A Hybrid System Of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) And Informality

One of the current research trends in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) involves examining the critical factors for its successful implementation. However, there is limited beyond system implementation, focusing on flexibly of ERP to respond to changes in business. Therefore, this study explores a combination system, involving an ERP system and informality, which focus on providing a company with efficient and flexible performance simultaneously. The paper aims to understand the constraints of using a single ERP system, and to define a new system corresponding to these problems, which is achieved by studying four Chinese companies operating in different industries. The study reveals that an ERP with pre-determined business activities cannot react promptly to unanticipated changes in a business. Incorporating informality into an ERP can react to different situations by using different procedures that are based on the practical knowledge of frontline employees

Understanding Entrepreneurship Process and Growth in Emerging Business Ventures under Market Socialism in China

Objectives: This paper aims to provide an insightful view of the entrepreneurial process and growth in different types of Chinese entrepreneurial enterprises under market socialism in China. This issue is explored by examining the organisational characteristics of three emerging business ventures under market reforms and institutional changes. It addresses the interactive effect of key contingency factors in entrepreneurship process and explains its impact on growth or failure outcomes in a particular ‘China type’ of market economy. Prior work: China’s hybrid economic system represents a mixed political economy with both socialist and capitalist characteristics (Lichtenstein, 1992; Morphy et al, 1992; Opper, 2001). Despite a growing body of research on Chinese small business practices alongside the economic reforms (Shen, 1994; Child, 1994; Naughton, 1994; Schlevogt, 2001; Warner, 2004; Yang, 2007; Kshetri, 2007; Yang and Li, 2008), more empirical studies are required to provide a critical insight into the emerging business practices. This research adopts a contingency model of entrepreneurship(Wickham, 2006) to examine entrepreneurship process and growth in different types of business venture. It reveals the interactive relationships among key variables such as strategy, ownership, culture and management process. Approaches: This research is undertaken through the empirical analysis of three case study companies in the textile industry. This fieldwork was conducted in 2006 and 2009 respectively. Multiple sources of data were collected including 21 open-ended interviews of owners and key managers in three case study companies. Results: The study offers an explanation on how entrepreneurship takes different forms and features in different organisational contexts. Empirical evidence supports four hypotheses: (1) The type of ownership is a key contingent factor that moderates particular entrepreneurial outcomes. (2) Leadership and knowledge accumulation capability are critical factors in learning process, significantly affecting the strategic choices in either high value or low value added products strategy. (3) The broadening of product portfolios and increased production capacity will improve survival chances and increase the likelihood of firm growth. (4) Management capability and consistency have greater impact on the outcome of entrepreneurship process than the resource and strategy factors. Implications: The findings have significant implications for a conceptual understanding of Chinese entrepreneurship dynamics. It addresses important considerations on government policy making and promotion strategies for entrepreneurship development in different forms of business venture. Value: The textile sector has pioneered the government reforms in restructuring and creating entrepreneurial enterprises. It offers a perfect case for assessing the entrepreneurship processes in a rapidly changing market environment. It emphasizes the important ownership effect on entrepreneurial outcomes. Drawing upon Wickham’s contingency model of entrepreneurship, it provides an improved understanding of this concept under particular circumstance and different contexts

Integrating ERP and enterprise social software

Purpose : The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of a hybrid enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, combining an ERP system with enterprise social software (ESS). The study will provide a critical assessment of the implementation of this process technology. Design/methodology/approach : Multiple case studies of organisations based in China were conducted to understand the use of ERP systems in different contexts. Following an evaluation of the context of each ERP implementation (within-case analysis) the research draws a cross-case conclusion that defines the nature of a hybrid ERP system and then synthesises the propositions related to the benefits and challenges of implementation. Findings : The authors find that a hybrid ERP system is able to support efficiency in business process management and also provide a flexible response to changes in business requirements. It does this by allowing for the continued use of informal processes that cannot be incorporated into the ERP system. Practical implications : This research indicates how ERP systems in conjunction with ESS can provide a flexible response to changing business requirements and increase collaboration within the organisation. Key lessons include the need to perform informal activities under the guidance of managers and provide clear boundaries for the implementation of informal activities. Originality/value : This study has found that the use of case studies can provide a valuable insight into the use of a hybrid ERP system from the perspective of its use within the organisation as a work system that requires an assessment of the context within which organisational members perform their work

Building the hybrid organisation through ERP and enterprise social software

This research traces the implementation of an information system in the form of ERP modules covering tenant and contract management in a Chinese service company. Misalignments between the ERP system specification and user needs led to the adoption of informal processes within the organisation. These processes are facilitated within an informal organisational structure and are based on human interactions undertaken within the formal organisation. Rather than to attempt to suppress the emergence of the informal organisation the company decided to channel the energies of staff involved in informal processes towards organisational goals. The company achieved this by harnessing the capabilities of what we term a hybrid ERP system, combining the functionality of a traditional (formal) ERP installation with the capabilities of Enterprise Social Software (ESS). However the company recognised that the successful operation of the hybrid ERP system would require a number of changes in organisational design in areas such as reporting structures and communication channels. A narrative provided by interviews with company personnel is thematised around the formal and informal characteristics of the organisation as defined in the literature. This leads to a definition of the characteristics of the hybrid organisation and strategies for enabling a hybrid organisation, facilitated by a hybrid ERP system, which directs formal and informal behaviour towards organisational goals and provides a template for future hybrid implementations

Modern Professionals and Their Tools ICT Supporting Organizational Flexibility and Control

The modern organisation can be characterised in terms of the continuous struggle between providing organisational flexibility and control. Organisational flexibility and informality support the members in facilitating, mentoring, innovating and brokering. Organisational control serves the purpose of coordinating, monitoring, directing and producing. The aim of this paper is to study how modern professionals manage their use of multiple Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the context of the requirements for organisational flexibility and control. This is accomplished through interviews with 16 modern professionals reflecting upon their use of ICT. The study firstly demonstrates that the multiplicity of ICT possibilities require of the modern professional to reflect upon the technologies they adopt and the specific ways in which they apply the technologies. We also clearly saw both the importance of some technologies, such as email and the unimportance of others, in particular the PDA. Generally, the study demonstrated the importance of flexible and informal ICT, even for the performance of work required to maintain organisational control

Entrepreneurial growth and ownership under market socialism in China: a longitudinal case study of small business growth

How firms grow is still a mystery and a definitive explanation remains elusive. This is especially the case for emerging economies, where the development of research into business growth has been notably slow whilst emerging business ventures are developing at hyper speed. Since most empirical studies have focused on the quantitative differences in growth across firms, this paper adopts a longitudinal case study approach to explore the qualitative differences in terms of how various types of firm achieve their growth outcomes in the organisational development process over a prolonged period of time. Through a theoretical lens which focuses on growth process approaches, this study not only demonstrates that entrepreneurial processes take different forms and dimensions in different contexts, but it also provides insights into the interactions of various organisational factors underpinning the strategies and changes that lead to contrasting growth outcomes. Case study findings assert that the ownership factor is a key contingent factor that shapes management structure and resources which, in turn, affect particular entrepreneurial outcomes. Furthermore, a combination of leadership style and the approach to knowledge management also play critical roles in the learning process which, tends to determine the strategy choice of either high or low value added product strategy. The findings of this research are that small firms with a low value product strategy can improve their survival chances and growth through the vertical broadening of a product portfolio in synchrony with increasing production and technology advancement. The case study companies show a tendency to reinforce their industry position by adopting contrasting choices for growth. The paper addresses the challenges and managerial implications for Western company managers in different growth contexts

Consulting project - Recidar

En cuanto al proyecto de consultoría que se ha llevado a cabo para Recidar, encierra un enfoque innovador para garantizar un futuro viable a su compromiso social de abogar por procesos de economía circular en Lima. La iniciativa recomendada se construye a través de la colaboración con diferentes actores clave que permitirán optimizar el alcance y la profundidad de la nueva Recidar. La asociación con actores locales clave es la clave para que Recidar desarrolle una mejor vía para su visión a largo plazo. Dado que Recidar está actualmente atascada con el alto nivel de actividad que se le exige a diario, el trabajo externo propuesto le dará una nueva visión para construir adecuadamente su negocio de modo que pueda resistir a las importantes fluctuaciones del entorno externo en el que opera.The following consultancy project analyzes the status of Recidar's strategic plan and recommends a greater emphasis on a long-term vision. The preliminary work has been based on the search for relevant academic articles covering the different dimensions of the circular economy. In addition, the literature review covers the different management practices that a social enterprise should foster to ensure a viable long-term vision for its operations. To successfully develop a comprehensive recommendation, an industry analysis (Porter's 5 forces), external analysis (PESTEL), internal analysis (AMOFHIT) and a detailed analysis of the problem at hand have been carried out. In terms of concrete recommendations, it highlights collaboration with universities, an engagement with a professional with inside knowledge of Gamarra, initiatives within the Gamarra ecosystem and the development of an e-commerce platform. These initiatives aim to improve brand recognition, promote a circular economy, create diverse revenue streams, and most importantly, respond to Recidar's request to build a long-term strategy for the future of its social mission

ANALYSING INTEGRATED PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT REFORMS: A CASE STUDY OF GHANA

Public sector accounting reforms have a vast potential to impact on the developing world (Hopper et al., 2016) but the explication of reform performance is only partial in the neo-classical economics framework. Accounting scholars have called for a deeper understanding of the context and conditions of accounting reforms in the less developing countries and emerging economies (LDCs/EEs) (van Helden and Uddin, 2016; Nyamori et al.,2017; Hopper et al., 2016; Goddard and Mkasiwa, 2016; Manning and McCourt, 2013; Abdul-Rahaman et al., 1997). This research sets out to understand the context of the public financial management (PFM)reforms using Ghana as an example of LDCs/EEs. The tools embedded in the institutional logics approach (ILA) are mobilised, as a meta-theoretical framework encompassing symbolic interactionism and grounded theory, to offer a constructivist-interpretivist account of the reforms. This research found that accounting changes through the PFM reforms in Ghana have been challenging to implement, and reforms outcomes have been poor to mediocre. Empirically, this study identified budget credibility as the core category in public sector accounting reforms in Ghana. The reform outcomes are reflected and constituted in the budget logics, such as over-centralization of controls, gaming, and unpredictability of flow of funds to the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), that have constrained the reforms. This study relates the core category to the other five main empirical categories, namely: accountability, professionalism, and financial re-engineering, automation, and policy credibility) which emerged from the study. Longitudinally, the research found that, dating back to the pre-independence era, only limited improvements have been made in the transformation of the public financial management practices to support economic development in Ghana. Opportunities to decentralize financial controls were not taken the 1980s, and the successive recent reforms have only centralized both the reforms and financial management controls. This research explains why sub-optimal accounting practices endure, the paradox of embeddedness, and constraints and possibilities of collective action to effect accounting change through reforms. The study examines the dynamics and the interplay of budget credibility and the other categorical elements within the “vampire state”, and the impact of hegemonic influences of the international community on local actors institutionalised in the polities through objectification and exteriorisation of culture. The implications of the budget credibility are explored further through the development of a substantive theory on the reforms, a processual analysis, and interinstitutional orders comprising national community logics, state logics, and international community logics that shape public sector accounting change in Ghana. This research opens up the possibility of further theoretical and empirical studies in other resource dependent countries where reforms are influenced by external donor development partners

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

Populating the social realm: New roles arising from social procurement

Employment requirements, as part of social procurement, are increasingly used in construction procurement as a tool to mitigate issues of exclusion on the job market. To create a better understanding how employment requirements nurtures a new type of actor, here named the“employment requirement professional” (ERP), the aim of this paper is to study how this role is framed in terms of work practices and professional identity. Building on 21 semi-structured interviews in the Swedish construction sector, a detailed account of who works with employ- ment requirements, how and why they conduct their work is provided. The findings show how ERPs mediate between contrasting interests when they create new social procurement roles and practices; how they enact different approaches to promote social sustainability, how their roles are formed by multiple and reciprocal lines of actions, and how they make sense of who they are and what type of work they engage in. The research contributes to a discussion on effects from social procurement in construction and the emergence of a new professional role, their identity and work practices