The Effect of Learning on the Effective Use of Enterprise Systems

Enterprise systems must be used effectively to maximize their benefits. Given their complexity and integration of standard business processes, they pose significant challenges for employees’ learning. Users need to learn how to access a system and its data and how to leverage the information it provides to perform their daily tasks effectively. Based on a literature review, we identify three context-oriented forms of learning, which affect a user’s level of effective use: learning via instruction, self-learning, and learning via social interaction. We aim to conduct a longitudinal case study to explore learning during an implementation project and develop a research model to measure the effect of learning on individuals’ effective use of an enterprise system. The extension of the nomological network of the concept of effective use by an integration of the effect of different forms of learning will be the main contribution of our research

The Influence of Simulation-Based Information Systems Education on Enterprise Systems Knowledge and User Satisfaction

Enterprise systems implementations are often high cost and high risk with many companies failing to achieve their targeted business objectives. At the individual level, negative user reactions to enterprise systems lead to resistance to IT use, counter-productive adaptations, and reduced job satisfaction. Factors that contribute to these individual level effects include a lack of understanding of reengineered business processes and a lack of understanding of economic interdependencies. In this research, a computer-based business simulation educational intervention is investigated to determine its effectiveness in facilitating enterprise systems knowledge acquisition and promoting job satisfaction. Simulation-based education utilizes an experiential learning model, immersing participants in a realistic, dynamic business environment. This dissertation consists of three related essays. Two essays compare simulation-based education against traditional education to determine their relative effectiveness at imparting enterprise business process knowledge (essay 1), business motivational knowledge of economic interdependencies (essay 2), and at influencing job satisfaction. In essays 1 and 2, user knowledge structures are assessed using concept relatedness measures and analyzed using established Pathfinder network structure techniques. Results support the importance of accurate business process knowledge and understanding of enterprise economic interdependencies as antecedents to improved job satisfaction but the two types of knowledge appear to operate differently. Business process knowledge has a relatively stronger effect on perceptions of opportunities and control over the technology; whereas business motivational knowledge resulted in stronger reductions to perceptions of threat relative to a positive influence on opportunity. These influences all led to greater enterprise systems satisfaction among users. Essay 3 investigates salient factors of simulation-based education as an effective transitional intervention for enterprise change management. Based on the organizational behavior concept of realistic job previews, a new concept of realistic technology previews is introduced to IT change management. Simulation education is evaluated for its ability to provide a safe and supportive `transitional space\u27 facilitating IT adaptation by improving IT self-efficacy and improving cognitive appraisals which influence ES job satisfaction. Overall, results of these essays support the importance of user knowledge of business processes and economic relations to improve job satisfaction and adaption to enterprise systems. Simulation-based education is found to be superior to traditional education in imparting business process knowledge. Further, use of simulation-based enterprise systems education is found to positively influence IT self-efficacy and to provide a realistic technology preview, both of which improve cognitive appraisals resulting in higher enterprise systems job satisfaction

New skills for a new century? Challenging the orthodoxy: the role of citizenship and enterprise education in promoting effective learning

Citizenship and enterprise education are now compulsory in the English school curriculum; both offer challenges and opportunities for the development of effective learning. There is a long-standing problem of definition with enterprise education. One sees enterprise as teaching entrepreneurship, another sees it as more generic project development, and a final conceptualisation is the development of personal ‘enterprising’ dispositions, such as creativity, problem solving, and flexibility. These definitions have drastically different implications for teaching and the organisation of the curriculum. If the purpose of enterprise education is to prepare students to start businesses then enterprise education ought to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills that are relevant for running a company. In that case the link between enterprise education and business studies is close. However, if the purpose of enterprise education is to develop students’ capacity to take the initiative in any situation, this could arguably be created in any part of the curriculum. Citizenship has more in common with the third definition of enterprise. While offering a body of knowledge, it also aims to develop skills and attitudes which can influence not only the individual student but the culture of the schools thus enhancing student's experiences and possibly attainment

ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks: a literature review

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is a complex and vibrant process, one that involves a combination of technological and organizational interactions. Often an ERP implementation project is the single largest IT project that an organization has ever launched and requires a mutual fit of system and organization. Also the concept of an ERP implementation supporting business processes across many different departments is not a generic, rigid and uniform concept and depends on variety of factors. As a result, the issues addressing the ERP implementation process have been one of the major concerns in industry. Therefore ERP implementation receives attention from practitioners and scholars and both, business as well as academic literature is abundant and not always very conclusive or coherent. However, research on ERP systems so far has been mainly focused on diffusion, use and impact issues. Less attention has been given to the methods used during the configuration and the implementation of ERP systems, even though they are commonly used in practice, they still remain largely unexplored and undocumented in Information Systems research. So, the academic relevance of this research is the contribution to the existing body of scientific knowledge. An annotated brief literature review is done in order to evaluate the current state of the existing academic literature. The purpose is to present a systematic overview of relevant ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks as a desire for achieving a better taxonomy of ERP implementation methodologies. This paper is useful to researchers who are interested in ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Results will serve as an input for a classification of the existing ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Also, this paper aims also at the professional ERP community involved in the process of ERP implementation by promoting a better understanding of ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks, its variety and history

SMEs: ERP or virtual collaboration teams

Small firms are indeed the engines of global economic growth. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role to promote economic development. SMEs in the beginning of implementing new technologies always face capital shortage and need technological assistance. Available ERP systems do not fulfil the specific requirements of Small firms. SMEs has scarce resources and manpower therefore many SMEs don?t have the possessions to buy and operate an ERP System. On the other hand competition and competitiveness of SMEs have to be strengthened. This paper briefly reviews the existing perspectives on virtual teams and their effect on SMEs management. It also discusses the main characteristics of virtual teams and clarifies the differences aspects of virtual team application in SMEs. After outlining some of the main advantages and pitfall of such teams, it concentrates on comparing of ERP and virtual collaborative teams in SMEs. Finally, it provides evidence for the need of ?Software as a Service (SaaS)? where an application is hosted as a service provided to customers across the web for SMEs as an alternative of ERP. It has been widely argued that ERP disadvantage in SMEs such as administrative expenditure and cost, isolated structure, severe lack of software flexibility, insufficient support of SMEs business and high operating cost, lead SMEs to use virtual collaborative team which is net work base solution