Systems and Methods for Analyzing a Potential Business Partner

• US 20110178836A1
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Luethi, Thomas Morus Erich, Seefeld, Helge Burkhard
• Granted Patent: US 8,630,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A computer-implemented method is provided for facilitating a due diligence analysis of a potential business partner of a business entity. The method includes receiving key data regarding a potential business partner. The method further includes facilitating an analysis of the potential business partner, including receiving risk-related data from a user regarding risks associated with the potential business partner, automatically determining a risk class for the potential business partner based at least on the received risk-related data, automatically determining a set of due diligence questions to present to the user based at least on the automatically determined risk class for the potential business partner, and receiving due diligence data from the user in response to the set of due diligence questions. The method further includes facilitating an approval process for the received due diligence data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating a due diligence analysis of a potential business partner of a business entity, the method comprising:

receiving key data regarding a potential business partner;

facilitating an analysis of the potential business partner, including;

receiving risk-related data from a user regarding risks associated with the potential business partner;

automatically determining a risk class for the potential business partner based at least on the received risk-related data;

automatically determining a set of due diligence questions to present to the user based at least on the automatically determined risk class for the potential business partner; and

receiving due diligence data from the user in response to the set of due diligence questions; and

facilitating an approval process for the received due diligence data.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

the approval process including multiple phases;

automatically determining a number of persons required to complete the multiple phases of the approval process based at least on the automatically determined risk class for the potential business partner.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

the approval process including at least a first phase and a second phase;

automatically determining, based at least on the automatically determined risk class for the potential business partner, whether a single person may complete both the first and second phases or whether different persons must complete the first and second phases.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

the approval process includes a release step, a review step, and an approval step;

automatically determining a risk class for the potential business partner comprises determining a risk class of lower risk, medium risk, or higher risk; and

if the risk class is determined as lower risk, facilitating the identification of a single person for completing all three of the release, review, and approval steps;

if the risk class is determined as medium risk, facilitating the identification of a first person for completing the release step and a second person for completing the review step and the approval step; and

if the risk class is determined as higher risk, facilitating the identification of a first person for completing the release step, a second person for completing the review step, and a third person for completing the approval step.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

facilitating an integrity check regarding the potential business partner, including receiving results of an Internet search regarding the potential business partner; and

automatically determining the risk class for the potential business partner based at least on the received risk-related data and the results of the integrity check.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein automatically determining the risk class for the potential business partner based at least on the received risk-related data and the results of the integrity check comprises automatically assigning a higher risk class to the potential business partner based on particular results of the integrity check, regardless of the received risk-related data.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein:

receiving risk-related data from the user regarding risks associated with the potential business partner comprises receiving responses to a set of risk-related questions presented to the user;

particular responses to particular risk-related questions have predefined corresponding point values; and

automatically determining a risk class for the potential business partner includes calculating a total of point values corresponding to the user'"'"'s responses to the set of risk-related questions.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising facilitating a subsequent analysis of the potential business partner, including:

determining a subsequent risk class for the potential business partner based at least on the received risk-related data;

comparing the subsequent risk class with the original risk class; and

if the subsequent risk class indicates a lower or same level of risk as the risk class, allowing at least a portion of the due diligence data received during the original analysis of the potential business partner to be reused for the subsequent analysis of the potential business partner.

9. Logic instructions stored in computer-readable media and executable by a processor for facilitating a due diligence analysis of a potential business partner of a business entity, including:

instructions for receiving key data regarding a potential business partner;

instructions for receiving risk-related data from a user regarding risks associated with the potential business partner;

instructions for automatically determining a risk class for the potential business partner based at least on the received risk-related data;

instructions for automatically determining a set of due diligence questions to present to the user based at least on the automatically determined risk class for the potential business partner;

instructions for receiving due diligence data from the user in response to the set of due diligence questions; and

instructions for facilitating an approval process for the received due diligence data.

10. Logic instructions according to claim 9, wherein the approval process includes multiple phases;

and

including instructions for automatically determining a number of persons required to complete the multiple phases of the approval process based at least on the automatically determined risk class for the potential business partner.

11. Logic instructions according to claim 10, wherein the approval process includes at least a first phase and a second phase;

and

including instructions for automatically determining, based at least on the automatically determined risk class for the potential business partner, whether a single person may complete both the first and second phases or whether different persons must complete the first and second phases.

12. Logic instructions according to claim 10, wherein the approval process includes a release step, a review step, and an approval step, and wherein automatically determining a risk class for the potential business partner comprises determining a risk class of lower risk, medium risk, or higher risk, and including:

instructions for facilitating the identification of a single person for completing all three of the release, review, and approval steps if the risk class is determined as lower risk;

instructions for facilitating the identification of a first person for completing the release step and a second person for completing the review step and the approval step if the risk class is determined as medium risk; and

instructions for facilitating the identification of a first person for completing the release step, a second person for completing the review step, and a third person for completing the approval step if the risk class is determined as higher risk.

13. Logic instructions according to claim 9, further including:

instructions for facilitating an integrity check regarding the potential business partner, including receiving results of an Internet search regarding the potential business partner; and

instructions for automatically determining the risk class for the potential business partner based at least on the received risk-related data and the results of the integrity check.

14. Logic instructions according to claim 13, wherein automatically determining the risk class for the potential business partner based at least on the received risk-related data and the results of the integrity check comprises automatically assigning a higher risk class to the potential business partner based on particular results of the integrity check, regardless of the received risk-related data.

15. Logic instructions according to claim 14, wherein:

receiving risk-related data from the user regarding risks associated with the potential business partner comprises receiving responses to a set of risk-related questions presented to the user;

particular responses to particular risk-related questions have predefined corresponding point values; and

automatically determining a risk class for the potential business partner includes calculating a total of point values corresponding to the user'"'"'s responses to the set of risk-related questions.

16. Logic instructions according to claim 9, further comprising instructions for facilitating a subsequent analysis of the potential business partner, including:

instructions for determining a subsequent risk class for the potential business partner based at least on the received risk-related data;

instructions for comparing the subsequent risk class with the original risk class; and

instructions for allowing at least a portion of the due diligence data received during the original analysis of the potential business partner to be reused for the subsequent analysis of the potential business partner if the subsequent risk class indicates a lower or same level of risk as the risk class.

17. A computer-implemented method for facilitating a due diligence analysis of a potential business partner of a business entity, the method comprising:

facilitating a first due diligence analysis of a potential business partner, including;

receiving first risk-related data regarding the potential business partner;

automatically determining a first risk class for the potential business partner based at least on the first risk-related data;

receiving first due diligence data;

facilitating an approval process of the received first due diligence data; and

facilitating a second, subsequent due diligence analysis of the potential business partner, including;

receiving second risk-related data regarding risks associated with the potential business partner;

automatically determining a second risk class for the potential business partner based at least on the second risk-related data;

comparing the second risk class to the first risk class;

based on a determination that the second risk class is the same or lower than the first risk class, allowing at least a portion of the first due diligence data to be reused for the second due diligence analysis;

receiving second due diligence data including the reused first due diligence data; and

facilitating an approval process of the second due diligence data.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein:

the first due diligence data comprises responses to a first due diligence questionnaire;

the first due diligence data comprises responses to a second due diligence questionnaire; and

receiving second due diligence data including the reused first due diligence data comprises automatically using one or more of the previously received responses to the first due diligence questionnaire as responses for the second due diligence questionnaire.

19. A method according to claim 17, further comprising, after allowing at least a portion of the first due diligence data to be reused for the second due diligence analysis:

receiving from a first user a request for approval to reuse the first due diligence data for the second due diligence analysis;

automatically communicating the reuse approval request to a second user;

receiving from the second user a response to the reuse approval request.

20. A method according to claim 19, further comprising providing the second user a selectable option for linking the second due diligence to the first due diligence such that the second due diligence is automatically approved and valid as long as the first due diligence is valid