The real SAP® Business one cost : a case study of ERP adoption in an SME

This paper reports on a UK based service management Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) that invested into SAP® Business One. The action research case study highlights the real cost and difficulties faced in moving to the one single SAP system and the process that was followed in order to identify third-party vendors that can integrate or customise SAP® Business One. This paper highlights the additional costs required to ensure a ‘fit-for-purpose’ solution to close the gap between strategic needs and the existing SAP Business One solution. The gap itself is illustrated by highlighting 10 key functionalities expected by the given service management SME. The actual implementation cost of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) was found to be approximately double the initial SAP costs. The real costs involve time for, among other things, process reengineering, strategic decision making, software add-ons, staff-training, project-management and software maintenance

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) adoption in a hybrid service and manufacturing Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) : an action case study

There is a growing need for understanding business process re-engineering within SMEs such as the service management companies and this calls for more research focusing on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and implementation. The aim of this study is to highlight the impact of an in-depth business process analysis during the pre-adoption and implementation of an ERP system in a hybrid service and manufacturing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME). Service management SMEs are identified as lacking in research focus especially in service operations, and in hybrid organisations that combine manufacturing and service provision. The study extends the existing knowledge in business process analysis and ERP adoption research by drawing upon the interpretive action case and Organisational Information Processing Theory (OIPT). The emphasis is on the impact of appropriate business process analysis during the pre-adoption decision making of an ERP system in a hybrid service and manufacturing SME. Primary data was collected using an online survey with 72 customer responses, questionnaires for in-company observations and third party meetings conducted at an SME in the North West of England, UK.OIPT specifically states that organisations are structured around information and the flow of information in order to minimise uncertainties. The theory suggests the use of information processing needs and information processing capabilities of an organisation to find an optimal performance. The theory however made no suggestion of how to find this optimal performance. Customising OIPT as the theoretical framework, the current study identified two variables a) information processing needs and b) information processing capability of the case organisation and used Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to analyse both variables in order to obtain an optimal fit during IS/IT pre-adoption decision making. The current study takes an original approach by combining and customising OIPT with VSM to the needs of the current study. It also highlights existing wastes in the business process and areas of improvement are suggested while mapping the information processing needs and information processing capabilities of the organisation.The study used action case methodology to provide a rich insight into business process analysis and ERP pre-adoption in a hybrid service and manufacturing SME. The current study was conducted over a period of two years from January 2010 to December 2011. The author was fully immersed into the study as both a participant and a researcher. The action case provided an environment where information processing needs and information processing capabilities as well as the application of VSM could be studied while analysing the resultant implications. Using action case, the current study was able to focus on pre-adoption decision making and monitored the initial impact of action on the case. The key finding is that OIPT and VSM are compatible and offer an opportunity of closing the weaknesses of not being able to identify the optimal fit when using OIPT alone during business process analysis.The contributions to knowledge are: i) Modification of OIPT in the form of OIPT2.0 to reproduce the current state as well as develop the future state value stream to suggest the optimal fit between the information needs and capability of an organisation. ii) Emphasis on extensive scoping during an IS/IT pre-adoption process aids the identification and adoption of an ERP system which best fits the business process and also suggests areas of the business process which could benefit from improvement. iii) The study also creates more awareness of action case methodology by demonstrating how it provides a rich insight into the process of ERP pre-adoption decision making in a hybrid SME. iv) Recommendation is made to the definition of hybrid service and manufacturing SME

Climate Variability and Rural Livelihood Security : Impacts and Implications

In a typical Nigerian village, the majority of the population comprises old people who are mostly economically unproductive due to reduced or loss of physical strength brought about by ageing and ill health. Many of these rural old people still work, and do so outside the formal sector, and are particularly susceptible to the effects of climate variability and change. Few studies have reported on climate change and the rural aged and there is a research gap as regards rural elderly peoples’ perception of climate variability impact on them. Since little is known about their perception of climate variability impacts and implications on the rural aged especially in relation to their livelihood activities in Sub-Saharan Africa, this chapter therefore examined the impact of climate variability on the livelihood security of the rural aged in different ecological zones of Nigeria. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used for data collection. Qualitative data were obtained through interviews with four aged and four aged women selected purposively in each rural community and analyzed using Content Analysis Method. Quantitative data were obtained through structured questionnaire administered to an aged male and an aged female population available in selected houses (the aged are people 60 years and over in age) in selected rural communities in selected ecological zones of Nigeria. Where there was no combination of the two (aged men and aged women), either of the two was also sufficient. It was discovered that the ageds’ experiences of climate variability impact relate to the prevailing climate variability characteristic of each ecological zones. The impact on their livelihood in these zones is seen in terms of livestock death, lack of pastures for herds, scarcity of water, pest invasion, delayed planting crop failure, need for irrigation, water logging, drowning of small animals, human and animal illness. This means that planning decisions related to climate change issues should take cognizance of the views of the aged populations especially of those residing in rural areas as they are the most affected by the impact