standard unit price master 106c, special sale unit price master 106d, customer-specific product unit price master 106e, etc. The management structure of each master is as shown in Figure 4.

[0032] Figures 5, 6, and 7 show examples of information stored in the customer master 106a. The customer master 106a is used to manage customers and groups (corresponding to the combined identification information of the present invention). As shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, the customer master 106a stores customer identification information assigned to customers (e.g., customer code or customer name), and group identification information assigned to groups consisting of pairs of standard unit price rank and special sale unit price rank, as described later (e.g., group code or group name).

[0033] Figures 5, 6, and 7 show examples of information stored in the group master 106b. The group master 106b is used to manage groups and product unit price ranks (corresponding to the standard sales unit price category and special sale unit price category in the present invention). As shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, the group master 106b stores group identification information, standard unit price rank, special sale unit price rank, etc.

[0034] Figures 3, 5, 6, and 7 show examples of information stored in the standard unit price master 106c. The standard unit price master 106c is used to manage standard unit prices (list prices) by product rank. As shown in Figures 3, 5, 6, and 7, the standard unit price master 106c stores product identification information assigned to the product (e.g., product code or product name), standard unit price rank, application start date, application end date, and sales unit price. For example, product-specific pricing may be set for a specific group based on catalogs (lists of unit prices for multiple products) with different price ranks.

[0035] Figures 3, 5, 6, and 7 show examples of information stored in the special sale price master 106d. The special sale price master 106d is used to manage special sale prices by product rank. As shown in Figures 3, 5, 6, and 7, the special sale price master 106d stores product identification information, special sale price rank, application start date, application end date, and sales price, etc.

[0036] Figures 3, 5, 6, and 7 show examples of information stored in the customer-specific product unit price master 106e. The customer-specific product unit price master 106e is used to manage unit prices for each customer and product, and is used to set the previous sales unit price and irregular sales unit prices. As shown in Figures 3, 5, 6, and 7, the customer-specific product unit price master 106e stores customer identification information, product identification information, application start date, application end date, and sales unit price, etc. In this embodiment, operators can manually correct the sales unit price amount obtained from each master when entering a quote or order. However, if the amount corrected by the operator differs from the amount displayed on the quote entry screen or order entry screen (obtained from each master), the customer-specific product unit price master 106e is updated.

[0037] In this embodiment, by maintaining a rank for each unit price management unit and maintaining a unit price master for each product rank, the human burden required for setting or management, as well as the possibility of incorrect settings, can be reduced. Furthermore, unit price management using ranks enables strategic pricing while minimizing the burden of master maintenance. For example, the following strategic pricing can be implemented: A pair of standard price rank "A" and special sale price rank "A" corresponding to low prices is defined as Group 1 (Group Code 101), and this group is linked to special customers for whom a strategy of applying significant discounts to both standard and sale prices is employed. A pair of standard unit price rank "A" corresponding to lower prices and special sale unit price rank "C" corresponding to higher prices is defined as Group 2 (Group Code 102). This group is associated with customers who have a strategy of setting standard offering prices low and not offering significant discounts during special sales. A pair consisting of a standard price rank "C" corresponding to a high price and a special sale price rank "A" corresponding to a low price is defined as Group 3 (Group Code 103). This group is then associated with customers who have a strategy of setting a higher standard price and offering significant discounts during special sales.

[0038] Returning to Figure 2, the control unit 102 is a CPU or similar component that comprehensively controls the business support device 100. The control unit 102 has internal memory for storing control programs such as the OS, programs that define various processing procedures, and required data, and performs various business support operations based on these stored programs.

[0039] Functionally, the control unit 102 includes an estimate input unit 102a and an order input unit 102b, etc. The estimate input unit 102a and the order input unit 102b include the acquisition unit, display processing unit, and update unit of the present invention. Since the estimate input unit 102a and the order input unit 102b perform generally similar processing, and the screen configurations of the estimate input screen and the order input screen are also similar, this embodiment will focus on explaining the functions of the order input unit 102b.

[0040] The order entry unit 102b executes the following processes (11) through (18) (see Figure 5). (11) The operator is instructed to set customer identification information and reference date in areas MA11 and MA12 within the slip information area MA1 on the order entry screen MA. (12) The operator is instructed to set the product identification information and quantity in areas MA21 and MA22, respectively, within the detail information area MA2 on the order entry screen MA. (13) Refer to customer master 106a and obtain group identification information associated with customer identification information set in area MA11. (14) Refer to the group master 106b to obtain the standard unit price rank and special sale unit price rank associated with the acquired group identification information. (15) Refer to the standard unit price master 106c, and if the set reference date is within the applicable period, obtain the sales unit price associated with the set product identification information and the obtained standard unit price rank, and display the obtained sales unit price and the obtained standard unit price rank in the standard unit price display area for displaying standard unit prices in area MA25. (16) Refer to the special sale price master 106d, and if the set reference date is within the applicable period, obtain the sales price associated with the set product identification information and the obtained special sale price rank, and display the obtained sales price and the obtained special sale price rank in the special sale price display area for displaying special sale prices in area MA25. (17) Refer to the customer-specific product unit price master 106e, and if the set reference date is within the applicable period, retrieve the sales unit price associated with the set customer identification information and set product identification information, and display the retrieved sales unit price in the customer-specific unit price display area of ​​area MA25 for displaying customer-specific unit prices. (18) Of the displayed standard unit price sales price, special sale unit price sales price, and customer-specific product unit price sales price, the lowest sales price is displayed in area MA23 where sales prices are displayed. The displayed sales price is multiplied by the quantity set in area MA22 to calculate the sales amount, and the calculated sales amount is displayed in area MA24.

[0041] The order entry unit 102b updates the customer-specific product unit price master 106e when an order slip is recorded, in order to retain the fact that a transaction was conducted at a sales unit price outside of the various master management systems.

[0042] The sales unit price, which is obtained from various masters (standard unit price master 106c, special sale unit price master 106d, customer-specific product unit price master 106e) and displayed on the order entry screen, may be manually changed by an operator or other person to a sales unit price different from the displayed sales unit price. In this case, the order entry unit 102b updates the customer identification information of the customer-specific product unit price master 106e in the order entry screen.customer identification information, updates the product identification information of the customer-specific product unit price master 106e in the order entry screen.product identification information, updates the application start date of the customer-specific product unit price master 106e in the order entry screen.reference date, updates the application end date of the customer-specific product unit price master 106e with NULL, and updates the sales unit price of the customer-specific product unit price master 106e in the order entry screen.sales unit price (see Figure 3). Furthermore, if there are individual changes to the sales unit price during the quotation entry process on the quotation entry screen, the quotation entry unit 102a will similarly update the customer-specific product unit price master 106e.

[0043] If the lowest sales unit price set in area MA23 is changed by an operator or the like to an amount different from the amount displayed in area MA25, the order entry unit 102b updates the customer-specific product unit price master 106e (inserts or updates a record) (see Figure 6). Specifically, if there is a record in the customer-specific product unit price master 106e in which the key items of the master, name, name, and start date, are the same as the name, name, name, and reference date set on the order entry screen, the order entry unit 102b updates (overwrites) the sales unit price item in that record with the amount changed by the operator. If such a record does not exist, the order entry unit 102b inserts (adds a row) a new record containing the amount changed by the operator.

[0044] [3. Specific examples of processing] A specific example of the processing performed by the business support device 100 configured as described above will be explained in detail with reference to Figure 5, etc., following an example of a business flow performed using the business support device 100. Note that the slip information area MA1 and the detail information area MA2 are provided within the order entry screen.

[0045] [(1) When obtaining the unit price of sales (see Figure 5)] First, the operator enters the customer code "1000" into area MA11 of the slip information area MA1 shown in Figure 5 on monitor 114, and the reference date "2022 / 12 / 24" into area MA12. Furthermore, the operator enters the product code "S001" into area MA21 of the detail information area MA2 shown in Figure 5 on monitor 114, and the quantity "10" into area MA22.

[0046] Then, the order entry unit 102b refers to the customer master 106a and retrieves the group code "103" associated with the entered customer code "1000".

[0047] Next, the order entry unit 102b refers to the group master 106b to obtain the standard unit price rank "C" and the special sale unit price rank "A" associated with the acquired group code "103".

[0048] Next, the order entry unit 102b identifies the record containing the sales price "150" in the standard unit price master 106c based on the product code "S001" in area MA21 of the detail information area MA2, the reference date "2022 / 12 / 24" in area MA12 of the slip information area MA1, and the acquired standard unit price rank "C". The unit displays the sales price "150" contained in the identified record in the standard unit price display field in area MA25 of the detail information area MA2, and also displays the acquired standard unit price rank "C".

[0049] Similarly, the order entry unit 102b identifies a record containing the sales price "80" in the special sale price master 106d based on the product code "S001" in area MA21 of the detail information area MA2, the reference date "2022 / 12 / 24" in area MA12 of the slip information area MA1, and the acquired special sale price rank "A". The unit displays the sales price "80" contained in the identified record in the special sale price display field in area MA25 of the detail information area MA2, and also displays the acquired special sale price rank "A".

[0050] Furthermore, the order entry unit 102b identifies a record containing the sales price "110" in the customer-specific product unit price master 106e based on the customer "1000" in area MA11 of the slip information area MA1, the product code "S001" in area MA21 of the detail information area MA2, and the reference date "2022 / 12 / 24" in area MA12 of the slip information area MA1. The sales price "110" contained in the identified record is then displayed in the customer-specific product unit price display field in area MA25 of the detail information area MA2.

[0051] Next, the order entry unit 102b initializes area MA23 of the detail information area MA2 with the lowest sales unit price set in area MA25. In this case, the order entry unit 102b initializes area MA23 with the lowest value "80" from the amounts "150", "80", and "110" obtained from each unit price master.

[0052] Next, the order entry unit 102b calculates the sales amount "800" by multiplying the sales unit price "80" initially set in area MA23 by the quantity "10" entered in area MA22, and displays the sales amount "800" in area MA24.

[0053] Through the above process, the sales unit price obtained from various master data sources will be displayed as reference information on the order entry screen. Furthermore, the lowest unit price among those displayed in area MA25 will be initially set in area MA23, allowing the operator to understand which master data source's unit price was used.

[0054] [(2) When the sales unit price initially set in the system is manually changed (updating the customer-specific product unit price master) (see Figure 6)] Next, the operator manually changes the initial sales price set for area MA23 from "80" to "75".

[0055] Then, the order entry unit 102b calculates the sales amount "750" by multiplying the sales unit price "75" entered in area MA23 by the quantity "10" entered in area MA22, and displays the calculated sales amount "750" in area MA24.

[0056] Next, the order entry unit 102b manually changes the sales unit price initially set on the details information screen MA2. If the changed amount differs from the amounts displayed in each master (standard unit price master 106c, special sale unit price master 106d, customer-specific product unit price master 106e), the customer-specific product unit price master update unit 102c updates (INSERT or UPDATE) the customer-specific product unit price master 106e.

[0057] Next, the order entry unit 102b checks whether the changed sales amount "75" is different from the three sales amounts displayed in area MA25. In this explanation, the three sales amounts are "150", "80", and "110", so it is confirmed that they are different amounts.

[0058] Next, if the order entry unit 102b confirms that the amounts are different, it updates the customer-specific product unit price master 106e. Specifically, the order entry unit 102b checks if a record identical to the customer code "1000" set in area MA11, the product code "S001" set in area MA21, and the reference date "2022 / 12 / 24" set in area MA12 exists in the customer-specific product unit price master 106e. In this explanation, it is confirmed that no identical records exist.

[0059] Next, if the order entry unit 102b confirms that no identical record exists, it inserts (adds a row to) a new record into the customer-specific product unit price master 106e, which includes the customer code "1000" set in area MA11, the product code "S001" set in area MA21, the reference date "2022 / 12 / 24" set in area MA12, and the sales unit price "75" set in area MA23.

[0060] In this explanation, if the reference date set in area MA12 is "2022 / 11 / 1" or "2022 / 12 / 1", it will be confirmed that the same record exists. In this case, the order entry unit 102b will update (overwrite) the sales price ("120" or "110") of the same record with the sales price "75" set in area MA23.

[0061] [(3)(2) When the customer-specific product unit price master is updated, the next time a slip is entered (see Figure 7)] When an operator enters customer code "1000" in area MA11 of the slip information area MA1 in Figure 7, reference date "2022 / 12 / 25" in area MA12, product code "S001" in area MA21 of the detail information area MA2 in Figure 7, and quantity "10" in area MA22, the order entry unit 102b performs the same processing as described in "(1) When acquiring sales unit price (see Figure 5)" above, setting values ​​in areas MA23, MA24, and MA25 of the detail information area MA2. However, in this explanation, a new record has been added to the customer-specific product unit price master 106e, so as a result, the sales unit price "75" included in the added record will be displayed in the customer-specific product unit price display field in area MA25, and the lowest sales unit price of "75" yen will be initially set in area MA23.

[0062] In summary, this embodiment allows for the simultaneous setting of categorized unit prices, reducing the burden and errors associated with maintaining sales unit prices, and enabling more strategic sales (pricing). This contributes to securing profits in the food industry, where high volume sales often result in low profit margins.

[0063] [4. Contribution to the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)] This embodiment can contribute to improving operational efficiency and promoting appropriate management decisions within companies, thereby enabling contributions to SDGs Goals 8 and 9.

[0064] Furthermore, this embodiment can contribute to reducing waste and promoting paperless and digital processes, thereby contributing to SDGs Goals 12, 13, and 15.

[0065] Furthermore, this embodiment can contribute to strengthening control and governance, thereby enabling contributions to SDG Goal 16.

[0066] [5. Other Embodiments] In addition to the embodiments described above, the present invention may be implemented in various different embodiments within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims.

[0067] For example, among the processes described in the embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by known methods.

[0068] Furthermore, the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, information including parameters such as registration data and search conditions for each process, screen examples, and database configuration shown in this specification and in the drawings may be changed at will unless otherwise specified.

[0069] Furthermore, with respect to the business support device 100, each component shown in the diagram is a functional concept and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown.

[0070] For example, the processing functions of the business support device 100, particularly those performed by the control unit, may be implemented in whole or in part by a CPU and a program interpreted and executed by the CPU, or they may be implemented as wired logic hardware. The program is recorded on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium containing programmed instructions for the information processing device to execute the processing described in this embodiment, and is mechanically read by the business support device 100 as needed. That is, a storage unit such as ROM or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) contains a computer program that works in cooperation with the OS to give instructions to the CPU and perform various processing tasks. This computer program is executed by being loaded into RAM and works in cooperation with the CPU to constitute the control unit.

[0071] Furthermore, this computer program may be stored on an application program server connected to the business support device 100 via any network, and it is possible to download all or part of it as needed.

[0072] Furthermore, the program for executing the processing described in this embodiment may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium, or it may be configured as a program product. Here, "recording medium" includes any "portable physical medium" such as memory cards, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, SD (Secure Digital) cards, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, EPROMs (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROMs (Registered Trademark) (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), CD-ROMs (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), MOs (Magneto-Optical disks), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), and Blu-ray (Registered Trademark) Discs.

[0073] Furthermore, "program" refers to a data processing method described in any language or writing method, regardless of its format, such as source code or binary code. Note that "program" is not necessarily limited to a single, monolithic structure; it also includes distributed structures consisting of multiple modules or libraries, and those that work in cooperation with other programs, such as an operating system, to achieve their functions. Regarding the specific configuration and reading procedures for reading the recording medium in each device shown in the embodiments, as well as the installation procedures after reading, well-known configurations and procedures can be used.

[0074] The various databases stored in the memory unit are memory devices such as RAM and ROM, fixed disk devices such as hard disks, flexible disks, and optical disks, and store various programs, tables, databases, and web page files used for various processes and website provision.

[0075] Furthermore, the business support device 100 may be configured as a known personal computer or workstation or other information processing device, or as an information processing device to which any peripheral devices are connected. Alternatively, the business support device 100 may be implemented by installing software (including programs or data, etc.) that enables the processing described in this embodiment on the device.

[0076] Furthermore, the specific forms of distribution and integration of the devices are not limited to those shown in the figures, and all or part of them can be configured by functionally or physically distributing and integrating them in any unit according to various additions or functional loads. In other words, the embodiments described above may be implemented in any combination, or the embodiments may be implemented selectively. [Industrial applicability]

[0077] This invention is useful in the food industry, wholesale industry, and retail industry, among others. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0078] 100 Business support equipment 102 Control Unit 102a Estimate Input Section 102b Order Entry Section 104 Communication Interface Section 106 Storage section 106a Customer Master 106b Group Master 106c Standard Unit Price Master 106d Special Sale Price Master 106e Customer-Specific Product Unit Price Master 108 Input / Output Interface Section 112 Input device 114 Output device 200 servers 300 Networks

Claims

1. Multiple standard price categories are defined to distinguish the standard selling price of a product. Multiple sale price categories are defined to distinguish the sales price of the aforementioned product during a sale. Each customer is associated with one of the defined standard price categories. A standard unit price master that holds standard sales unit prices for each product and each standard unit price category, which holds different standard sales unit prices for the same product as the number of defined standard unit price categories, and which associates each standard sales unit price with a corresponding standard unit price category; a special sale unit price master that holds special sale unit prices for each product and each special sale unit price category; a category combination master that holds combinations of standard unit price categories and special sale unit price categories; and a customer master that holds combination identification information for identifying the combinations for each customer, are accessible. (1) Referencing the customer master, acquire the combination identification information associated with the customer specified on a screen for entering orders or estimates, which includes an input area for entering the sales price to be adopted; (2) Referencing the category combination master, acquire the standard price category and the special sale price category associated with the acquired combination identification information; (3) Referencing the standard price master, acquire the standard sales price associated with the acquired standard price category and the product specified on the screen, and referencing the special sale price master, acquire the special sale price associated with the acquired special sale price category and the specified product; and display processing unit that displays the standard sales price and standard price category acquired by the acquisition unit, and the special sale price and special sale price category acquired by the acquisition unit, on the screen. A unit price management device characterized by the following.

2. It is also possible to access the customer-specific product unit price master, which holds the sales unit price for each customer and each product. The acquisition unit refers to the customer-specific product unit price master and acquires the sales unit price associated with the specified customer and the specified product. The display processing unit further displays the sales unit price acquired by the acquisition unit from the customer-specific product unit price master on the screen. A unit price management device according to claim 1, characterized by the following:

3. The display processing unit displays the lowest of the standard sales price, the special sale sales price, and the sales price obtained from the customer-specific product price master as the initial value in the input area. The unit price management device according to claim 2, characterized by the following:

4. The system further includes an update unit that, when the sales unit price initially displayed in the input area is changed, stores the changed sales unit price together with the specified customer and the specified product in the customer-specific product unit price master. A unit price management device according to claim 3, characterized by the following:

5. The update unit stores the changed sales price in the customer-specific product price master, along with the specified customer and the specified product, only when the changed sales price differs from the standard sales price, the special sale sales price, and the sales price obtained from the customer-specific product price master displayed on the screen. The unit price management device according to claim 4, characterized by the following:

6. The aforementioned product is a food product. The unit price management device according to claim 5, characterized by the following:

7. Multiple standard price categories are defined to distinguish the standard selling price of a product. Multiple sale price categories are defined to distinguish the sales price of the aforementioned product during a sale. Each customer is associated with one of the defined standard price categories. An information processing device that can access: a standard unit price master that holds standard sales unit prices for each product and each standard unit price category, which holds different standard sales unit prices for the same product as the number of defined standard unit price categories, and which associates each standard sales unit price with a corresponding standard unit price category; a special sale unit price master that holds special sale unit prices for each product and each special sale unit price category; a category combination master that holds combinations of standard unit price categories and special sale unit price categories; and a customer master that holds combination identification information for identifying the combinations for each customer. (1) Referencing the customer master, obtain the combination identification information associated with the customer specified on a screen for entering orders or estimates, which includes an input area for entering the sales price to be adopted; (2) Referencing the category combination master, obtain the standard price category and the special sale price category associated with the obtained combination identification information; (3) Referencing the standard price master, obtain the standard sales price associated with the obtained standard price category and the product specified on the screen, and referencing the special sale price master, obtain the special sale sales price associated with the obtained special sale price category and the specified product; A display processing step that displays the standard sales price and standard price category obtained in the acquisition step, and the special sale sales price and special sale price category obtained in the acquisition step, on the screen. To execute, A unit price management method characterized by the following.

8. Multiple standard price categories are defined to distinguish the standard selling price of a product. Multiple sale price categories are defined to distinguish the sales price of the aforementioned product during a sale. Each customer is associated with one of the defined standard price categories. An information processing device that can access the following: a standard unit price master that holds standard sales unit prices for each product and each standard unit price category, which for the same product holds different standard sales unit prices equal to the number of defined standard unit price categories, and each standard sales unit price is associated with a corresponding standard unit price category; a special sale unit price master that holds special sale unit prices for each product and each special sale unit price category; a category combination master that holds combinations of standard unit price categories and special sale unit price categories; and a customer master that holds combination identification information for identifying the combinations for each customer; (1) Referencing the customer master, obtain the combination identification information associated with the customer specified on a screen for entering orders or estimates, which includes an input area for entering the sales price to be adopted; (2) Referencing the category combination master, obtain the standard price category and the special sale price category associated with the obtained combination identification information; (3) Referencing the standard price master, obtain the standard sales price associated with the obtained standard price category and the product specified on the screen, and referencing the special sale price master, obtain the special sale sales price associated with the obtained special sale price category and the specified product; A display processing step that displays the standard sales price and standard price category obtained in the acquisition step, and the special sale sales price and special sale price category obtained in the acquisition step, on the screen. To make it happen A unit price management program characterized by the following.

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