Using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in SAP Fiori

This article presents a case study that was carried out in two companies that have implemented SAP Fiori. The As-Is and To-Be description of the process in which SAP Fiori was implemented was performed. The advantages and disadvantages of using SAP Fiori were also identified. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been used in order to understand the aspects that most influence users to consider SAP Fiori as an added value, and how it optimizes the tasks of users. TAM has two variables that will influence the acceptance of a technology, which are: perceived ease of use and perceived utility.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Aplicação do Modelo de Aceitação de Tecnologia (TAM) em SAP Fiori

Um sistema ERP é uma infraestrutura que pode assistir a empresa a integrar informação de todos os departamentos internos dos fornecedores e clientes. Liga todas as áreas internas da empresa, funções e processos, tantos os internos como externos, de forma a criar relações entre fornecedores e clientes. Os ERP também permitem que a informação seja partilhada entre diferentes parceiros, suporta a eficiência de fornecer a cadeia de abastecimento e melhorar o fluxo de informação. Isto deverá permitir os gestores tomarem melhores decisões baseadas numa informação mais precisa e atualizada (Al-Mashari & Zairi, 2000). Os sistemas ERP foram introduzidos por fornecedores de ERP como a SAP (Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkt in der Datenverarbeitung), Olacle, PeopleSoft, e outros sistemas, que forneciam uma plataforma singular e integrada, permitindo assim às empresas, obter vantagem competitiva e competir globalmente (Loonam & McDonagh, 2005). De forma a melhorar a eficiência e eficácia do uso do sistema ERP, as organizações necessitam de perceber quais os fatores que influenciam a satisfação do utilizador. Nesta área, o modelo de aceitação de tecnologia (TAM) é um dos modelos mais utilizados para explicar a intenção comportamental e o uso de determinada tecnologia. TAM pode também melhorar a compreender de como os fatores que influenciam o uso de determinada tecnologia podem aumentar a eficácia e eficiência no sistema ERP (Shih et al, 2009). Neste trabalho foi realizado um estudo de caso em duas empresas da implementação do SAP Fiori. Procedeu-se à descrição As-Is e To-Be do processo no qual o SAP Fiori foi implementado. Foram também identificadas as vantagens e desvantagens na utilização de SAP Fiori. O modelo de aceitação de tecnologia (TAM) foi utilizado de forma a compreender quais os aspetos que mais influenciam os utilizadores a considerarem ou não o SAP Fiori como uma mais-valia, e de que forma é que ele vem ou não otimizar as tarefas dos utilizadores. Em TAM existem duas variáveis que vão influenciar a aceitação de uma tecnologia, que são: A facilidade de uso percebida e a utilidade percebida. Com este projeto podemos então constatar que após a implementação de SAP Fiori algumas das tarefas realizadas pelos utilizadores tornaram-se mais fáceis, realizadas de forma mais rápida e intuitiva. Tendo em conta o modelo de aceitação de tecnologia, o fator que mais influencia a facilidade de uso percebida é ser uma aplicação simples e fácil de usar; já para a utilidade percebida, o segundo fator que mais influencia esta variável é a possibilidade de realizar algumas das tarefas do dia-a-dia usando um dispositivo mobile, a mobilidade é então identificada como a grande utilidade desta implementação desta nova aplicação.An ERP system is a technology infrastructure that can assist a company in integrating information from all internal departments with suppliers and customers. It links all areas of a company’s internal functions and processes with the external ones in order to create a close relationship between customers and suppliers. ERP also allows information to be shared between different partners, supports the effectiveness of the supply chain management, and improves the flow of information. These should enable managers to make better decisions based on more accurate and up-to-date information (Al-Mashari & Zairi, 2000). The ERP system was introduced by ERP providers, such as SAP (Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkt in der Datenverarbeitung) (Systems, Applications, & Products in Data Processing), Oracle, PeopleSoft, and others to eradicate legacy system problems, provide single and integrated technological platform, and thereby assist companies in gaining a competitive advantage and thus competing globally. However, implementing ERP system requires changes in the organizational culture as a whole, takes a long time to implement, and consumes a considerable amount of money. Therefore, companies need to know clearly what ERP system is and in what ways the system could affect the company before thinking of implementing the system (Loonam & McDonagh, 2005). To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of ERP system use, organizations need to research the factors that impact user satisfaction. In this area, the technological acceptance model (TAM) is one of the most widely used models for explaining the behavioral intention and actual usage and can improve our understanding of how influence on actual usage could help increase efficiency and effectiveness of ERP system use. In this project was made a case study in two companies that implemented SAP Fiori. The As-Is and To-Be description of the process in which SAP Fiori was implemented was performed. The advantages and disadvantages of using SAP Fiori were also identified. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been used in order to understand the aspects that most influence users to consider SAP Fiori as an added value, and how it optimizes the tasks of users. TAM has two variables that will influence the acceptance of a technology, which are: perceived ease of use and perceived utility

I SEE NO FUN IN ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON THE FIRST IMPRESSION USABILITY AND USER EXPERIENCE

Technology acceptance is crucial, if newly implemented enterprise systems (ES) in a company are to succeed. This is often addressed by end-user training during the implementation project. Perceived enjoyment and positive user experience (UX) have gained significant importance as technology acceptance factors. Yet, research on the design of such trainings is scarce, and literature with focus on perceived UX of ES even more so. This is in contrast to findings from other contexts which show that perceived UX may heavily impact user attitudes and learning motivation. As a first endavour in this direction, this paper presents an exploratory pre-study on first impressions of main operating ES with regard to expected usability and UX. Results show that ES are rated low, especially when compared to a universal UX benchmark. We discuss how more positive first impressions may positively impact motivation to learn the system, which will be investigated in a follow-up study

Evaluasi Penerimaan Penggunaan Sistem SAP Menggunakan Technology Acceptance Model dan Perancangan Sistem Rekomendasi PT XYZ

PT. XYZ merupakan salah satu perusahaan yang memanfaatkan sistem SAP secara end to end. Mulai dari divisi Sales, Purchasing, Accounting, Treasury, dan divisi Head Resource Management. Dalam penggunaannya, PT. XYZ mengalami beberapa kendala dalam penggunaannya dan sistem SAP belum pernah dievaluasi sebelumnya. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode SEM-PLS dalam melakukan evaluasi penerimaan pengguna karyawan PT.XYZ dengan menggunakan model penelitian sebelumnya yang terdiri dari 11 hipotesis. Dimana variabel yang diteliti diantaranya variabel TAM terdiri atas variable Perceived Usefullness, Perceived Ease of Use, Attitude Toward Use, dan Behavioral Intention to Use. Sedangkan terdapat pengukuran untuk variabel eksternal yang terdiri dari lima kategori faktor kesuksesan implementasi ERP. Selanjutnya hasil dari evaluasi tersebut dirancang sebuah sistem pendukung keputusan menggunakan metode Simple Addictive Weighting (SAW). Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa kesesuaian model yang digunakan sebesar 41.7% dimana terdapat 2 hipotesis dari variabel TAM dan 2 hipotesis dari variabel eksternal yang ditolak. Variabel training terbukti tidak memiliki pengaruh terhadap Behavioral Intention. Perancangan website bertujuan untuk menentukan karyawan butuh di training pada modul apa. Hasil pengujian menggunakan uji perhitungan metode SAW dan uji fungsional sistem sudah sesuai dengan perhitungan manual

Impact on organisations of changes in information systems: The case of two Lisbon universities

The acceptance of a new IS by users is not always easy, as people tend to be resistant to changes. This paper seeks to identify and evaluate the organisational impact of an IS change, having as subject of study the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL) and the University of Lisbon. The study was carried out based on a model that considers three perspectives: the quality of the system, the quality of information and the quality of service. For this study, interviews were conducted, and questionnaires were applied to some employees of the two universities to assess the impact of the SAP ERP implementation. The results confirm the importance of the quality of information and quality of the service provided, on learning and then on the organisational impact, through the benefits obtained and the impact on the end user.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Models of acceptance and use of technology research trends: Literature review and exploratory bibliometric study

Acceptance and Use of Technology Models suggest that some constructs predict behavioural intention towards the acceptance and use of technology. For this reason, these models are increasingly used by researchers around the world. At the same time, teachers of information technology and systems teach these models as part of the content of various courses. This study aims to analyse the publications of the last five years on Acceptance and Use of Technology Models. An exploratory bibliometric study was carried out, using the Proquest and Scopus platforms, in the period from 2014 to 2018, to find out which models are most used by researchers. The findings suggest that the number of articles into the top journals has increased, and that there is a wider array of journals publishing articles about this topic. Also, the study revealed that the most cited models were TPB and TAM.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Web Application Testing with Mocked Data

Tato práce se zabývá vytvářením umělých dat pro aplikace, které využívají REST rozhraní ke komunikaci mezi klientskou a serverovou částí. Z různých implementací REST rozhraní je práce zaměřena pouze na standard OData. Samotná práce je pod záštitou společnosti SAP, jejichž nástroje jsou použity i při vývoji výsledného řešení. Jedná se především o JavaScript framework SAPUI5. Přínosem této práce je vytvoření knihovny, která má za cíl usnadnit vývoj klientské části webové aplikace. Plně podporuje CRUD operace nad OData voláními. Oproti jiným knihovnám vytvářející umělá data nevrací vždy stejná statická data, nýbrž simuluje chování serverové části. Tedy při zavolání metody DELETE nad konkrétní entitou se daná entita opravdu smaže. Tato funkcionalita je umožněna tím, že se na klientské straně vytvoří databáze přímo v internetovém prohlížeči, která odpovídá databázi na straně serveru. Obdobná knihovna pro OData protokol zatím neexistuje, jedná se tedy o unikátní řešení. V rámci diplomové práce byla provedena validace knihovny na demonstrační aplikaci a výkonnostní analýza výsledného řešení.This work deals with creating and providing mocked data for applications that use REST interface to communicate between the client and server parts. From the various implementations of the REST interface, the work focuses only on OData standard. The project itself is mainly for SAP company. Naturally, even the libraries that are used in the final solution are from SAP. Primaly JavaScript framework SAPUI5 is used. The merit of this work is a library that facilitates the development of the client side of web applications. It fully supports CRUD operations over OData calls. Compared to other libraries creating mocked data that always return the same static data, this one simulates the behavior of the real server. So, when DELETE method is called for a specific entity, the given entity is deleted. This functionality is enabled by the client-side database created directly in the web browser, which corresponds to the database on the server side. A similar library for OData protocol does not exist, so it is a unique solution. The solution is verified using prepared web application.

Leveraging mobile business intelligence to create strategic business value

Includes bibliographical references.Currently, there is a growing need for mobile Business Intelligence (BI) in the business world as the nature of work is changing and employees are more mobile than ever before. Mobile BI promises portability and pervasive access to BI, making it a topic high on many directors’ agendas; however the tangible and intangible benefits of mobile BI are still not well understood. Coupled with this, BI practitioners’ are sceptical about the real business value of delivering BI reports to mobile devices and how this undertaking can bring about organizational changes in the long run. As the field of mobile BI is still in its infancy, there is a lack of research which addresses the business value of mobile BI. The existing studies in this research area have been focused on adoption and implementation strategies. This study therefore attempts to address the gap by investigating how mobile BI can be utilised to enhance organizational performance and also contribute towards strategic business value. In light of this, an extensive literature review was conducted which revealed that mobile BI usage can result in benefits, such as improved employee performance management, organizational agility and customer satisfaction. A conceptual model was developed based on the literature and this model acted as the framework for investigating the research problem

From a manual to a system-guided process: implementing change in a fast-moving consumer goods company in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The purpose of this study was to develop a change management framework in transitioning from a manual process to an automated system-guided process using digital technology for managing short-dated inventory in the logistics operations environment. The manual process at the logistics study site entailed the operational staff physically going through all bin locations of inventory in the warehouse and manually checking the shelf-life expiry date (SLED) of the inventory, and as recorded on manually created documents. A qualitative methodology was applied due to the exploratory nature of this study. The data collection strategies utilised were semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The participants were from a purposefully selected sample which constituted all levels of the operational staff. They were managers; despatch/receiving co-ordinators; inventory counters; clerical stock controllers; administration clerks; forklift drivers; reach truck drivers; and supervisors. There were fourteen interviews and three focus group interviews. The data were analysed thematically and subsequently the change management framework was imposed, which was the theoretical underpinning in support of the transition from a manual process to an automated system-guided process utilising digital technology. An understanding of the theoretical underpinning of the change management framework and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) emerged as the discussion developed. The application of the UTAUT model indicated user intention to embrace new technology. The thematic concepts that emerged from the data generated were technology exposure and awareness; skills and competencies; challenges and recommendations; and system implementation: manual-to-automated. The contributions and findings of this study included that the integration of technology and the workforce at the study site did not result in job losses, which is positive for the people, the company, and the economy. Policy contributes to, and informs, job security, skills development, ways of working, and technology adoption frameworks. The contribution from the leadership and management team, with their practical approach, supported the workforce in transitioning from a manual to an automated system-guided approach. One of the inherent fears that the participants cited was that of job losses. Effective communication; training; and management support and presence, contributed to the change in behaviour required to adopt the technology and embrace change. The study ultimately proposed the Logistics Change Management Model, which was adapted to the South African context and is applicable when transitioning from a manual to a system-guided process at the focal company. It is recommended that further studies are conducted to strengthen the theoretical framework

Extending the Technology Acceptance Model to Understand Students’ Use of Learning Management Systems in Saudi Higher Education

Although learning management systems (LMS) have been widely adopted by higher educational institutions in many countries, they are considered an emerging technology in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, research has demonstrated that the students’ use of them is not always satisfactory. This quantitative study investigated the factors that affect the students use of LMS in higher education by extending the technology acceptance model (TAM) and adapting eight external variables. Based on the probability multi-stage cluster sampling technique, online surveys were sent by email to 2000 students registered in three public universities in Saudi Arabia. 851 responses were submitted by participants, and 833 responses were used for data analysis. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equations Modeling (PLS-SEM), the results revealed that perceived ease of use is affected by six factors (content quality, system navigation, ease of access, system interactivity, instructional assessment and system learnability). The findings confirmed that perceived usefulness has five determinants (content quality, learning support, system interactivity, instructional assessment and perceived ease of use). This research is relevant to researchers, decision makers and e-learning systems designers working to enhance students’ use of e-learning systems in higher education, in particular where there is not yet widespread adoption.Keywords: TAM, technology acceptance, usability, e-learning systems, LMS, Blackboard, PLS-SEM