Exploring the World\u27s Largest ERP Implementation: the Role of ERP in Strategic Alignment

As one of the largest and most complex organizations in the world, the Department of Defense (DoD) faces many challenges in solving its well-documented financial and related business operations and system problems. The DoD is in the process of implementing modern multifunction enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to replace many of its outdated legacy systems. This paper explores the ERP implementations of the DoD and seeks to determine the impact of the ERP implementations on the alignment of the DoD’s business and IT strategy. A brief overview of the alignment literature and background on ERP are followed by case study analysis of the DoD ERP development and current implementation status. Lastly, the paper explores the current successes and failures of the ERP implementation and the impact on the DoD’s goal of strategic alignment

BYOD: Moving toward a More Mobile and Productive Workforce

In recent years there has been a personal and organizational trend toward mobility and the use of mobile technologies such as laptops, mobile phones and tablets. With this proliferation of devices, the desire to combine as many functions as possible into one device has also arisen. This concept is commonly called convergence. Generally, device convergence has been segmented between devices for work and devices for home use. Recently, however, the concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has emerged as organizations attempt to bridge the work/home divide in hopes of increasing employee productivity and reducing corporate technology costs. This paper examines BYOD projects at IBM, Cisco, Citrix, and Intel and then integrates this analysis with current literature to develop and present a BYOD Implementation Success model

The Influence of Enterprise Systems on Business and Information Technology

Business strategy is important to all organizations. Nearly all Fortune 500 firms are implementing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to improve the execution of their business strategy and to improve integration with its information technology (IT) strategy. Successful implementation of these multi-million dollar software systems are requiring new emphasis on change management and on Business and IT strategic alignment. This paper examines business and IT strategic alignment and seeks to explore whether an ERP implementation can drive business process reengineering and business and IT strategic alignment. An overview of business strategy and strategic alignment are followed by an analysis of ERP. The “As-Is/To-Be” process model is then presented and explained as a simple, but vital tool for improving business strategy, strategic alignment, and ERP implementation success

Thermoelastic Properties of Ringwoodite [Fe_x,Mg_(1-x)]_2SiO_4: Its Relationship to the 520 km Seismic Discontinuity

We combine density functional theory (DFT) within the local density approximation (LDA), the quasiharmonic approximation (QHA), and a model vibrational density of states (VDoS) to calculate elastic moduli and sound velocities of gamma-[Fe_x,Mg_(1-x)]_2SiO_4 (ringwoodite), the most abundant mineral of the lower Earth's transition zone (TZ). Comparison with experimental values at room-temperature and high pressure or ambient-pressure and high temperature shows good agreement with our first-principles findings. Then, we investigate the contrasts associated with the beta-to-gamma-[Fe_x,Mg_(1-x)]_2SiO_4 transformation at pressures and temperatures relevant to the TZ. This information offers clearly defined reference values to advance the understanding of the nature of the 520 km seismic discontinuity.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Under Revie

Bifurcations in a convection problem with temperature-dependent viscosity

A convection problem with temperature-dependent viscosity in an infinite layer is presented. As described, this problem has important applications in mantle convection. The existence of a stationary bifurcation is proved together with a condition to obtain the critical parameters at which the bifurcation takes place. For a general dependence of viscosity with temperature a numerical strategy for the calculation of the critical bifurcation curves and the most unstable modes has been developed. For a exponential dependence of viscosity on temperature the numerical calculations have been done. Comparisons with the classical Rayleigh-B\'enard problem with constant viscosity indicate that the critical threshold decreases as the exponential rate parameter increases.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

The development and use of bib overalls in the United States, 1856-1945

In the past, costume historians have expended much effort researching fashionable dress. Now scholars are gaining in awareness of the need to also study common, everyday dress. Much of the research done to date has focused on women\u27s clothing, but that, too is changing, with the realization of the need to consider men\u27s clothing. Not only are costume historians beginning to look at everyday clothing, but clothing manufacturers are also interested in learning about the history of their products, because this information can be applied to advertising campaigns and company promotional literature. Perhaps the findings will also shed light on the larger issue of the development of workwear and its diversification to serve different purposes. Bib overalls were, and still are, the everyday apparel for some people. They are perceived as a uniform for the working masses, especially those in agriculture. Historic photographs and mail order catalogs provide evidence that males were the primary wearers through the early 1900\u27s, but these sources also illustrate that the age of the wearers ranged widely. Previously unanswered questions about this functional garment included when it was first made, how the garment design evolved, who the intended wearers were, and whether it was first home sewn or commercially manufactured. The Geo. N. Davis and Bro\u27s Catalogue, dated 1856, advertised overalls, vulcanized and solarized, for provision packers, butchers, fisherman, &c (sic]. By the early 1900\u27s there were many companies producing bib overalls, from Vermont to Kansas to Canada

IT-Enabled Strategic Change in the Chinese Business Culture

The popularity of IT-enabled strategic changes, such as business process re-engineering (BPR), is spreading outwards from the U.S. This makes it important to understand the influence of cultural factors on such changes. With a large cultural distance between American and Chinese societies and the growing economic power of the Chinese, it is appropriate to compare IT-enabled strategic change in the American and Chinese business cultures. This paper do so through literature integration, analysis and interpretation