CRITICAL ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE CONTRACTING ISSUES: RIGHTS, ASSURANCES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Unfavorable contractual agreement can be detrimental to the well-being of an organization. Often software contracts are written to favor the vendor and their terminology is vague and in a high-level language that can make organizations vulnerable. Among all IT applications, Enterprise Software is particularly critical due to integrating various critical business processes. In addition, ES implementations are among the most expensive types of IT implementations. Thus, ES contracting mistakes can be particularly costly for organizations

Isolating The Key Variables For Regression Models In Enterprise Software Acquisition Decisions: A Blocking Technique

Often researchers in the field of information systems face problems related to the variable selection for model building; as well as difficulties associated to their data (small sample and/or non normality). The goal of this article is to present an original statistical blocking-technique based on relative variability for screening of variables in multivariate regression models. We applied the blocking-technique and a nonparametric bootstrapping method to the data collected on the USA-South border for a research concerning enterprise software (ES) acquisition contracts. Three mutually exclusive blocks of relative variability for the response variables were formed and their corresponding regression models were built and explained. A conclusion was drawn about the decreasing tendency on the adjusted coefficient of determination (R2adj) magnitudes when the blocks change from low (L) to high (H) condition of relative variability. The obtained models (via stepwise regression) exhibited significant p-values (0.0001)

An exploratory study of contracting performance by untrained individuals

Third Annual Acquisition Research SymposiumThis paper reports on an experimental study where 178 student subjects without formal training in contracting issues were asked to accept or reject each of 20 clauses of a software purchasing contract. The subjects used a Web-based interface to accept or reject clauses. Of the 20 clauses in the contract, 6 were intentionally deceitful, in the sense that they specified binding obligations that made it unadvisable to accept them as part of a contract. On average, the subjects were able to correctly accept approximately 11 out of 14 non-deceitful clauses. Somewhat surprisingly, the subjects were able to correctly reject only 2 out of 6 deceitful clauses. The study also suggests that, among untrained individuals, those who are older, have more general work experience, and have above-average scholastic ability are the ones more likely to perform well in contracting tasks under conditions similar to those found in this study (i.e., Web-based contracting conditions). This study's findings provide the basis for a strong call for more and better training of contract officers in the DoD.;The following article is taken as an excerpt from the proceedings of the annual Acquisition Research Program. This annual event showcases the research projects funded through the Acquisition Research Program at the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School. Featuring keynote speakers, plenary panels, multiple panel sessions, a student research poster show and social events, the Annual Acquisition Research Symposium offers a candid environment where high-ranking Department of Defense (DoD) officials, industry officials, accomplished faculty and military students are encouraged to collaborate on finding applicable solutions to the challenges facing acquisition policies and processes within the DoD today. By jointly and publicly questioning the norms of industry and academia, the resulting research benefits from myriad perspectives and collaborations which can identify better solutions and practices in acquisition, contract, financial, logistics and program management.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

A six-stage model of the buying process for ERP software

Abstract This paper presents a model of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software acquisition process that reflects the findings from the four cases examined in this study. This ERP acquisition process model includes six distinctive, yet interrelated, processes (planning, information search, selection, evaluation, choice, and negotiations). This paper depicts the principal processes and many of the constituent activities, issues, dynamics, and complexities that pertain to the acquisition of ERP software. The results from this study contribute to the identification of processes that are part of this type of acquisition. Further, this model also suggests complexities that are worthy of further investigation, in and of themselves, if for no other reason than that they could prove the limit of generalizability of the model.

Disparity of the infusion of e-business within SMEs: a global perspective

International audienc

Can Hofstede\u27s model explain national differences in perceived information overload? A look at data from the US and New Zealand

Hofstede\u27s cultural dimensions model has been widely used as a basic explanatory and predictive model in a variety of business studies, including studies addressing information management and electronic communication issues. This study aimed at assessing Hofstede\u27s model by looking into a key issue for information management and electronic communication-information overload. The study compared information overload-related data from the US and New Zealand. The sample involved 108 MBA students who held professional or management positions. Data analyses employed comparisons of means and partial least squares (PLS)-based structural equation modeling techniques. Information overload perceptions in the two countries appear to differ significantly. This finding seems to be inconsistent with the relatively small differences in cultural dimension scores between the US and New Zealand, and with those two countries being placed in the same country cluster in Hofstede\u27s model. The results call into question the adequacy of Hofstede\u27s model as a basis to explain information management phenomena. © 2008 IEEE