Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation - Annotated Bibliography Example

?Annotated Bibliography Introduction The articles selected in the annotated bibliography need to address both the technical and non technical issues relating to assignment 3 and 5. Owing to the nature of the case, both qualitative and quantitative papers are imperative in this analysis. Perceptions and observations of employees, executive management, CIOs and other stakeholders in ERP implementation need to be uncovered through case studies. On the other hand, some quantitative dimensions of technical parameters like IT infrastructure must be incorporated in the analysis. These criteria were useful in selecting entries in the bibliography list. Amoako-Gyampah, K. and Salam, A., 2004. An extension of the technology acceptance model in an ERP implementation environment. Information and Management, 41(3), pp. 731-745. Amoako-Gyampah and Salam (2003) intended on establishing the relationship between belief systems, usefulness of technology and subsequent use of the ERP system. The authors collected data from over one thousand workers in their country .They used the TAM (technology acceptance model) model to establish hypotheses for their paper. Amoako-Gyampah and Salam found that communication and training affect belief systems. This paper will be quite useful in assessment 3 because management is yet to approve the ERP project. They need reassurance that the plan will elicit support from members of the organisation. This paper will provide insights on how the company can achieve high usage rates. The major advantage of such an article is that it is theoretically founded on a pre-existing model. Furthermore, it uses empirical research to support its assertions, so Peet’s can rely on it. The paper addresses nontechnical factors that alter ERP usage, which is quite useful in the analysis. Fui-Hoon, N., Zuckweiler, K. and Lau, J., 2003. ERP implementation: Chief information Officer’s perceptions of critical success factors. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 16(1), 5-22. The researchers were interested in establishing key success factors behind ERP implementation since concern has been raised about high failure rates with the technology. The authors claim that organisations need to take advantage of best practice embedded in ERP systems. This means that reengineering ought to focus on tailoring the business processes to fit ERP software. They also add that errors in adoption occur when enterprises fail to use capabilities within the ERP system. Organisations have sometimes made too many customisations before understanding their business practices. This paper is insightful because it relies on views of CIOs who have succeeded in implementing ERP systems. Subjects are thus speaking with authority on the matter. The article is relevant to the assignment because it extols the merits of buying one’s ERP system and taking advantage of its capabilities. Gattiker, T. And Goodhue, D., 2005. What happens after ERP implementation: Understanding the impact of interdependence and differentiation on plant level outcomes. MIS Quarterly, 29(3), 559-587. In the paper, the writers assess implications of certain organisational qualities in the performance of the ERP system. They found that organisational models must have low levels of differentiation and high interdependence for them to experience ERP impact. Data integration works well when interdependence between subunits is high. Furthermore, ERP coordination improvements will be minimised when units in a company depend on each other. The article will be useful in this assessment because it addresses some of the potential glitches that could minimise these outcomes. Findings could be used to convince management about the usefulness of an ERP project as Peet’s already has highly interdependent business functions. Additionally, customisation will moderate effects of differentiation in the organisation. For the business report to garner support from management, it must acknowledge potential barriers and identify ways of overcoming them. This is what the latter article will achieve. Sarker, S. and Lee, A., 2002. Using a case study to test the role of three key social enablers in ERP implementation. Information and Management, 40, pp. 813-829. This work is a positivist examination of the social enablers of ERP. The authors found that ERP implementation can succeed if leadership in the organisation is committed to the initiative. Communication and transparency were also cited as key factors and so was the provision of certain resources. The members of the firm also suggested that empowering all individuals responsible for implementation is vital. The article will be a useful contribution to the assignments because it relies on a qualitative analysis for the study. It gives lengthy descriptions of organisation structure and communication issues impeding success in the firm under analysis. Therefore, the case study in the assignment will have practical examples of how it can avoid these glitches during the implementation process. The paper acknowledges that technological, organisational and human factors may enable ERP implementation. Nonetheless, emphasis is on human factors, which will be quite applicable to the case study. Koch, C., 2007. The ABCs of ERP: Getting starts with Enterprise Resource Planning. CIO, 29 Mar., pp. 1-7. Koch writes a newsletter article in which he addresses the basics of ERP systems. Most of the work is arranged in a question-answer format, thus making it quite succinct. He addresses most of the technical and non technical factors that relate to ERPs. The paper answers vital questions for the case study –Peet’s. For instance, it examines whether an ERP can be an organisation’s service-oriented architecture so that instead of integrating everything tightly, a company may choose to implement it as chunks which can then be dealt with accordingly. The article also addresses the ease with which a company can upgrade its software. This is a critical question to the case study because it has the option of either building or buying its ERP systems and customising it. Some practical advice on ERP hidden costs is also available, prior to approval of the project, the organisation will need to know the economical price of the project. Weill, P., Subraman, M. and Broadbent, M., 2002. Building IT infrastructure for strategic agility. MIT Sloan Management Review [online] Available at: http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/building-it-infrastructure-for-strategic-agility/ [Accessed 14 November 2013] This is a magazine article that studies the infrastructural choices of ERP implementers. The authors underscore the importance of maintaining the right balance when building IT infrastructure especially in relation to Enterprise Resource Planning. They assert that overinvestment in infrastructure can lead to wasted resources and thus diminished profit margins. On the other hand, under investing or creation of one’s infrastructure can cause delays, delineate processes and limit the firm’s ability to share resources. For these reasons, companies must decide whether they need to share or standardise their ERP systems. In order to strike this balance between extremes, strategic agility requires immense cooperation between IT professionals and business leaders. This magazine article was selected because it answers a pertinent question in ERP adoption. The company under analysis requires certain infrastructural capabilities in order to implement and use the ERP system. The article provides guidance on how this decision can be made. Furthermore, because the subjects in the analysis were leading organisations on the basis of their profit margins, then their infrastructural choices can be relied on. Xue, Y., Liang, H., Boulton, W., and Synyder, C., 2004. ERP implementation failures in China: Case studies with implications for ERP vendors. International Journal Production Economics, 97, pp. 279-295. The authors were interested in establishing some of the causes for failure of ERP systems in China. They noted that several western ERP vendors seem to be doing poorly in the Chinese market, and this is largely because of cultural differences between the two. A case study in the article known as CosmetiCo sued an ERP vendor because of malfunctions in implementation. Not only was the data format incompatible with Chinese standards, but some of the processes were written in English, so company staff could not understand it. While the latter paper focuses on intercultural causes of failure, it also looks at other contributors that may be relevant to the case study in assignment 3. For instance, they cite the existence of poor quality IT infrastructure, lack of familiarity with the software used for ERP implementation among other things. Therefore, these parameters could be useful to the case study as it will determine the prerequisites to success when handling such systems. Barker, T. and Frolick, M., 2003. ERP implementation failure: A case study. Information Systems Management, Fall, pp. 42-49. In this magazine article, the authors examine the process of ERP implementation within a bottling company. ERP was attractive to the bottler because its business processes were opaque. They also liked the prospects of doing sales forecasts. Poor communication, lack of leadership support and territorial attitudes led to the expulsion of its workers. The piece was selected because members of the organisation being studied are going through the same process that persons in assignment 3 and 5 are currently going through. Therefore, some pointers on how to sell the idea to managers of the company may be borrowed. Additionally, effects of excessive independence, poor communication and a do-it-all attitude amongst ERP professionals will be understood. Peet’s will realise the importance of involving members of the organisation in ERP implementation instead of letting IT professionals do everything and hand them a finished product. Laukkanen, S. Sarpola, S., Hallikainen, P., 2005. ERP system adoption – does the size matter? In: IEEE, Proceedings of the 38th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Hawaii: US, 22 June 2005. Helsinki: Finland. The authors did an empirical research among Finish companies that have adopted ERP. They examined the relationship between sizes and constraints in ERP implementation. They found that the answer was not straight forward for these organisations. Some small firms encountered resource constraints and lacked IT knowhow to implement these systems. On the other hand, large companies encountered difficulties in interruption of business processes. This article was selected in this list because it is an issue that several other researchers have glossed over; size. It will assist Peet’s in assessing some of the potential hurdles that it could encounter in implementation. Problems that are synonymous to companies with similar financial abilities are likely to affect the organisation and should thus be worked on. Nicolaou, A., and Bhattacharya, S. 2006. Organisational performance effects of ERP systems usage: The impact of post implementation changes. International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, 7, pp. 18-35. In this article, the researchers examine changes after implementation of ERP systems. To achieve this objective, they studied the financial health of 83 organisations and then compared them to changes that occurred with regard to ERP. It was found that the timing and nature of changes can affect how well institutions perform financially. Those that waited too long to make enhancements experienced deteriorating finances while those that upgraded their ERPs early enjoyed healthy finances. Furthermore, switching between ERPs was more detrimental than performing an add-on or upgrade. The article was selected for this bibliography list in order to shed light on some of the changes that the case study may instate after implementation. It will guide the company in assignment 5 because it will illustrate the degree of flexibility that it can exhibit after going live and recovering from implementation shock. Conclusion The papers in the list discuss some technical considerations prior to ERP implementation and after going live. Merits of buying or building the ERP system have been discussed. Infrastructural capabilities as well as the quality of ERP software are also highlighted in the papers. After implementation, the need to upgrade software and extent of customisation were key topic areas. Non technical aspects addressed factors affecting belief systems in implementation, garnering buy – in from management, using social enablers like communication and organisational structure, and the economic costs of post – implementation upgrades. Read More