Journey of ERP from Manufacturing to Education Industry

oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/4Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a concept used to integrate the business process into one particular software in order to reduce work load. The technology had a very modest beginning and its popularity and efficiency is increasing day by day. This conceptual paper provides a historical sketch of the evolution of ERP and its journey from manufacturing set up to service and education sector. This study also intends to explore factors which leads to ERP usage in manufacturing, service and technical education institute. Finally, finds out certain gray areas of research in education industry

Designing and managing ERP systems for virtual enterprise strategy:a conceptual framework for innovative strategic thinking

The business environment today is transforming towards a collaborative context compounded by multi-organizational cooperation and related information system infrastructures. This chapter aims to examine Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems development and emerging practices in the management of multi-organizational enterprises and identify the circumstances under which the so-called ‘ERPIII' systems fit into the Virtual Enterprise paradigm; and vice versa. An empirical inductive study was conducted using case studies from successful companies in the UK and China. Data were collected through 48 semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the Grounded-Theory based Methodology (GTM) to derive a set of 29 tentative propositions which were then validated via a questionnaire survey to further propose a novel conceptual framework referred to as the ‘Dynamic Enterprise Reference Grid for ERP (DERG-ERP)'; which can be used for innovative decision-making about how ERP information systems and multi-organizational enterprises – particularly the Virtual Enterprise may be co-developed

Investigation of System of Criteria within Selection Processes for ERP Systems

The application and introduction of ERP systems have become a central issue for management and operation of enterprises. The competition on market enforces the improvement and optimization of business processes at enterprises to increase their efficiency, effectiveness, and to manage better the resources outside of the company. The primary task of ERP systems is to achieve the before-mentioned objectives. For this reason the selection of a particular ERP system has a decisive effect on the future operation and profitability of the enterprise, i.e. the selection phase is highly relevant step within the introduction and implementation stage of an ERP system. The issues that are worth investigating are the criteria applied at the decision. The qualitative correlation between the size of enterprises, market position, etc. and the applied selection criteria for ERP systems could be analyzed as to whether which criteria are made use of at multinational enterprises or at SMEs. Our research is grounded in a literature review and case studies of everyday practice related to introduction, implementation and roll-out of ERP systems and it tries to provide answers for the above raised questions

Harmonizing Systems and Software Cost Estimation

The objective of this paper is to examine the gaps and overlaps between software and systems engineering cost models with intent to harmonize the estimates in engineering engineering estimation. In particular, we evaluate the central assumptions of the COSYSMO and COCOMO II models and propose an approach to identify gaps and overlaps between them. We provide guidelines on how to reconcile and resolve the identified gaps and overlaps. The ultimate purpose of this work is to develop effective techniques for accurately estimating the combined systems and software engineering effort for software-intensive systems

Critical factors of accounting information systems (AIS) effectiveness : a qualitative study of the Malaysian federal government

This study presents a qualitative empirical evidence from a combination of pilot study (using a focus group approach) and semi-structured interviews with accounting personnel at the Accountant General’s Department and accounting divisions at ministry level. This study aims to explore the critical factors of Accounting Information System (AIS) effectiveness and user satisfaction criteria as a measurement for AIS effectiveness in the context of the Federal Government of Malaysia. The discussion during the focus group and the interviews focus on the user’s needs in order to operate the system effectively, in which reflect the critical factors of the system’s effectiveness. Additionally, their expectation towards the system in terms of what they want from the system is discussed in order to investigate the user satisfaction criteria for the measurement of AIS effectiveness. As a result, there are 27 critical factors of AIS effectiveness discovered in this study for the Federal Government of Malaysia, which categorised into three factors that are people factor, organisation factor and technology factor. On the other hand, the measurement of AIS effectiveness based on user satisfaction is classified into three main characteristics, which are perceived easiness of the system, perceived quality and information, and perceived benefit from the system. A framework of the critical factors of AIS effectiveness is proposed in this study

Ecosystem-inspired enterprise modelling framework for collaborative and networked manufacturing systems

Rapid changes in the open manufacturing environment are imminent due to the increase of customer demand, global competition, and digital fusion. This has exponentially increased both complexity and uncertainty in the manufacturing landscape, creating serious challenges for competitive enterprises. For enterprises to remain competitive, analysing manufacturing activities and designing systems to address emergent needs, in a timely and efficient manner, is understood to be crucial. However, existing analysis and design approaches adopt a narrow diagnostic focus on either managerial or engineering aspects and neglect to consider the holistic complex behaviour of enterprises in a collaborative manufacturing network (CMN). It has been suggested that reflecting upon ecosystem theory may bring a better understanding of how to analyse the CMN. The research presented in this paper draws on a theoretical discussion with aim to demonstrate a facilitating approach to those analysis and design tasks. This approach was later operationalised using enterprise modelling (EM) techniques in a novel, developed framework that enhanced systematic analysis, design, and business-IT alignment. It is expected that this research view is opening a new field of investigation

A phenomenon of the critical factors of accounting information system (AIS) effectiveness

The complexity of the Government's environment provides greater challenges in making the AIS effective. Prior studies have reported many and inconsistent determinants of system effectiveness, as well as its measurement. This study intends to fill the gaps by understanding the phenomenon of the critical factors of AIS effectiveness for an on-going and stable system. This includes exploring the critical factors of AIS effectiveness and examining the factors that significantly influence the phenomenon. In addition, the condition of the identified factors is investigated based on perceived importance versus perceived performance. The effectiveness of AIS in this study is viewed from the perspective of user satisfaction. This study was conducted using multiple methods (qualitative and quantitative). The qualitative method includes group discussions, observation and semi-structured interviews. The qualitative findings were used to develop a survey questionnaire for the quantitative study on a larger scale.This study contributes to the literature by presenting a comprehensive measure of AIS effectiveness using a user satisfaction approach. In addition, the results emphasise the AIS main components that are crucial for the achievement of an effective system, which are user commitment, technology support function and teamwork. Furthermore, this study is different to earlier studies in that its findings uncover additional factors that are antecedents for the critical factors of AIS effectiveness. Moreover, the perceived importance-performance gap shows the benefit of the assessment in providing a strategic direction for management. Overall,this study has shed light on the investigated phenomenon by offering: a comprehensive measure of AIS effectiveness; the factors important in achieving an effective system; and further action to be taken by the management and the system's users on each of those factors. Thus, in addition to academic literature contributions,practitioners will also derive benefits from the findings of this study.The complexity of the Government's environment provides greater challenges in making the AIS effective. Prior studies have reported many and inconsistent determinants of system effectiveness, as well as its measurement. This study intends to fill the gaps by understanding the phenomenon of the critical factors of AIS effectiveness for an on-going and stable system. This includes exploring the critical factors of AIS effectiveness and examining the factors that significantly influence the phenomenon. In addition, the condition of the identified factors is investigated based on perceived importance versus perceived performance. The effectiveness of AIS in this study is viewed from the perspective of user satisfaction. This study was conducted using multiple methods (qualitative and quantitative). The qualitative method includes group discussions, observation and semi-structured interviews. The qualitative findings were used to develop a survey questionnaire for the quantitative study on a larger scale.This study contributes to the literature by presenting a comprehensive measure of AIS effectiveness using a user satisfaction approach. In addition, the results emphasise the AIS main components that are crucial for the achievement of an effective system, which are user commitment, technology support function and teamwork. Furthermore, this study is different to earlier studies in that its findings uncover additional factors that are antecedents for the critical factors of AIS effectiveness. Moreover, the perceived importance-performance gap shows the benefit of the assessment in providing a strategic direction for management. Overall,this study has shed light on the investigated phenomenon by offering: a comprehensive measure of AIS effectiveness; the factors important in achieving an effective system; and further action to be taken by the management and the system's users on each of those factors. Thus, in addition to academic literature contributions,practitioners will also derive benefits from the findings of this study