Richard Fulford

Propagation of an alternative enterprise service application adoption model

The much‐heralded provision of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) applications via hosting houses has been deemed to have failed. Many investigations have taken place, most of which have analysed the failure from the customer perspective, trying to understand why the end‐user did not endorse the application service provision (ASP) model. This paper examines the ASP value chain and identifies the winners and risk takers within it. The supply side of ASPs is analysed and an alternative model for ASP adoption propagated.

The Sales Process of Information Systems: Implications for Project Execution and Business Benefits

This inductive case study research examines the sales cycle of eight information systems (IS) providers situated in Australia, Hong Kong, Europe, and the United States. The study found that the IS sales cycle provides a restrictive covenant for ensuing projects with contractual constraints, having consequences for fundamental project factors such as benefits, scope, and cost. The process also impedes solution design, schedule, extent of customizations, and training. There are many implications for improvements to practice, in particular there should be more focus placed upon business benefits and increased awareness of life cycle cost during the sales process.