Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:19:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ricardo Alves Said.pdf: 1011570 bytes, checksum: f82c54fe698bd5dc3c124415ed2a8c57 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-04-10 / The general goal in this research consists of analyzing, in the Companhia Sider?rgica Nacional (CSN), the largest steel plant of Latin America, the preponderant factors in the implementation of e-business solutions with ERP and to verify its relevance degrees. The e-business model is established basing on three key points for the business, on a side is Supplay Chain Management (SCM), where the internal processes integration happens to the suppliers net, in the middle is Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), which is just responsible for the integration of the internal processes of the business and on the other side is Customer Relationship Management (CRM), which integrates the internal processes and SCM to the final customers: e-commerce. With this new model and internet progress, it appears, the concept eERP (Extended Enterprise Resources Planning), which is treated as the ERP new era, a new reality of collaboration among companies, in that their barriers are extrapolated and a better businesses control is gotten. The transformation of ERP in eERP does not change the base that ERP should have, but it implements connectivity that e-business model has. The present study, through bibliographical research, completed with case study, supplies a wide view the precedent existence of applications solid ERP is the preponderant factor to get coherent and integrated solutions of e-business to ERP. / O objetivo geral nesta pesquisa consiste em analisar, na Companhia Sider?rgica Nacional (CSN), a maior sider?rgica da Am?rica Latina, os fatores preponderantes na implementa??o de solu??es e-business com o ERP. O modelo de e-business ? constru?do baseando-se em tr?s pontos chaves para o neg?cio, de um lado o Supply Chain Management (SCM), onde acontece a integra??o dos processos internos ?s rede de fornecedores, no meio o Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), que ? respons?vel somente pela integra??o dos processos internos do neg?cio e do outro lado o Customer Relationship Management (CRM), que integra os processos internos e do SCM aos clientes finais: o e-commerce. Com este novo modelo e com o avan?o da internet, surge, o conceito eERP (Extended Enterprise Resources Planning Planejamento de Recursos do Empreendimento Estendido), tratando-se ent?o da nova era do ERP, uma nova realidade de colabora??o entre as empresas, em que se extrapolam as suas barreiras e consegue-se um melhor controle dos neg?cios. A transforma??o do ERP em eERP n?o muda a fundamenta??o que o ERP deva ter, mas implementa a conectividade que o modelo de e-business tem. O presente estudo, atrav?s de pesquisa bibliogr?fica, completada com um estudo de caso, fornece uma vis?o ampla de que a exist?ncia precedente de aplica??es ERP s?lidas ? o fator preponderante para se ter solu??es de ebusiness coerentes e integradas ao ERP.

In this e-commerce era, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has been viewed as the entering cost for conducting the business and establishing contact with others. ERP system is very expensive and enormous complex package software, and applies the best business practice with partial adjustment and integration to suit for the operation of different enterprises. But due to the characteristics of high investement, high complexity and high risk of failure of ERP systems, misfits have been one of important issues for the implementation of ERP systems. Therefore, the selection of an appropriate ERP system has become the key factor leading to the eventual success of an ERP system implementation. And we select an appropriate ERP system by studing a case that uses ELECTRE I as evaluating tool. This paper first identifies a set of evaluating criteria based on the extensive literature review and the considerat5ion of the environment and characteristics of ERP systems. Once the list was generated, an iterative process of personal interview with the consultant, suppliers, users and managers was conducted to modify the evaluating criteria in order to insure the integrity of it. The result of this study is not only can contribute to the understanding of the functionalities of an ERP system, but also can provide a practical guideline for the selection of an ERP system.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have been viewed as a competitive strategic tool to capture firm¡¦s competitiveness in today¡¦s fierce marketplace. Many studies found that ERP systems are beneficial in providing support for best business practices and in enabling firm¡¦s productivity, whereas numerous empirical researches have failed to identify tangible benefits associated with ERP investment, neither in productivity nor other performance measurements. The objective of this study is to explore the ERP effects on production performance and identify the factors that facilitate the firm to optimize the ERP investment. The results indicate that ERP implementation has positive influence on production performance (including improvement of operation ratio, overall equipment effectiveness, quality ratio and order fulfillment). The causes for the improvement of production performance mainly lie upon the enactment of ERP systems through information, managerial, and cognitive integration. Constructing a clear rewarding mechanism and strong discipline of execution culture will help the company to optimize the ERP investment that lead to the improvement of production performance.

Les ERP sont un atout qui modifie les pratiques du travail à travers la circulation rapide de l'information, la coordination de l'action, l'élaboration de nouvelles façons de faire et l'ouverture de nouveaux services. Cela se traduit par la formalisation et par la rationalisation du mode d'organisation de l'entreprise. La compréhension de l'interaction entre la technologie et l'organisation est une démarche complexe. La théorie de la structuration de Giddens (1987) offre un cadre d'analyse pertinent puisqu'elle reconnaît l'interaction réciproque entre les acteurs humains et les caractéristiques structurelles de l'organisation auxquelles la technologie participe. L'originalité de notre démarche tient dans l'utilisation d'une lecture culturaliste, en nous appuyant notamment sur les travaux de D'Iribarne. Nous proposons un modèle conceptuel qui met en relation les spécificités culturelles des PME marocaines avec les différentes logiques d'adoption d'un ERP. La méthodologie retenue est de nature qualitative et longitudinale, avec une triangulation des données. Elle vise à retracer les trajectoires d'adoption des ERP en PME. Les 40 entretiens ont fait l'objet d'une analyse à partir du logiciel Nvivo. Les résultats permettent de retracer trois logiques d'adoption d'un ERP (PME traditionnelle, PME autoritaire et PME moderne). / ERPs are an important asset that modifies work practices through the rapid flow of information, the coordination of actions, developing new ways and opening new services. This results in the formalization and rationalization of the organizational businessThe understanding of the interaction between technology and organization is a complex process. Giddens (1987) Structuration Theory provides a relevant framework for analysis because it recognizes the reciprocal interaction between human actors and structural characteristics of the organization to which the technology involved. The originality of our research lies in the use of a cultural interpretation based on the works of D'Iribarne. We propose a framework model that relates cultural identities of the Moroccan SMEs with different logics of ERP adoptionThe methodology is qualitative and longitudinal, with a triangulation of data. It aims to trace the trajectories of ERP adoption in SMEs. The 40 interviews were analyzed using the software Nvivo. The results allow to trace three logics of ERP adoption (SMEs traditional, SMEs modern and SMEs authoritarian).

Denna studie utforskar hur organisationer kan undvika tillkortakommanden vid ERP- implementationer. Studien bygger på två forskningsfrågor: i) “Hur arbetar projektledare med meningsgivande handlingar vid ERP-implementationer?” samt ii) “Vilka faktorer upplevs vara viktiga för systemanvändares meningsskapandet?”. För att besvara frågorna undersöker studien ERP-implementationer utifrån en socialkonstruktivistisk lins där teorin om meningsskapande appliceras. Studien bygger på en kvalitativ metod där 16 projektledare och systemanvändare inom åtta svenska organisationer intervjuats. Resultaten tyder på att projektledare använder fyra kommunikationskanaler i sitt meningsgivande: i) intranät/mail, ii) möten, iii) utbildningar samt iv) superanvändare. Vidare indikerar de även att de kanaler som möjliggjort social interaktion bidraget till en mer positiv uppfattning hos systemanvändarna. Systemanvändarnas meningsskapande upplevs påverkas av fem faktorer: i) generationstillhörighet, ii) förändringsförståelse, iii) avstånd till förändringen, iv) engagemang samt v) förändringskultur. Studien adderar till tidigare forskning genom att fördjupa kunskapen om hur ett socialkonstruktivistiskt synsätt kan användas för att studera ERP-implementationer. / This study explores how organizations can mitigate ERP failures. The study is based on two research questions: i) “How do project managers apply sensegiving during ERP implementations?”, and ii) “What aspects are perceived as important in the sensemaking process amongst systems users?”. Pursuing these questions, the study examines ERP implementations through a social constructivist lens and the theory of sensemaking. The study is based on a qualitative method, in which 16 project managers and system users, among eight Swedish organizations, are interviewed. The findings suggest that project managers use four channels of communication in their sensegiving: i) intranet/mail, ii) meetings, iii) education, and iv) superusers. It is also found that channels that enable social interaction contributes to more positive attitudes amongst system users. The sensemaking amongst system users is perceived to be affected by five aspects: i) generational affiliation, ii) understanding of change, iii) distance to change, iv) commitment, and v) change culture. The study adds to previous research by deepening the knowledge of how a social constructivist approach can be used to study ERP implementations.

No / Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a system designed to bring processes and resource together by sharing data and information across functional areas. The use of ERP consultancy is becoming essential to the enterprises in China. However, many issues have risen in the process of ERP implementation. This paper aims to investigate the major obstacles in the way of ERP implementation among ERP consultancy and client organisations. It has found that the quality of Chinese consultancy is far from that expected as leading ERP products were not widely mastered by consulting firms. Efficient information system is essential for companies to stay in the competition. However, transparent information flow across functional areas is hard to achieve in China. A good understanding of ERP system and business processes can help Chinese enterprises to ease unrealistic expectations from ERP implementation.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are considered the price of entry in today's business environment, and the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) retiring legacy systems in favor of ERP systems is increasing exponentially. However, there is a lack of knowledge and awareness of ERP systems and their potential benefit and effect on performance, and overall value to SMEs. While ERP adoption costs and potential benefits are high, it is not apparent whether the end result will translate into higher productivity for SMEs. The goal of this study is to evaluate the benefits that accrue to a firm on adoption of an ERP system. In the context of SME, a production function approach is used to assess benefits over short and long term. In addition to the production function approach, a variety of related methods such as those based on stock market valuation and Tobin's Q are examined. Data were collected using the well-known CRSP datasets for SMEs. Analysis of data suggests that ERP implementation has no effect on firm's performance as measured by profit margins, Tobin's Q ratio and Labor productivity. In fact, ERP investments do not yield noticeable improvements on the performance measures even four years after implementation. Weaknesses in data suggest that the conclusion may be seen as tentative. The results of this research study, added value to the academic knowledge base by helping to understand the effects ERPs have on SMEs overall performance.

The studies reported in this dissertation demonstrate that low-cost hardware is capable of detecting neural responses to stimuli in the user’s focus of attention, and that these responses increase in magnitude with training. Neurofeedback is a sub-category of biofeedback that is concerned with using brain signals as the source of training data in a feedback loop. The neurofeedback training procedures in this dissertation focused on the P300 component, a time-locked event-related potential (ERP) that reflects the cognitive processes of attention and context updating. The current work provides preliminary evidence that neurofeedback based on rewarding a P300-like ERP is effective in increasing the magnitude of this response. Three main questions were examined: 1. Is the Emotiv Epoc, as an example of a low-cost consumer EEG, capable of reliably detecting the P300 component? 2. Is there a training effect whereby the P300 response gets stronger with practice? 3. To what extent is the P300 response affected by cognitive factors such as memory load and self-generation of prompts? The studies employed an open source software framework—open source tools provide a transparent, crowd-supported means of conducting research, but are often difficult to initially use and the current dissertation provides a guide within this content domain. The Emotiv Epoc headset was capable of detecting P300-like ERP in a P3 speller task. The P3 speller is a well-studied paradigm in which users spell letters using only their thoughts as input, while the system determines the letter to be spelled by analyzing the strength and timing of the ERP. Although the analyzed ERP behaved functionally like a P300, and the timing was consistent, the spatial localization of the signal was more frontally dominant than a standard P300. In the training study, 12 participants completed five P3 spelling sessions. Although an ERP training effect was observed, participant motivation and fatigue modulated this effect. In an attempt to improve motivation and increase interest in the task, a novel card game task was introduced. In this task—a variant of the card game “Concentration,” where players turn cards face-up one at a time to match pairs—the participants used an attentional mechanism to select cards. This allowed for attentional training while offering a task whereby cognitive difficulty could be manipulated. In these studies, the P300-like ERP proved itself to be robust in regards to changes in cognitive difficulty, as well as internal versus external generation of prompts. This led to confidence in the separation of underlying cognitive and attentional processes and validated the focus of the P300 ERP on the attentional process. The results indicated that ERP-specific neurofeedback is effective in increasing ERP magnitude. This dissertation does not involve any clinical populations as study participants, but the long-term potential of this research is to directly train a brain response relevant to clinical conditions. The paradigm can be implemented using low-cost hardware as opposed to research-grade instruments, which increases the likelihood of further research by the clinical community and lowers the barrier of entry for future exploration of the techniques. / Graduate / 0633 / derekja@uvic.ca

Cette recherche s’inscrit dans un projet de développement difficile et risqué d’une solution ERP au sein de l’unité d’affaire « logistique » d’une société marocaine. Elle s’intéresse aux facteurs d’efficience du processus de couplage des architectures SOA et BPM lors de son implantation. Elle est théoriquement ancrée dans un modèle de gouvernance propre fondé sur le postulat que « les architectures ERP récentes (intégrée et en réseau) privilégie une ingénierie de projet différente, mobilisant une démarche et une méthodologie « agile », qui met d’avantage en avant la communication, la réactivité et l’adaptabilité, afin de se centrer sur le changement. Elle étaye, en ce sens, la problématique d’impacts d’un changement planifié et d’apprentissage organisationnel, et les prémisses d’influence de ces deux modes de gouvernance sur le succès du projet. Ses fondements théoriques empruntent les schèmes conceptuels des modèles de plateforme logique (choix de l’ERP), et de l’alignement stratégique (implantation). Ces fondements sont appliqués au choix des architectures (SOA et BPM), et à celui de son implémentation via l’alignement interne des capacités de ces deux architectures, orientés services (SOA) et métiers (BPM). L’intérêt de ce travail est porté par l’interrogation : quels sont les facteurs de contingence internes et conditions d’apprentissage organisationnel qui affectent/impactent l’alignement des capacités BPM et SOA (fit interne), et contribue au succès perçu d’une implantation ERP ? Trois questions de recherche appellent à mobiliser l’évaluation des performances introduit par un changement de SI : celui du processus d’apprentissage organisationnel (Organizations Sciences) et de l’acceptation des TI (MIS Sciences). Le modèle de recherche mobilise le schème systémique de l’apprentissage organisationnel d’Argyris (1995), pour l’adapter à l’étude du processus de changement introduit par l’ERP. Il présente trois niveaux d’analyse, avec les Inputs (Qualité de la Gouvernance) ; les Outcomes (l’efficience du processus d’intégration SOA/BPM) ; et les Outputs (succès de l’intégration fonctionnelle de l’UA). Il est porté par la prémisse générale que « le succès de l’intégration fonctionnelle de l’ERP), évalué en termes d’impacts, est liée directement à l’efficacité du processus d’intégration et, indirectement, aux modes de gouvernance stratégique des affaires de l’UA Logistique. La méthodologie emprunte une approche empirique qualitative. La méthode d’étude du cas unique est appliquée pour le recueil des données sur une période de 3 années. Le design procède d’une double démarche d’investigation, ethnographique et de recherche-action. Le recueil des données nécessite l’emploi successif des trois outils : la recherche documentaire (historique et stratégie du projet); l’observation participante (réunions de conduite du projet) ; et les entretiens semi-directifs (test des applicatifs). Les données sont traitées avec N’Vivo10 pour valider les analyses de contenus des variables puis la structure de leurs liens dans le modèle. Le diagnostic des résultats confirme l’existence de verbatims spécifiques pour les concepts étudiés – les perceptions des acteurs et des utilisateurs sont correctement restituées par la triangulation, dans leur fondements conceptuels et dans leur analyse empirique. Il établit des liens significatifs entre les variables des 3 niveaux du modèle, et confirme la structure du modèle, restituée par une arborescence de prémisses partielles et adjacentes à la prémisse générale. Les cheminements significatifs entre ces prémisses sont commentés pour juger des conditions de succès du projet ERP. / This research is part of a difficult and risky development project of an ERP solution within the Busines Unit “logistics” of Moroccan company. It’is interested in factors of efficiency of coupling SOA and BPM processes during implantation. It is theoretically rooted in a paradigm of governance based on the premise that "recent ERP architectures (integrated network) favor a different engineering project, involving an approach and methodology" agile ", which puts forward and benefit communication, responsiveness and adaptability in order to focus on the change. It supports, in this sense, the issue of impacts of planned change and organizational learning, and the premises of influence of these two modes of governance on the success of the project.Its theoretical foundations borrow conceptual schemes of logic platform models (choice of ERP), and strategic alignment (implementation). These foundations are applied to the choice of architectures (SOA and BPM), and that of its implementation via the internal alignment of the capacities of these two architectures, service-oriented (SOA) and business (BPM). The interest of this work is borne by the question: what are the internal contingency factors and conditions that affect organizational learning / impact the alignment of BPM and SOA capabilities(internal fit), and contributes to the perceived success of ERP implementation? Three research questions call to mobilize performance evaluation introduced by an SI change: that of organizational learning processes (organization science research) and acceptance of IT (MIS science research). The research model mobilizes systemic pattern of organizational learning by Argyris (1995), to fit the study of change introduced by the ERP process. It has three levels of analysis, with Inputs (Quality of Governance); the transformation process (the efficiency of SOA / BPM integration process); and Outputs (success of functional integration of the BU). It is worn by the general premise that "the success of the functional integration of the ERP), assessed in terms of impact is directly related to the effectiveness of the integration process and, indirectly, in the strategic governance models affairs of the Logistics BU. The methodology follows a qualitative empirical approach. The method of single case study is applied to data collection over a period of three years. The design is based on a dual approach of investigation, ethnographic and action research. Data collection requires the successive use of three tools: literature search (history and strategy of the project); participant observation (project conducting meetings); and semi-structured interviews (test application). The data is processed with N'Vivo10 to validate content analysis of the variables and the structure of their links in the model. The results diagnosis confirm the existence of specific transcripts for the studied concepts - the perceptions of stakeholders and users are properly restored by triangulation, in their conceptual foundations and their empirical analysis. It establishes meaningful connections between the variables of the 3 levels of the model, and confirms the model structure, restored by a tree of partial and adjacent premises to the general premise. The significant paths between these premises are commented to judge conditions for success of the ERP project.

The main objective is to implement a platform of solutions and services that empower staff Socosani SA to work successfully together, for which the ERP SAP Business One version 8.8 on modules sales, purchasing, finance and inventory will be implemented, using the methodology ASAP version 7.0 and PMBOK ® Guide - Fourth Edition (PMBOK 2008). The project has a duration of one year, at a cost of US$175,340.00, developed in phases: Project Preparation, Business Blueprint, Realization and Design, Final Preparation and finally commissioning and support The work was distributed into three chapters: The first chapter was a business case, which as a result of a planning process can lead to the implementation of SAP Business One in Socosani S.A. The second chapter covers the planning and development of the project with reference to the standards of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the ASAP methodology for which processes followed contemplated therein and in accordance with formats that include the adoption of these standards; the planning and development of the project includes the Deliverables and documentation for process groups: Initiation, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling and Closing. In the third chapter you can find the conclusions and recommendations, where you can see that the implementation facilitates information in an enterprise, providing the opportunity for workers to make better decisions on behalf of the organization listed / Tesis