Christopher P. Holland

A critical success factors model for ERP implementation

An effective IT infrastructure can support a business vision and strategy; a poor, decentralized one can break a company. More and more companies are turning to off-the-shelf ERP (enterprise resource planning) solutions for IT planning and legacy systems management. The authors have developed a framework to help managers successfully plan and implement an ERP project.

A stage maturity model for enterprise resource planning systems use

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems dominate the information technology landscape of many companies. Organizations are at different stages in the implementation process ranging from the initial analysis of implementation options, through completed standard implementations and to the sophisticated exploitation of ERP systems using advanced knowledge management, customer relationship management and supply chain management systems. The authors present a maturity model for ERP systems that identifies three stages and this is illustrated using case data selected from the study which is based on 24 organizations in the US and Europe. In Stage 1, organizations are managing legacy systems and starting the ERP project. In Stage 2, implementation is complete and the functionality of the ERP system is being exploited across the organization. In Stage 3, organizations have normalised the ERP system into the organization and are engaged in the process of obtaining strategic value from the system by using additional systems such as customer relationship management, knowledge management and supply chain planning. It is shown that the organizations follow an S-shaped curve, and that most companies are in the middle stage. An analysis of the implications for organizations at each stage of the maturity model is presented which will be of value to practising managers. The implications are categorised as impacts on cost, entropy, complexity, flexibility and strategic competitiveness.

Cooperative supply chain management: the impact of interorganizational information systems

Abstract The impact of interorganizational information systems on the structure and management of a supply chain in the textile industry is analysed from a managerial perspective. Case data from detailed, partial longitudinal studies of manufacturer and retail organizations are presented. The competitive strategies of organizations in the supply chain are described and their associated patterns of communication are analysed. It is shown that companies are moving towards cooperative relationships in an effort to make the supply chain as a whole more competitive. The resulting market structure is an electronic hierarchy in which business processes are integrated across organizational boundaries using interorganizational information systems. The strategies of the individual firms are evolving as new opportunities arise and different problems present themselves. The results are compared with current theories on market structure and competition in an electronic trading environment and future trends are outlined.

Enterprise resource planning: a business approach to systems development

Systems development methodologies have evolved from technical approaches through to a people/organisational focus and more recently an increased emphasis on business process reengineering (BPR) has been witnessed. This evolution reflects both the increasing maturity of information technology and also the business outlook of firms seeking to use IT for competitive advantage. In this paper we argue that system development is now entering a new phase of maturity with the advent of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software packages. ERP systems are integrated, enterprise wide systems which automate core corporate activities such as manufacturing, human resource, finance and supply chain management. From case study research, it is shown that ERP implementations have different types of problems compared with traditional software development methods. These centre on the alignment of business processes with the standard Software package and the project management of the implementation process. It is argued that ERP is a departure from traditional approaches to system development. It therefore requires a different approach that places less emphasis on the technical aspects of software development and instead seeks to balance the business process design, software configuration and project management aspects of IT implementation with the overall strategy and structure of the firm. Future research opportunities are outlined.

Global enterprise resource planning implementation

The globalisation of markets is having a profound effect on business and information technology strategies of individual organisations. The move away from nationally focused business units to a global product-market focus requires an effective international coordination of a firms activities. To support a global outlook, many firms are implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Although ERP has become the de facto standard for international organisations there are few documented examples of implementation. This paper seeks to make a contribution to this important area. A case study analysis of the strategic context and implementation of a global ERP project in a multinational textiles group is presented. It illustrates the transformation of a conglomerate of nationally organised businesses into a pan-European organisation. The case analysis demonstrates the organisational and technical complexity of ERP implementation and identifies the factors that determined the total cost of the system. Opportunities for future research are outlined.

Elements of a business process management system: theory and practice

Purpose – To construct, test and illustrate a sophisticated and theory-based architecture for analyzing business process management systems (BPMS) used for business process change. Design/methodology/approach – Exploration of business process modeling-based BPMS via a meta-survey of academic and business literatures. Two main dimensions are used based upon semiotics and a block-based BPMS pyramid architecture. Each block is a core technology required for the functioning of the BPMS and include: the subject being modeled; the software formalism; the IT infrastructure; the modeling language and notation; and the underlying technical infrastructure. Findings – Theoretically explains and empirically illustrates each core technology in the proposed architecture then does the same for the architecture, its arrangement as a whole and its interrelationships. Recognizes the lack of a theoretical basis for business process modeling constructs and the dangers that this generates. Explains why automatic BPMS require formal construct transmission from subject modeled to modeling hardware and software. Research limitations/implications – The architecture’s core technologies span numerous disciplines so each set of literatures introduces the component concepts and their bases but is not exhaustive. Originality/value – This paper proposes a considerably more sophisticated framework for BPMS analysis than is currently available; it is theoretically and not just empirically based; it uses a novel method of theoretical justification concerned with the transmission of modeled properties and characteristics between several technological media; and it illustrates the innovative analytical use of this architecture and the practical use of BPMS with three different case vignettes.

ERP and best of breed: a comparative analysis

The production of a very large tire by expanding the uncured unrestrained carcass of the tire to engage its crown region with the radially inward surface of a rigid circumferentially continuous centering ring. The ring and the uncured carcass together are transported from the carcass expanding location to the tire curing mold which is adapted to receive and locate the ring and carcass together so as to prevent the mid-circumferential region of the carcass from shifting out of symmetry with the mold. The ring forms a part of the mold for molding and curing the tire carcass. The inward surface of the ring is provided with a pattern of grooves and ridges; the method and apparatus disclosed are particularly useful in the manufacture of a cured tire carcass adapted to combine with an endless tread assembly cured apart from and independently of the tire carcass to make the complete tire. The foregoing abstract is not to be taken as limiting the invention of this application, and in order to understand the full nature and extent of the technical disclosure of this application, reference must be made to the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description.

Product-market and technology strategies in banking

Banks have tended to lag behind other industries regarding globalization and customization, but there are instances where banks are actually more sophisticated in these areas. For example, First Chicago integrated its U.S. and U.K. operations through the effective use of a common Lotus Notes database [5]. Similarly, Coopers & Lybrand has successfully used IT to create a “virtual” global entity composed of its multiple national partnerships [8]. Because of their retail focus, the globalization process has affected commercial banks differently than investment banks. Retail financial services are organized predominantly on a national basis, and even those organizations that have an international presence do so on a multi-domestic basis with little integration of strategies and systems [2]. The classic example of a multi-domestic strategy is HSBC, which operated its global retail banking under national brands until 1999. The exception to the national focus in retail banking is Citigroup, a leader in personal banking for high net-worth individuals, which also has a tradition of global card and telephone-based delivery systems. Information technology is the most important single factor in changing the banking industry. Most innovations in financial services have been enabled by the creative use of IT, and the speed Product-Market and Technology

A Case Study of a Fast Track SAP R/3 Implementation at Guilbert

This paper examines the approach of Guilbert, a European stationery company, which has chosen a fast track strategy towards implementation of enterprise resource planning.A b s t r a c t This paper examines the approach of Guilbert, a European stationery company , which has chosen a fast track strategy towards implementation of enterprise resource planning. A u t h o r s Nicola Gibson graduated from the University of Keele in management and computer sciences, where she subsequently gained her PhD for research into the quality of information in the National Health Service. Nicola is a research fellow at Manchester Business School, and her main research interests are the design and implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. working in product marketing for an IT firm, he joined Manchester Business School as ICL research associate. After lecturing at the IT Institute, University of Salford, Chris returned to MBS where he is Senior Lecturer in Information Management. His research interests are focused on a number of areas: information systems in global business; implementation of large-scale systems; new forms of organization and banking. He has published widely. He is chair of the IS in global business at the Hawaii International Conference on System Science, associate editor of Communications of the AIS and the International Journal of Electronic Markets. He regularly contributes to international academic and business conferences and has consulted with a wide range of international firms on IT strategy. The project is concerned with the strategies organizations employ to overcome legacy problems. Prior to embarking upon his academic career, Ben was employed in Human Resource Management. He has also undertaken consultancy and research within national and international firms.

On the architecture and form of flexible process support

The ability of businesses to develop is frequently hampered by difficulties in changing underlying software systems. An example is the need to change when business partnerships are formed, or dissolved. This article is concerned with the architecture of business process support systems in the context of change, and particularly with the need for such systems to facilitate software change. The viable system model (VSM) is a cybernetic model of organisations that change. It provides an inclusive architecture in which both operational and development components are described within an organisation. This article illustrates, through a business supply chain example, the use of the VSM as an architecture for flexible process support systems. This architecture is systemic and inclusive: it incorporates the ongoing development of both the business and its underlying software. Copyright � 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.