The Dilemma Of Addressing SAP Skills Shortages In Developing Countries.

A worldwide shortage of SAP related skills threatens the viability of many Enterprise Systems implementations limits the adoption of Enterprise Systems in developing countries. SAP, the leading Enterprise Systems vendor, has established its University Alliance Program (UAP) to help address these skill shortages. The SAP UAP provides the opportunity for universities to access SAP solutions and associated curriculum, to facilitate teaching, at a reduced cost. This paper proposes that the real cost for universities, to access SAP solutions, varies from country to country presenting a possible barrier for developing countries. A number of alternative options are presented to lessen this barrier

ERP E-Learning: If you can\u27t take Mohammed to the classroom, take the classroom to Mohammed

E-learning is seen as a “silver bullet” providing a range of learning experiences independent of geographic regions, time zones and individual learning styles. Many organisations are currently considering how best to position this solution. This paper argues that a blended approach which incorporates both classroom based education and e- learning is the preferred option. It adopts a case study methodology to demonstrate the application of a blended approach to Enterprise Resource Planning education

The State of Play of the Webistes of Large Australian Companies

There has been a plethora of research on the internet and web sites especially in the area of usability. In addition, much of the research has focused on small to medium sized businesses. Little attention has been given to the purpose and content of web sites especially large organisations in an Australian setting. This study proposes a four stage model of e-commerce activity using the level of interaction as a measure to classify the web sites of 133 large Australian companies. The findings from the research suggest that many large Australian companies, whilst having a web presence, are not exploiting the available technology to conduct even a low level of e-business. Most companies are still at the early stage of e-commerce

Leveraging Enterprise-Wide Information System\u27s Curriculum to Teach E-Business Concepts

Many universities have struggled to incorporate Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems into their Information Systems (IS) curriculum. They are now faced with the issue of how best to incorporate e-business. They often treat the two technologies separately without realising the synergy between the two. We propose that IS curriculum can be extended using an ERP system to teach e-business concepts. Many IS departments have spent much time and resources in modifying their curriculum to incorporate Enterprise Resource Planning Systems. These systems are seen as a tool to reinforce many IS concepts. To facilitate the inclusion of ERP systems into the curricula universities have formed strategic alliances with major ERP vendors. The ERP vendor benefits from these alliances by increasing the supply of skilled graduates that can support their product thereby enhancing its marketability and lowering the cost of implementation, while the university gains access to the software at a greatly reduced cost. Through these alliances universities have made a commitment to incorporate ERP systems into their curriculum and have expended an enormous amount of effort and resources to achieve this. For many of these universities it is important to investigate how they can leverage their current level of expertise in ERP systems curriculum to incorporate many of the ERP’s ebusiness functionality to support the teaching of ebusiness concepts. Many consider ERP systems as an essential component of any e-business strategy. Before a university decides to build upon their existing ERP knowledge and resources to teach e-business concepts and skills in the IS curriculum, consideration should be given to a number of factors, including how ebusiness is covered in the IS curriculum at present; in what ways and to what extent should e-business issues be addressed; and what ERP resources should be extended to support the teaching of e-business concepts and skills. This paper examines the potential use of ERP systems as a tool to teach e-business concepts. It discusses the different functionality available and it applicability to IS curriculum

Delivering Enterprise Resource Planning (SAP R/3) Curriculum Using eLearning Resources

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems offer a software-based system that handles an enterprise’s total information system needs in an integrated fashion. Such systems have seen a phenomenal growth in the last decade in the US, Europe and Australian markets. With the recent upturn in South-East Asian economies, an increase in demand for ERP systems is expected and opportunities clearly exist for provision of high-qu ality ERP education programs in this region. This paper describes the issues and barriers associated with integrating ERP systems into university curricula. It outlines the experiences of Victoria University in offering ERP education through a strategic alliance with SAP. The University is extending its offshore programs by incorporating ERP education to take advantag e of the current increase in demand of ERP employment opportunities in the South East Asian region. The proposed ERP eLearning Model incorporates fo ur different technologies for the delivery of ERP education via the Internet. Each technological solution is discussed and advantages identified with possible future research developments put forward. --PACIS 200

Business Intelligence (BI) Critical Success Factors

Companies are increasingly focussing their information systems efforts around Business Intelligence (BI) solutions. The benefits realised from BI vary significantly from company to company. BI systems are now being used as extensions of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems as they consolidate, transform and analyse the vast amounts of data generated by the firm. Much attention has been given to the identification of critical success factors (CSF) associated with the adoption of ERP systems. However, there is only limited research that has focussed on the CSF associated with BI implementations as part of an ERP system environment. Hence, this research documents BI specific critical success factors that industry partners, venders or systems users have identified in their presentations at conferences, education forms or formal user group meetings

Online Reverse Auctions: who benefits?

The use of auctions as a tool for procurement by businesses existed well before the advent of the Internet. Initially the Internet was used to duplicate existing offline auction facilities. In the late 1990’s online B2B auctions were proliferating and were being adopted in a wide variety of circumstances. The reverse auction tool has evolved to take advantage of Internet technology and online auctions have been identified by many large organisations as a tool to achieve procurement savings. As companies adopt this technology it is important for them to understand the implications of this type of procurement. This paper adopts a case study approach to identify the issues for both buyers and sellers using this type of B2B application. It describes the conduct of a reverse auction, from the preliminary steps all the way to the final awarding of the contract. The case study is viewed through the eyes of a supplier undertaking a reverse auction for the first time. The main outcomes show that the auction vendor and buyer were major winners with the supplier expending considerable time and effort to participate in the auction only to realise that the auction places cost above all other factors in awarding the contract. The importance of cost over service delivery, customer support and buyer-supplier relationship was the bitter pill the supplier had to swallow

E-SKILLS FOR THE IS PROFESSIONAL

A common theme that appears in the literature is that many large organisations around the world are positioning themselves to take advantage of the new internet economy. But what does this “positioning” entail? Is it the purchasing and implementation of the right technology? Is it the redesign of business processes? What skills are needed by these organizations? Recently there has been call in the Australian marketplace for information systems (IS) professionals to possess skills that can handle the move into E-business and Ecommerce. In accordance with this we sought the views of information systems professionals employed in the Australian and New Zealand marketplace about the skills mix necessary in the “E” world. The main results of this survey showed that the teamwork and deadlines dominated the business skills whilst knowledge of Ebusiness/ commerce models dominated the technical skills. The second phase of this research is to develop a more comprehensive list of business and technical skills

Integrating e-learning content into enterprise resource planning (ERP) curriculum

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems offer a software-based system that handles an enterprise's total information system needs in an integrated fashion. Such systems have seen a significant growth in the last decade in the US, Europe and Australian markets and, more recently, increasing growth in Asian countries. This increase in demand for ERP systems in Asia offers opportunities for the provision of high-quality ERP education programs in the region. This paper describes the issues and barriers associated with integrating ERP systems into university curricula. It outlines the experiences of Victoria University in offering ERP education through a strategic alliance with SAP. The University is extending its offshore programs by offering ERP education in the region to take advantage of the current increase in demand in ERP applications. To assist with the delivery of offshore ERP education an ERP e-Learning model has been developed that integrates synchronous and asynchronous content. Asynchronous e-learning does not involve the presence of a teacher. Typically the learning content is located on a web server that students can access using the Internet. Synchronous e-learning requires the learner and teacher to be present in the event at the same time. It is a real-time, instructor-led online learning event in which all participants are available at the same time and can communicate directly with each other. The model uses four technologies to facilitate teaching: application service provision (ASP), web-CT, computer-based training and virtual classroom technology. The ERP e-learning model provides an innovative and efficient means to deliver ERP curriculum. It is able to provide greater flexibility in offshore subject delivery and to maximise student learning outcomes. This is particularly relevant in light of recent international medical (SARS) and terrorists incidents. --InSITE 2004, held Rockhampton, Queensland, 25-28 June 200

Integrating ERP\u27s Second Wave into Higher Education Curriculum

In the 1990s there was considerable growth in implementations of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems. Companies expected these systems to support many of the day to day business transactions. The growth in ERP implementations had a resultant impact on the demand for ERP skills. Many universities recognised this demand and the potential of using ERP Systems software as a teaching tool, and endeavoured to incorporate ERP systems into their curriculum; however most universities have struggled in this task. The application of ERP in education is well documented in many papers on Information Systems education. ERP systems have now evolved to incorporate more strategic components and universities and ERP vendors are investigating ways in which curriculum can be developed to support these new solutions. This paper discusses the evolution of ERP systems and how universities are attempting to develop their curriculum to complement these changes. It identifies how one university is addressing this dilemma and how this approach could be adopted and expanded further. --Conference held Bangkok, Thailand, 7-10 July, 200