Framing ERP success from an information systems failure perspective: a measurement endeavor

To the best of our knowledge, extant definitions of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) success are not comprehensive, and they do not address all of the most relevant dimensions of this complex issue. Consequently, current ERP success models may lead to deceptive evaluations. Through a rigorous logical shift starting from IS failure, and diverging from classical project management approaches, this paper attempts to define ERP success by means of four factors: Process, Correspondence, Interaction, and Expectation. Results formally integrates the literature gaps and enable the future definition of appropriate measurement items that could steer management practices towards a sounder approach to ERP success

Process-mining-enabled audit of information systems: Methodology and an application

Current methodologies for Information Systems (ISs) audits suffer from some limitations that could question the effectiveness of such procedures in detecting deviations, frauds, or abuses. Process Mining (PM), a set of business-process-related diagnostic and improvement techniques, can tackle these weaknesses, but literature lacks contributions that address this possibility concretely. Thus, by framing PM as an Expert System (ES) engine, this paper presents a five-step PM-based methodology for IS audits and validates it through a case in a freight export port process managed by a Port Community System (PCS), an open electronic platform enabling information exchange among port stakeholders. The validation pointed out some advantages (e.g. depth of analysis, easier automation, less invasiveness) of our PM-enabled methodology over extant ESs and tools for IS audit. The substantive test and the check on the PCS processing controls and output controls allowed to identify four major non-conformances likely implying both legal and operational risks, and two unforeseen process deviations that were not known by the port authority, but that could improve the flexibility of the process. These outcomes set the stage for an export process reengineering, and for revising the boundaries in the process flow of the PCS

Key antecedents and practices for supply chain management adoption in project contexts

An adequate identification of antecedents is recognized as fundamental in order to set the basis for connecting the inter-organizational networks in a SCM perspective. This work aims to identify key antecedents of SCM in a project-based environment by using Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM). This is firstly useful in order to highlight the relationships among the antecedents and to deduce priority for their achievement. The findings provide a hierarchical perspective of the 16 identified antecedents. In particular, three macro-classes of prerequisites were defined: cross-organizational cooperation, rules and procedures — accessibility, and super-ordinate goals. Moreover, results from a longitudinal and illustrative case study are also presented in order to compare the out-coming ISM model with evidence from a success case in the Yacht-building context so offering interesting insights about the implementation process. From a managerial perspective, the proposed model offers a conceptual path for SCM adoption, emphasizing most critical issues that have to be considered and organized in this complex and unpredictable setting

How to Measure the ET-ET Construct for Ambidexterity Comparative Analysis of Measures and New Measurement Proposal

Although there is broad agreement that ambidexterity somehow relates to the simultaneous pursuit of exploratory and exploitative activities, a lack of conceptual clarity exists regarding the extent to which ambidexterity concerns matching the magnitude (BD) of exploration and exploitation on a relative basis, or concerns the combined magnitude (CD) of both activities. This fragmentation has inspired different operationalization of the construct and limited its usefulness, both for scholars and practitioners, since interpretations, comparisons and analysis between cross studies or research have become more difficult. This article proposes and tests an alternative measure of ambidexterity, which attempts to simultaneously and explicitly include in an overall index both the combined (CD) and the balanced dimension (BD)

Technology assessment with IF-TOPSIS: An application in the advanced underwater system sector

Technologies are pivotal for firms' success, but also resource consuming. Therefore, managers have to assess and select technologies carefully in order to allocate resources on the most promising ones, grounding their decisions on adequate sets of criteria on which experienced people can express their opinion.This work proposes an application of Multi Criteria Decision Aids to technology assessment, where Decision Support Systems offer an effective support for evaluating technology impact on firms' success, building on experts' judgments.The method is based on a peer-based modification to Intuitionistic Fuzzy multi-criteria group decision making with TOPSIS method (peer IF-TOPSIS). A case study in which this methodology is applied to a company operating in the military sector (Advanced Underwater System) is also presented.Besides the empirical proof of the method's suitability and value in assisting managers in their decision, the paper's contributions are both methodological and theoretical. Methodologically, while allowing a peer-based voting procedure, the method enhances the consensus in the firm and limits the possible biases that a supra-decision maker could introduce. Theoretically, the set of proposed criteria includes many facets of the assessment problem, and avoids being tailored to the investigated technological field, so enhancing its generalizability

Risk Assessment in Erp Projects

a b s t r a c t Conducting Risk Management of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects is an ambitious task. ERP projects are complex undertakings for business enterprises, as the associated risk factors include myriad technological, managerial, psychological and sociological aspects. Moreover, such factors are often tightly interconnected and can have indirect effects on projects. Such features make Risk Management more difficult, uncertain and important than in traditional projects, especially in the Assessment stage. The aim of this paper is to propose an innovative technique to support Risk Analysis in order to provide a better, more structured and systematic understanding of the major relations amongst various risk factors, on the one hand, and between risk factors and the specific effects associated with ERP projects, on the other. A real case study regarding a multinational company and involving a panel of experts and practitioners is presented to illustrate application of the method

Project-service Solutions in the Yacht Industry: a Value-Chain Analysis

In recent years, the increased provision of bundled products and services has become an increasingly relevant economic trend for manufacturers in achieving competitive advantage. The project environment has not been left untouched by this economic trend, in particular throughout the delivery of integrated project-service solutions in all project life cycle stages. Innovative value offerings encompass a complex network of suppliers and subcontractors that is not stable and is arranged in a sporadic and unpredictable manner. Multiple case studies in the yacht industry were conducted to explore the configuration of project-service solutions. The research constitutes an original contribution to studies on servitization adoption in an industrial project context from an inter-organizational perspective. It emerged that SMEs reorganize themselves, in order to provide flexible on-demand solutions to customers, by including all the capabilities within their network. Newly arising professional roles are oriented to the implementation of smart networks and are focused on service infusion in order to provide increased customer value

A Fuzzy Logic Approach to Improve Manufacturing Effectiveness

Operations Management studies point out that technical and strategical choices on product design, production process and scheduling are the prerequisites to gain efficiency and efficacy in operational activities. Such choices aimed at gaining both actions repetitiveness and response flexibility, if properly used, can lead to efficiency and efficacy that are “effectiveness”. In this paper, first the relevant variables of the problem are defined and hierarchically ordered in terms of determinants and results. Then it is shown how these variables, all linguistic, are well definable through fuzzy sets and measurable through fuzzy inference based on Mamdani rules. The obtained fuzzy model can be used to verify the coherence in the choices to overcome the trade-off efficiency/efficacy and to point out the potentiality to gain effectiveness

Linear weighting per la vendor evaluation: alcune osservazioni sul metodo

Com’è noto la rilevanza del processo di acquisto nelle imprese è progressivamente aumentata negli anni a causa della maggiore tendenza all’outsourcing. Pertanto anche la scelta dei criteri e delle tecniche decisionali in merito alla valutazione e scelta dei fornitori (Vendor Evaluation) sta assumendo rilevanza crescente sia nella teoria sia nella pratica aziendale. In questo lavoro si prende in considerazione un semplice algoritmo di linear weighting, che può essere usato sia in sede di selection sia di ranking e si forniscono alcune linee guida per l’interpretazione corretta dei risultati che fornisce; sono inoltre analizzati i punti di debolezza del metodo con particolare riferimento al problema dell’assegnazione dei pesi ed è proposta una tecnica per l’analisi di sensitività dei risultati ottenuti. Infine, si dà cenno ad una semplice tecnica di aggregazione (Clustering) che può essere usata nella fase di Selection del Fornitore, consente di partire da un numero più ampio di candidati e fornsce una buona scrematura in tempi rapidi