Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are complex software packages that support an integrated real-time setting among the various business functions in an entire organization. ERP systems improve productivity, but only to the extent that employees accept and use the systems extensively to perform their duties. The leaders of many organizations have not been able to realize the expected benefits because of a lack of user acceptance. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional survey study was to examine the factors that influence user acceptance of ERP systems in the United States. Davis's technology acceptance model was the theoretical foundation used to relate the independent variables (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) to the dependent variable (user acceptance of ERP systems). The focus of the research questions was on the strength of the relationships between each of the independent variables and user acceptance of ERP systems in the United States. Data were from 97 purposively selected ERP system end users in the United States using the survey instrument based on the technology acceptance model. Regression and correlation analyses revealed a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and user acceptance, but no relationship was found between perceived ease of use and user acceptance. The findings indicated difficulties in using ERP systems for end users in the United States, which stakeholders could rectify to improve productivity in organizations. Positive social change implications include improving the standard of living, increasing the literacy rate, and reducing negative externalities to improve human and social conditions in society.

Работа посвящена эмпирическому исследованию проблемам повышения эффективности деятельности промышленных предприятий. Считается, что ключевым направлением развития любого предприятия является его производственное планирование. С учетом тенденций и особенностей современного рынка, предполагается, что наиболее перспективным решением является внедрение гибридной системы производственного планирования, которая объединяет в себе элементы наиболее результативных методологий. В работе разработан методический подход к управлению производственным планированием на предприятии, базирующийся на самодиагностике состояния системы оперативного планирования и алгоритме по выбору вида производственного планирования, в основе которого лежит оценка функционирования системы с помощью показателей эффективности предприятия, имеющих как прямое, так и косвенное влияние, что позволит повысить эффективность управления и изменить состав и приоритеты основных ресурсов предприятия. / The research is devoted to an empirical study of the problems of improving the efficiency of industrial enterprises. It is hypothesized that the key direction of development of any enterprise is its production planning. Taking into account the trends and features of the modern market, it is assumed that the most promising solution is the introduction of a hybrid production planning system that combines elements of the most effective methodologies. There is developed a methodological approach to the management of production planning at the enterprise. It is based on 2 steps: the first step is self-diagnosis of the state of the operational planning system and the second on algorithm for choosing the type of production planning, which is based on the assessment of the system functioning using the enterprise performance indicators that have both direct and indirect influence, which will increase the management efficiency and change the composition and priorities of the main resources of the enterprise.

No description available.

Os sistemas integrados de gestão, originalmente conhecidos como ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), provocam grandes impactos nas organizações em que são implementados. Os efeitos, tanto de natureza positiva em termos de benefícios, contribuições e vantagens que o sistema pode proporcionar, quanto negativos, no que se refere às dificuldades, barreiras e problemas enfrentados na implementação do sistema, assim como os desafios que se impõem com a adoção e uso do ERP, têm sido discutidos em diferentes estudos. No entanto, grande parte das pesquisas que tratam dos efeitos e impactos decorrentes da adoção dos sistemas ERP tem focado os processos e resultados de implementações realizadas em empresas de grande porte, apesar da participação crescente das pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs) na aquisição desse tipo de sistema. Considerando as características específicas e diferenciadas das PMEs em relação às empresas de grande porte, o crescente interesse dos fornecedores de ERP nesse segmento de empresas e o aumento da participação do segmento das PMEs na aquisição de sistemas integrados de gestão, este estudo foi conduzido com o propósito de responder à seguinte questão: Como se desenvolve o processo de implementação de ERP em PMEs? Utilizando a estratégia de pesquisa estudo de caso, do tipo único e incorporado, analisou-se o processo de implementação de um sistema ERP em empresa do setor da construção civil, enquadrada como de pequeno porte, de acordo com os critérios dos fornecedores de ERP, e de porte médio, se considerados os demais parâmetros vigentes no Brasil. O estudo teve como propósito investigar como se desenvolveu o processo de implementação do sistema ERP na empresa pesquisada tomando por base as seguintes proposições teóricas: contexto da empresa antes da adoção do ERP, fatores que levaram à adoção do ERP, impactos e efeitos da implementação do ERP, dificuldades e problemas enfrentados na sua implementação, vantagens e desvantagens obtidas com o ERP, desafios que se impuseram com sua adoção, acrescentando-se ainda o nível de satisfação da empresa com o sistema ERP. As evidências, obtidas neste estudo de caso, permitiram constatar que alguns aspectos relevantes, presentes no processo de implementação de ERP na empresa pesquisada, confirmam aspectos já observados em estudos anteriores, outros se apresentam de forma diferente, alguns não condizem com o que diz a literatura, constatando-se, também, alguns aspectos novos, ainda não mencionados pela literatura que trata do assunto. / Integrated Management Systems, originally known as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) provoke massive impact in the companies where they are implemented. The effects, both positive - benefits, contributions and advantages, and negative - difficulties, barriers and problems faced along implementation, as well as the challenges posed by the execution and use of ERP, have been discussed in many studies. However, much of the research on the effects and the impact resulting from the adoption of ERP has focused on processes and results derived from the implementation of that system in large enterprises, in spite of the increasing participation of small and medium size businesses (SMEs) in the acquisition of such system. Considering that: SMEs display distinctive characteristics from the larger enterprises; suppliers have shown increasing interest on this segment; there has been a swell in the participation of these enterprises in the acquisition of integrated enterprise systems, this work aimed at answering the following question: How does the ERP implementation process take place in SMEs? Case study of the type unique and incorporated was the kind of research chosen to investigate the implementation process of an ERP system in a construction enterprise considered small according to ERP suppliers criteria, and medium size if Brazilian current parameters are to be taken into account. The study aimed at investigating the way the process evolved in the above-mentioned enterprise, based on the following theoretical proposition: enterprise context prior to the adoption of ERP; difficulties and troubles faced along implementation; advantages and disadvantages obtained through ERP; challenges imposed by its implementation; level of satisfaction of the enterprise with the system. The evidence allowed us to ascertain that: some relevant aspects present in the process of implementation of ERP validate facts already observed in previous studies, some others consubstantiate differences, some do not comply with the present written material available, and some are new aspects, still not mentioned in studies on the subject.

Os sistemas integrados de gestão, originalmente conhecidos como ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), provocam grandes impactos nas organizações em que são implementados. Os efeitos, tanto de natureza positiva em termos de benefícios, contribuições e vantagens que o sistema pode proporcionar, quanto negativos, no que se refere às dificuldades, barreiras e problemas enfrentados na implementação do sistema, assim como os desafios que se impõem com a adoção e uso do ERP, têm sido discutidos em diferentes estudos. No entanto, grande parte das pesquisas que tratam dos efeitos e impactos decorrentes da adoção dos sistemas ERP tem focado os processos e resultados de implementações realizadas em empresas de grande porte, apesar da participação crescente das pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs) na aquisição desse tipo de sistema. Considerando as características específicas e diferenciadas das PMEs em relação às empresas de grande porte, o crescente interesse dos fornecedores de ERP nesse segmento de empresas e o aumento da participação do segmento das PMEs na aquisição de sistemas integrados de gestão, este estudo foi conduzido com o propósito de responder à seguinte questão: Como se desenvolve o processo de implementação de ERP em PMEs? Utilizando a estratégia de pesquisa estudo de caso, do tipo único e incorporado, analisou-se o processo de implementação de um sistema ERP em empresa do setor da construção civil, enquadrada como de pequeno porte, de acordo com os critérios dos fornecedores de ERP, e de porte médio, se considerados os demais parâmetros vigentes no Brasil. O estudo teve como propósito investigar como se desenvolveu o processo de implementação do sistema ERP na empresa pesquisada tomando por base as seguintes proposições teóricas: contexto da empresa antes da adoção do ERP, fatores que levaram à adoção do ERP, impactos e efeitos da implementação do ERP, dificuldades e problemas enfrentados na sua implementação, vantagens e desvantagens obtidas com o ERP, desafios que se impuseram com sua adoção, acrescentando-se ainda o nível de satisfação da empresa com o sistema ERP. As evidências, obtidas neste estudo de caso, permitiram constatar que alguns aspectos relevantes, presentes no processo de implementação de ERP na empresa pesquisada, confirmam aspectos já observados em estudos anteriores, outros se apresentam de forma diferente, alguns não condizem com o que diz a literatura, constatando-se, também, alguns aspectos novos, ainda não mencionados pela literatura que trata do assunto. / Integrated Management Systems, originally known as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) provoke massive impact in the companies where they are implemented. The effects, both positive - benefits, contributions and advantages, and negative - difficulties, barriers and problems faced along implementation, as well as the challenges posed by the execution and use of ERP, have been discussed in many studies. However, much of the research on the effects and the impact resulting from the adoption of ERP has focused on processes and results derived from the implementation of that system in large enterprises, in spite of the increasing participation of small and medium size businesses (SMEs) in the acquisition of such system. Considering that: SMEs display distinctive characteristics from the larger enterprises; suppliers have shown increasing interest on this segment; there has been a swell in the participation of these enterprises in the acquisition of integrated enterprise systems, this work aimed at answering the following question: How does the ERP implementation process take place in SMEs? Case study of the type unique and incorporated was the kind of research chosen to investigate the implementation process of an ERP system in a construction enterprise considered small according to ERP suppliers criteria, and medium size if Brazilian current parameters are to be taken into account. The study aimed at investigating the way the process evolved in the above-mentioned enterprise, based on the following theoretical proposition: enterprise context prior to the adoption of ERP; difficulties and troubles faced along implementation; advantages and disadvantages obtained through ERP; challenges imposed by its implementation; level of satisfaction of the enterprise with the system. The evidence allowed us to ascertain that: some relevant aspects present in the process of implementation of ERP validate facts already observed in previous studies, some others consubstantiate differences, some do not comply with the present written material available, and some are new aspects, still not mentioned in studies on the subject.

This thesis is focused on the enterprise information systems innovation or more precisely on the implementation of the Enterprise Resource Planning system in concrete SME. The second main objective of this thesis is to explicate the possibilities of IS/ICT development cofinancing from the state budget and EU Structural Funds and also to present experience gained during this process in specified company.

The impending mass retirement of baby-boomer COBOL developers, has companies that wish to maintain their COBOL systems fearing a skill shortage. Due to the dominance of COBOL within the financial sector, COBOL will be continually developed over at least the coming decade. This thesis consists of two parts. The first part consists of a literature study of COBOL; both as a programming language and the skills required as a COBOL developer. Interviews were conducted with key Handelsbanken staff, regarding the current state of COBOL and the future of COBOL in Handelsbanken. The second part consists of a quantitative forecast of future COBOL workforce state in Handelsbanken. The forecast uses data that was gathered by sending out a questionnaire to all COBOL staff. The continued lack of COBOL developers entering the labor market may create a skill-shortage. It is crucial to gather the knowledge of the skilled developers before they retire, as changes in old COBOL systems may have gone undocumented, making it very hard for new developers to understand how the systems work without guidance. To mitigate the skill shortage and enable modernization, an extraction of the business knowledge from the systems should be done. Doing this before the current COBOL workforce retires will ease the understanding of the extracted data. The forecasts of Handelsbanken’s COBOL workforce are based on developer experience and hiring, averaged over the last five years. The forecasts take into consideration the age developers are hired, the age the developers exit, and their cumulative growing experience while in the skills pool. The state of COBOL in 2015 is used as a baseline of COBOL needs to forecast until 2060. I.e. the rate at which COBOL systems are developed stay the same. The forecasts show that if no developers are hired, most of their experienced developers will have left by 2030. To keep their current COBOL experience level, Handelsbanken needs to keep hiring over the coming 45 years. Handelsbanken has to hire on average 8.2 developers per year until 2030, and 6.5 developers per year until 2060. I.e. Handelsbanken has been able to keep a high average of 7.6 people per year for the last five years. / Organisationer som underhåller COBOL system är oroliga inför den åldrande COBOL-arbetskraftens pensionering. COBOLs dominans inom den finansiella sektorn leder till att COBOL kod kommer att fortsätta utvecklas i minst tio år till. Den här uppsatsen är uppdelad i två delar. Första delen är en litteraturstudie om COBOL som programmeringsspråk, samt kunskapsbehovet som COBOL utvecklare. Intervjuer gjordes med nyckelpersoner inom Handelsbanken, kring det nuvarande tillståndet av COBOL och COBOLs framtid i Handelsbanken. Den andra delen består av en kvantitativ prognos kring Handelsbankens behov av COBOL utvecklare i framtiden. Prognosen bygger på data som samlats genom att skicka ut en enkät till alla COBOL utvecklare. Den fortsatta bristen på nya COBOL utvecklare på arbetsmarknaden kan skapa en kompetensbrist. Det är viktigt att samla kunskapen som de pensionerande utvecklarna bär på, eftersom ändringarna i systemen kan ha gått odokumenterade, vilket gör det väldigt svårt för nya utvecklare att förstå systemen utan vägledning. För att minska kompetensbehovet och möjliggöra modernisering av systemen, bör en extraktion av affärskunskap göras ur systemen. Att ta hjälp av utvecklarna av systemen kan avsevärt förenkla förståelsen av den extraherade informationen. Prognoserna av Handelsbankens COBOL arbetskraft baseras på data om utvecklarerfarenhet och anställning över de senaste fem åren. Prognoserna tar hänsyn till åldern när utvecklarna anställs, åldern när utvecklarna slutar, och tillväxten av deras sammanlagda erfarenhet under tiden de jobbar. Prognosen använder COBOL erfarenhetsbehovet i 2015 som en bas för prognosen. Prognosen beräknar behoven fram till år 2060. Prognoserna visar att om inga nya tillskott av utvecklare görs, så kommer de flesta av Handelsbankens erfarna utvecklare ha slutat vid år 2030. För att behålla deras nuvarande erfarenhetsnivå, så kommer Handelsbanken behöva kontinuerligt anställa utvecklare över kommande 45 åren. Handelsbanken kommer behöva anställa i genomsnitt 8,2 utvecklare per år fram till 2030, och därefter 6,5 utvecklare per år fram till 2060. Handelsbanken har lyckats ha en hög genomsnittlig anställningstakt de senaste fem åren, 7,6 personer per år.

Providing context behind customer feedback remains a challenge for company’s who rely on approaching Customer Experience (CX) through standardized Customer Satisfaction (CS) metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), and Customer Effort Score (CES). Practical guidelines for monitoring CS throughout the customer journey are limited, creating a gap in academic research. This study addresses this gap by offering practical guidelines for CS, actionable insights, and alternative survey design strategies within the context of invoicing. Utilizing a Research-through-Design (RtD) approach guided by the Double Diamond design model, the study consists of four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. From a service design perspective using qualitative methods, the study acquires and analyzes both organizational and customer insights. Synthesized empirical findings emphasize the need for a more comprehensive approach that targets specific phases of the customer journey utilizing a more customer- centric approach, paving the way for alternative methods that reaches beyond just simply measuring CS. Introducing the concept of a personal companion, the study presents a dialogical approach where surveys are experienced as ongoing interactions rather mere tasks. By highlighting the importance of contextualization, alternative survey approaches, and a dialogical approach, this research aims to guide company’s in managing customer feedback strategies.

Underhåll är en aktivitet som varje produktion vill undvika så mycket som möjligt på grund av kostnaderna och tiden som anknyts till den. Trots detta så är en väl fungerande underhållsverksamhet väsentlig för att främja produktionens funktionssäkerhet och tillgänglighet att tillverka. En effektiv underhållsorganisation går däremot inte ut på att genomföra mer underhåll än vad som egentligen är nödvändigt utan att genomföra underhåll i rätt tid. På traditionellt sätt så genomförs detta genom att ersätta slitage delar och serva utrustningen med fastställda mellanrum för att förebygga att haveri, vilket kallas för förebyggande underhåll. De tidsintervaller som angivits för service bestäms av leverantörerna och grundar sig i en generell uppskattning av slitagedelarnas livslängd utifrån tester och analys. Till skillnad från att köra utrustningen till den går sönder som kallas för Avhjälpande underhåll så kan underhåll genomföras vid lämpliga tider så att det inte påverkar produktion och tillgänglighet. Men de tidsintervall som leverantörerna rekommenderar till företagen garanterar inte att slitage delen håller sig till det intervallet, delarna kan exempelvis rasa tidigare än angivet eller till och med hålla längre. Av denna anledning är det naturliga steget i underhållets utveckling att kunna övervaka utrustningens hälsa i hopp om att kunna förutspå när och varför ett haveri ska uppstå. Den här typen av underhåll kallas för tillståndsbaserat och prediktivt underhåll och medför ultimat tillgänglighet av utrustning och den mest kostnadseffektiva underhållsorganisationen, då god framförhållning och översikt uppnås för att enbart genomföra underhåll när det behövs. Det som gör tillståndsbaserat och prediktivt underhåll möjligt är den fjärde industriella revolutionen “Industri 4.0” och teknologierna som associeras med den som går ut på absolut digitalisering av produktionen och smarta fabriker. Teknologier som IoT, Big Dataanalys och Artificiell Intelligens används för att koppla upp utrustning till nätet med hjälp av givare för att samla in och lagra data som ska användas i analyser för att prognosera dess livslängd. Uppdragsgivaren AstraZeneca i Södertälje tillverkar olika typer av läkemedel som många är livsviktiga för de patienter som tar dessa mediciner. Om AstraZenecas produktion står still på grund av fel i utrustningen kommer det inte enbart medföra stora ekonomiska konsekvenser utan även påverka de människor som med livet förlitar sig på den medicin som levereras. För att försäkra produktionens tillgänglighet har AstraZeneca gjort försök att tillämpa tillståndsbaserat och prediktivt underhåll men det är fortfarande enbart i startgroparna. Eftersom ventilation är kritisk del av AstraZeneca produktion då ett fel i ventilationssystemet resulterar i totalt produktionsstopp i byggnaden förens problemet åtgärdas och anläggningen sanerats blev det även rapportens fokusområde. Arbetets uppgift går därför ut på att undersöka möjligheter för AstraZeneca att utveckla deras prediktiva och tillståndsbaserat underhåll på deras ventilationssystem, för att sedan kunna identifiera och presentera förslag på åtgärder. Dessa förslag analyserades sedan med hjälp av verktygen QFD-Matris och Pugh-Matris för att kunna uppskatta vilket förslag som är mest kostnadseffektivt, funktions effektivt samt vilket förslag som kommer tillföra mest nytta för underhållet på AstraZeneca. / Maintenance is an activity that every production wants to avoid as much as possible due to the costs and the time associated with it. Despite this, a well-functioning maintenance operation is essential to promote the production's availability to manufacture and operational reliability. Running an efficient maintenance operation is not about carrying out more maintenance than is necessary but carrying out the right amount of maintenance at the right time. Traditionally speaking this is done by replacing worn parts and servicing the equipment at set intervals to prevent breakdowns, this method is called preventive maintenance. The intervals specified for service are determined by the suppliers and are based on general estimates of the service life for the spare parts from test and analytics. Preventive maintenance allows for maintenance to be carried out at appropriate time to not affect production and availability unlike running the equipment until breakdown, which is called reactive maintenance. However, these intervals that the suppliers recommend do not guarantee that the parts adhere to the given interval, the part can for example break down earlier than expected or even outlast its prescribed lifetime. Because of this, the natural step in the development of maintenance is giving companies the ability to monitor the health of the equipment in hope of being able to predict potential breakdowns. This is what Condition-Based and predictive maintenance is and it provides the ultimate availability of equipment and the most cost-effective maintenance organization, because the good foresight and overview allows maintenance to be carried out only when needed. The fourth industrial revolution “Industry 4.0”, absolute digitalization of production, smart factories and all the technologies associated with this is what makes this type of maintenance possible. Technologies such as IoT, Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence are used to connect equipment to the network using sensors so that data can be stored and collected to be analyzed to forecast the lifespan of parts and equipment. AstraZeneca in Södertälje manufactures different types of medicine, many of which are vital for the patients who take them. If their production comes to a standstill due to equipment failure, it will not only have major financial consequences but also greatly affect the people who rely on the medicine offered with their lives. To ensure the availability of production, AstraZeneca has made attempts to apply condition-based and predictive maintenance, but it is still only in its infancy. Since ventilation is a critical part of AstraZeneca's production, as a failure here will result in a total production stoppage for the building affected and will not resume before the problem is remedied and the plant is decontaminated, it also became the report's focus area. The task at hand is therefore to investigate the opportunities AstraZeneca must develop their predictive and condition-based maintenance for their ventilation systems, in order to be able to present proposals for measures. The proposals will then be analyzed using tools like the QFD-Matrix and the Pugh-Matrix in order to estimate which is more cost effective, function effective and which one will bring the most benefit to AstraZeneca.