Reflecting on the usability of research on culture in designing interaction

The concept of culture has been attractive to producers of interactive\ud systems who are willing to design useful and relevant solutions to users\ud increasingly located in culturally diverse contexts. Despite a substantial body of\ud research on culture and technology, interaction designers have not always been\ud able to apply these research outputs to effectively define requirements for\ud culturally diverse users. This paper frames this issue as one of understanding of\ud the different paradigms underpinning the cultural models being applied to\ud interface development and research. Drawing on different social science theories,\ud the authors discuss top-down and bottom-up perspectives in the study of users‟\ud cultural differences and discuss the extent to which each provides usable design\ud knowledge. The case is made for combining bottom-up and top-down perspectives\ud into a sociotechnical approach that can produce knowledge useful and usable by\ud interaction designers. This is illustrated with a case study about the design of\ud interactive systems for farmers in rural Kenya

MACHINE LEARNING TO SUPPORT INDUSTRIAL DIGITALIZATION AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION

This paper addresses use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and in particular Intelligent Agents (IA) in order to evaluate efficiency of information exchange and awareness in Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), with particular attention to digital transformation. To perform required experimentation, the authors have developed a Serious Game (SG) named JANUS, in which the player interacts with intelligent agents representing a virtual company and its actions aim to acquire as much as possible data about the organization

Hypercompetition in the ERP Industry: It takes all the running to stay in place

Applying the Red Queen Theory (RQT), the study posits that an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software vendor counters the Red Queen Effect (RQE) in the hypercompetitive ERP industry by strategically aligning itself with multiple partners to form an ecosystem that can be leveraged for growth, provide multiple opportunities for innovation, and produce and deliver a product to its customers. By carrying out a cross-case analysis of ERPCorp, its partners and rivals based on multiple qualitative interviews, the paper shows that ERPCorp was able to survive the entry process as well as adapt and avoid the competency trap by using a partner network to sell, implement and develop complementary offerings. The key finding is that in order to survive the “race”, ERPCorp has to adopt new strategies to match or exceed the actions of its rivals which creates various tensions with partners, thus requiring the ability to manage an inter-organizational network effectively

BPR and ERP: A Chinese Case

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is defined as the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes. BPR is also known as a major approach widely used in facilitating Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems implementation. In addition it has been suggested that an awareness of cultural differences is critical to ERP success. In this paper we examine the impact of human and management organizational subsystems on business process change and performance. We use a comparative study of four Chinese organizations with and without ERP systems. The findings of this study prove the importance of soft aspects in business process change through implementation of ERP systems

One organisation, three outcomes: Exploring the influence of power relations and IT context on multi-site ERP implementation in China

Since 2000, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have been widely adopted by large, state-owned companies in China. While there is a rich body of literature on ERP implementation in western companies, studies of Chinese companies are scarce. A recent exception is a study of seventy seven mostly manufacturing companies in China by Liang et al. (2007). They found that high coercive institutional pressures positively affect top management participation, which, in turn, positively affect ERP diffusion and the degree of its usage across the organisation. However, how the institutional pressures are exercised and what are the roles of top management in ERP implementation in complex Chinese companies remained open questions, worthy of further examination. The lack of understanding of specific conditions and especially dynamics of power relations in ERP implementation motivated our in-depth case study of a multi-site ERP system implementation in a large Chinese manufacturing company. The data collected from three divisions/subsidiaries shows that their implementation of ERP system turned out to have different outcomes. The key issues that emerged from the data indicate that the dynamics of power relations between the parent company and divisions/subsidiaries, and IT context have had a significant influence on the ERP implementation and different outcomes in divisions/subsidiaries

Identifying and Prioritizing of Readiness Factors for Implementing ERP Based on Agility (Extension of McKinsey 7S Model)

Studies conducted by many researchers indicate high failure rate of projects of implementing ERP systems. To penetrate in global competition market, it seems necessary to carry out studies to assess organizational readiness prior to system implementation to identify weaknesses and strengths points of the organization. Furthermore, organizations should be agile to be able to respond to market changes fast and effectively to survive in competitive environment. ERP and agility are two important tools for achieving competitive advantages. The main goal of the present study was to identify and prioritize organizational readiness factors for implementing ERP based on organizational agility. In this study, along with extension of McKinsey 7S model (strategy, structure, systems, skills, style, staff, shared values) to 9S (7S+ self-evaluation and supportive factors) model, agility criteria were weighted and rated using group AHP with fuzzy logic approach; so that accountability, speed and flexibility have obtained the maximum score. The nine organizational readiness factors were ranked using integrated FAHP and TOPSIS method based on five criteria of agility. The framework was proposed to a real case of Shiraz distribution cooperative firms. Results showed that among the nine organizational dimensions based on agility, the two added to McKinsey dimensions (self-evaluation and supportive factors) are ranked in the first and fourth places. The proposed framework help the firms “to implement ERP system with agility approach” concentrate on effective empowerments and develop strategies based on their own priority

From Genre-based Ontologies to Business Information Architecture Descriptions

A high cohesion of business and information needed to operate the business provide the fundamental basis for approaching Enterprise Architecture (EA) development. The aim of the Business Information Architecture (BIA) presented in this paper is to support the development of holistic information management principles in geographically dispersed environments. BIA contributes as a shared mechanism to support business information based strategic and operational thinking, forcing isolated business units to become aware of, understand, structure, and present local business critical information using ontologies and communication genres to aid EA development, implementation, and management to support business objectives

Meta-análisis sobre la implantación de sistemas de planificación de recursos empresariales (ERP)

The study presents a systematic literature review on the implementation of ERP systems. The analyses are based on 168 articles published in ISI journals. Firstly, the course of investigation on the phenomenon is investigated. Then, methodologies under use are specified in the analysis: field work - statistical technique and variables; case studies - the type of design and study problem; conceptual works - their impact on literature. Additionally, critical success factors proposed for the implementation of ERP systems are summarized. Lastly, with the purpose of supporting the development of future assumptions, some conclusions are provided on the scientific background for the study. A general analysis concludes that publications on ERP system implementation show a clear expansion trend, and are concentrated in information system journals. Empirical studies are privileged, with case studies used more frequently. Organizations under study are usually multinationals in the industrial sector. Based on that review, one concludes that: 1- organization size plays a key role in ERP systems implementation; 2- the factors that affect late ERP adoption differ from those that affect early implementation; 3- cultural collision can be felt at ERP implementation; 4- diligent studies on success factors in ERP implementation are few in number; 5- there is not one single dimension to measure ERP system success.Este estudio expone una revisión sistemática de la literatura científica sobre la implantación de sistemas ERP. Tomando como punto de partida 168 artículos publicados en revistas científicas ISI se realizan un conjunto de análisis. Primero, se estudia la evolución de la investigación sobre el fenómeno. Luego se particulariza según las metodologías de investigación empleadas, este análisis incluye: en los trabajos de campo, las técnicas estadísticas utilizadas y las variables estudiadas; en los estudios de casos, el tipo de diseño y el problema de estudio; y en los trabajos conceptuales su impacto en la literatura. Adicionalmente, se sintetizan los factores críticos de éxito propuestos para la implantación de sistemas ERP. En último lugar, y con el objeto de dar soporte al desarrollo de hipótesis futuras, se entregan algunas conclusiones sobre los antecedentes científicos recogidos en el estudio. En un análisis general, se concluye que las publicaciones sobre implantación de sistema ERP presentan una clara tendencia de crecimiento y se concentran en revistas de sistemas de información. Los estudios empíricos son preferidos, el estudio de caso es utilizado con mayor frecuencia, y normalmente las organizaciones estudiadas son grandes multinacionales del sector industrial. Por otra parte, a partir de la revisión de los trabajos se concluye que, primero, el tamaño de la organización juega un rol importante en la implantación de sistemas ERP. Segundo, los factores que afectan la tardía adopción de un ERP difieren de aquellos que afectan su adopción temprana. Tercero, en la implantación del ERP existe una colisión cultural. Cuarto, existen pocos estudios científicos rigurosos sobre factores de éxito de la implantación de ERP. Y quinto, no existe una sola dimensión para la medición del éxito del sistema ERP