Alternative Geschäftsmodelle wie Software as a Service (SaaS) und Open-Source-Software (OSS) steigern die Attraktivität von Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systemen für Kleine und Mittelständische Unternehmen (KMU). Jedoch stellen die Beratungsleistungen, die für die Konfiguration eines ERP-Systems zur Anpassung an die spezifischen Bedürfnisse eines Unternehmens notwendig sind, eine hohe Einführungshürde dar. Eine Konfigurationsoption, die bei vielen ERP-Systemen eine Rolle spielt, ist die Kategorienkonfiguration. Mit Hilfe einer automatisierten Konfigurationsunterstützung können Geschäftsführer von kleinen Unternehmen die Kategorienkonfiguration selbst durchführen und einen Teil der Einführungskosten einsparen. Im Rahmen der kumulativen Dissertation werden Automatisierungsansätze zur Konfigurationsunterstützung für die ERP-Kategorienkonfiguration generiert und auf das Open-Source ERP-System ERP5 angewandt. Die Automatisierungsansätze basieren auf Ähnlichkeitsberechnungen zu Falldatensätzen von 235 Unternehmen, Kategorien-Konsolidierung durch Umleitungsinformationen in Wikipedia-Artikeln, Templates und Meta-Templates. Die empirische Evaluation in einem Laborexperiment mit 100 Teilnehmern und eine Umfrage bestätigen die Gültigkeit, Nützlichkeit und Effektivität der generierten Ansätze. Die Konfigurationsunterstützung kann durch einen standardisierten Beratungsprozess und die Vermittlung des für eine konkrete ERP-Einführung notwendigen Wissens mittels Massenindividualisierung ergänzt werden. Dieser Ansatz wurde mit und für ERP5 umgesetzt und lässt sich auch auf andere Open-Source-Projekte übertragen.

Existem diversas pesquisas que tratam o assunto do processo de implementação dos Sistemas de Gestão Empresarial (SGE) no setor empresarial. A maioria delas focalizada no planejamento e o controle do gerenciamento no contexto formativo e abrangente que as envolve. Contudo, ainda existe uma lacuna ao estudar o processo de implementação nas pequenas e médias empresas que tenham orientação empreendedora. Devido ao fato de que estas empresas encontram-se num ambiente descontrolado, evidenciando saídas de rumo diante qualquer planejamento (drifting), tornam-se interessante os estudos de caso neste setor. Sendo assim, compreender como acontece o processo de implementação de um SGE e quais são as práticas que podem ser executadas para promover sua utilização sucedida é o foco deste trabalho de pesquisa. Para tanto foram utilizados os conceitos teóricos trazidos pelo trabalho de Ciborra (2002, 2000, 1999) em conjunto com a abordagem da Teoria do Ator- Rede (TAR) proposta pelo Latour (2005), Callon (1998) e Law (1992). O trabalho mostra a forma de utilização da TAR, evidencia os conceitos trazidos pelo Ciborra (2002, 2000, 1999) e propõe práticas para promover a utilização dos SGE para a fornecedora do estudo. Além disso, demonstra a necessidade de fazer mais pesquisas, no setor empresarial objeto deste estudo, uma vez que este tipo de empresa não aplica as melhores práticas mostradas nas diversas pesquisas apresentadas na literatura. Assim também, sugere-se a continuação deste estudo analisando outros atores que introduzam o ambiente tecnológico, econômico e social desse setor para poder identificar outros motivos pelos quais os atores executaram e fizeram as escolhas relatadas, pois com a TAR estudou-se a interação entre os atores envolvidos no processo de implementação do SGE, apresentando uma descrição de como foi construído esse processo. / There are several researches that deal with the matter of ERP implementation process on enterprise sector. Most of them focused on planning management control on overarching formative context that involves them. However, there is still a gap when a study is made on implementation for small and medium sized companies with entrepreneur orientation. Because these companies are settled in a non-controlled environment, noticing miss-routing upon any planning (drifting), it is interesting to have case studies in this sector. Thus, understanding how ERP implementation process is made and which are the procedures that can be applied to promote a succeed utilization is the focus of this research work. For this, it has been used theorical concepts brought by the work of Ciborra (2002, 2000, 1999) and the theorical approach of actor-network theory (ANT) proposed by Latour (2005), Callon (1998) and Law (1992). This work has shown the utilization of the ANT, it has evidenced the concepts brought by Ciborra (2002, 2000, and 1999) and suggests practices to promote the utilization of ERP for the supplier followed on this study. Besides, it is suggested to continue this study by introducing actors that represents the technological, economical and social environment of the studied sector to identify others reasons for actors’ options, once with the ANT was shown the interaction between the actors during the implementation process as a description of how the process was constructed as a result of this interaction.

In this thesis success and failure of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations through case studies of three Turkish organizations based on Critical Success Factors (CSFs) is investigated. The main purpose of this thesis is to reveal success and failure stories according to the effects of CSFs in ERP implementations. The case studies are composed of three Turkish organizations from different sectors. The data is gathered through active observations, analysis of project documents and interviews conducted with project managers who decided to implement ERP systems in their organizations, key users who involved in implementation projects, and consultants. All these projects are evaluated as success stories since most of the determined CSFs affected the implementation projects positively in these three organizations which have been using ERP system effectively for some period. Besides, the case studies show that there are problems about training, change management and legacy systems during projects and more attention should be paid on these issues during ERP implementation projects.

Existem diversas pesquisas que tratam o assunto do processo de implementação dos Sistemas de Gestão Empresarial (SGE) no setor empresarial. A maioria delas focalizada no planejamento e o controle do gerenciamento no contexto formativo e abrangente que as envolve. Contudo, ainda existe uma lacuna ao estudar o processo de implementação nas pequenas e médias empresas que tenham orientação empreendedora. Devido ao fato de que estas empresas encontram-se num ambiente descontrolado, evidenciando saídas de rumo diante qualquer planejamento (drifting), tornam-se interessante os estudos de caso neste setor. Sendo assim, compreender como acontece o processo de implementação de um SGE e quais são as práticas que podem ser executadas para promover sua utilização sucedida é o foco deste trabalho de pesquisa. Para tanto foram utilizados os conceitos teóricos trazidos pelo trabalho de Ciborra (2002, 2000, 1999) em conjunto com a abordagem da Teoria do Ator- Rede (TAR) proposta pelo Latour (2005), Callon (1998) e Law (1992). O trabalho mostra a forma de utilização da TAR, evidencia os conceitos trazidos pelo Ciborra (2002, 2000, 1999) e propõe práticas para promover a utilização dos SGE para a fornecedora do estudo. Além disso, demonstra a necessidade de fazer mais pesquisas, no setor empresarial objeto deste estudo, uma vez que este tipo de empresa não aplica as melhores práticas mostradas nas diversas pesquisas apresentadas na literatura. Assim também, sugere-se a continuação deste estudo analisando outros atores que introduzam o ambiente tecnológico, econômico e social desse setor para poder identificar outros motivos pelos quais os atores executaram e fizeram as escolhas relatadas, pois com a TAR estudou-se a interação entre os atores envolvidos no processo de implementação do SGE, apresentando uma descrição de como foi construído esse processo. / There are several researches that deal with the matter of ERP implementation process on enterprise sector. Most of them focused on planning management control on overarching formative context that involves them. However, there is still a gap when a study is made on implementation for small and medium sized companies with entrepreneur orientation. Because these companies are settled in a non-controlled environment, noticing miss-routing upon any planning (drifting), it is interesting to have case studies in this sector. Thus, understanding how ERP implementation process is made and which are the procedures that can be applied to promote a succeed utilization is the focus of this research work. For this, it has been used theorical concepts brought by the work of Ciborra (2002, 2000, 1999) and the theorical approach of actor-network theory (ANT) proposed by Latour (2005), Callon (1998) and Law (1992). This work has shown the utilization of the ANT, it has evidenced the concepts brought by Ciborra (2002, 2000, and 1999) and suggests practices to promote the utilization of ERP for the supplier followed on this study. Besides, it is suggested to continue this study by introducing actors that represents the technological, economical and social environment of the studied sector to identify others reasons for actors’ options, once with the ANT was shown the interaction between the actors during the implementation process as a description of how the process was constructed as a result of this interaction.

Existem diversas pesquisas que tratam o assunto do processo de implementação dos Sistemas de Gestão Empresarial (SGE) no setor empresarial. A maioria delas focalizada no planejamento e o controle do gerenciamento no contexto formativo e abrangente que as envolve. Contudo, ainda existe uma lacuna ao estudar o processo de implementação nas pequenas e médias empresas que tenham orientação empreendedora. Devido ao fato de que estas empresas encontram-se num ambiente descontrolado, evidenciando saídas de rumo diante qualquer planejamento (drifting), tornam-se interessante os estudos de caso neste setor. Sendo assim, compreender como acontece o processo de implementação de um SGE e quais são as práticas que podem ser executadas para promover sua utilização sucedida é o foco deste trabalho de pesquisa. Para tanto foram utilizados os conceitos teóricos trazidos pelo trabalho de Ciborra (2002, 2000, 1999) em conjunto com a abordagem da Teoria do Ator- Rede (TAR) proposta pelo Latour (2005), Callon (1998) e Law (1992). O trabalho mostra a forma de utilização da TAR, evidencia os conceitos trazidos pelo Ciborra (2002, 2000, 1999) e propõe práticas para promover a utilização dos SGE para a fornecedora do estudo. Além disso, demonstra a necessidade de fazer mais pesquisas, no setor empresarial objeto deste estudo, uma vez que este tipo de empresa não aplica as melhores práticas mostradas nas diversas pesquisas apresentadas na literatura. Assim também, sugere-se a continuação deste estudo analisando outros atores que introduzam o ambiente tecnológico, econômico e social desse setor para poder identificar outros motivos pelos quais os atores executaram e fizeram as escolhas relatadas, pois com a TAR estudou-se a interação entre os atores envolvidos no processo de implementação do SGE, apresentando uma descrição de como foi construído esse processo. / There are several researches that deal with the matter of ERP implementation process on enterprise sector. Most of them focused on planning management control on overarching formative context that involves them. However, there is still a gap when a study is made on implementation for small and medium sized companies with entrepreneur orientation. Because these companies are settled in a non-controlled environment, noticing miss-routing upon any planning (drifting), it is interesting to have case studies in this sector. Thus, understanding how ERP implementation process is made and which are the procedures that can be applied to promote a succeed utilization is the focus of this research work. For this, it has been used theorical concepts brought by the work of Ciborra (2002, 2000, 1999) and the theorical approach of actor-network theory (ANT) proposed by Latour (2005), Callon (1998) and Law (1992). This work has shown the utilization of the ANT, it has evidenced the concepts brought by Ciborra (2002, 2000, and 1999) and suggests practices to promote the utilization of ERP for the supplier followed on this study. Besides, it is suggested to continue this study by introducing actors that represents the technological, economical and social environment of the studied sector to identify others reasons for actors’ options, once with the ANT was shown the interaction between the actors during the implementation process as a description of how the process was constructed as a result of this interaction.

Within the constantly developing area of technology where digitalization has become a leading factor for success. Where digitalization in a rapid pace is being applied to the majority of businesses, and organizations now for the most part are constructed and based on digital solutions. To conquer the market space and becoming more competitive through the advantages that digitalization brings. This is where the previously to some extent overlooked part of businesses operations, the purchasing process, have come to be increasingly important. Since the amount of information and data that organizations today deal with, has incorrect management of information and ineffective purchasing processes during longer periods of time been seen to accumulate extensive costs, and in the end, time consuming measures. How can digitalization then contribute to a more efficient process, and in what ways.For the study to be carried out, an abductive approach was used where empirical material was acquired through observations, interviews and ten simple questions. This in combination with collecting theories, allowed the writers to form a perception on how far research has come in terms of connecting digitalization and the purchasing processes. This was done by the fact that the study was performed as a case study on the selected company’s purchasing department and its chosen environment. Furthermore, this opened up for the section regarding the company’s present situation which showed that purchasing mainly was done through two approaches, these are förrådsinköp and fritextinköp, that both contain slightly different activities. In these processes there are a handful of systems and activities that have the potential to increase efficiency in different ways. By comparison with the theoretical reference framework, it turns out that the process itself does not include any strange activities. It also shows that the case company is working on digitization at a level that involves ERP systems and its own developed systems. These systems work primarily towards internal communication and information management needs.Shown in the study is that there are systems that can’t be used as intended. This stems from the fact that unnecessary tasks are taking place, even though there are conditions that would allow these to not exist. These tasks can be seen as the likes of controls, faulty handling of information and poor quality of data. In order for the digitalization to work as efficiently as possible, all systems should be reviewed and designed according to a comprehensive digitalization strategy. Once this is determined, then the efficiency and optimization of existing systems can take shape based on this. As a result of this, work regarding concrete efficiency opportunities related to tasks such as order points, controls, increased integration and new applications can be made possible. / I den ständiga utveckling som sker i teknologisektorn har digitalisering kommit att bli en ledande framgångsfaktor. Därför har nu organisationer börjat formats med hjälp utav digitalisering. Digitalisering vid lämplig användning och utformning kan skapa konkurrensfördelar. Den tidigare något förbisedda delen av verksamheters arbetsmoment, inköpsprocessen, har kommit att bli allt mer betydande Det är stora mängder information som organisationer måste behandla. I hantering finns ofta ineffektiva aktiviteter som gör att delar i processer blir kostsamma och tidskrävande. Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur digitalisering kan bidra till effektivare processer och på vilka sätt.Arbetet har realiserats genom en fallstudie där en abduktiv ansats varit tillvägagångssättet för insamling av empiriskt material. Detta material har erhållits från ett fallföretag där dess inköpsprocess studerats. I kombination med kontinuerlig och kompletterande teori-insamling har författarna bildat en uppfattning om hur långt forskningen kommit gällande samband mellan digitalisering och inköpsprocessen. Det empiriska materialet erhölls genom observationer, intervjuer och tio enkla frågor som lett till den nulägesbeskrivning som upprättats. Nulägesbeskrivningen visar att det på fallföretaget finns två processer för olika typer av inköp, som i studien delats upp enligt förrådsinköp och fritextinköp. Dessa innefattar olika aktiviteter. I dessa processer finns en handfull system och aktiviteter som efter en värdeflödesanalys visat sig ha potential att öka effektiviteten på diverse sätt. Genom att jämföra den teoretiska referensramen och nulägesbeskrivningen, visar det sig att processen på fallföretaget är i linje med den generella uppfattningen om hur en inköpsprocess är formad. Det visar sig också att fallföretaget arbetar med digitalisering på en nivå som involverar ERP system och en del egenutvecklade system. Dessa system arbetar främst mot interna behov av kommunikation och informationshantering.Det som visar sig i studien är att det överlag finns system som inte kan användas på önskvärt sätt. Det grundar sig i att onödiga aktiviteter sker även fast förutsättningen att hoppa över dessa finns. Det kan handla om kontroller, bristande informationshantering och dålig datakvalitet. För att effektivisera detta krävs ett gemensamt arbete för hela organisationen. För att digitaliseringen ska fungera på ett effektivt vis, bör alla system granskas och utformas efter en omfattande och övergripande digitaliseringsstrategi. När detta fastställts kan sedan effektivisering och optimering av befintliga system ta form. Det utgör grunden för att ett arbete med effektiviseringsmöjligheter såsom beställningspunkter, kontroller, ökad integration och nya applikationer kan möjliggöras.

ERP software and applications have become basic requirement of almost every organization in order to compete with each other and in time constraint. In order to develop an efficient application, project planning and analysis play very important role in better understanding of the problem domain and to provide a risk free solution. There are many different approaches which software developers used to develop the systems. These traditional approaches have some drawbacks and constraints. Either these are ad-hoc basis or have some fixed patterns and rules. We discussed all these techniques and suggest that planning and analysis of ERP application during its development can be done by applying more appropriate knowledge engineering commonKADS model. CommonKADS is a structured approach, It comprises of different model suites. Thesis presents that by using commonKADS model for project planning and analysis, real problem domain and efficient solution can be identified. Also domain process is identified. Tasks related to each process in the domain are identified. Knowledge assets related to each task are identified. These features help in defining real knowledge specification. In this way, ERP applications can be made knowledge based. ERP systems were introduced to solve different organizational problems and provide integrated structure. Although ERP packages offer advantages to enterprises, they have not achieved many of their anticipated benefits. Autonomous and heterogeneous applications co-exist in companies with ERP systems and integration problem having not been addressed. This thesis seeks to make some suggestions to this area by studying and analyzing ERP problems, through mapping commonKADS methodology in a case study. Thesis in start, presents an overview about ERP applications, Knowledge Engineering and commonKADS methodology. In the end, thesis presents our contribution a case study ―online courses Registration Portal for BTH which shows that planning and analysis of ERP applications by using commonKADS methodology helps in reaching knowledge based and more accurate solutions. / Syed Abdul Basit basitbth@gmail.com, Omar Malik omar_m20@hotmail.com.

Magister Commercii - MCom / Impact of data quality on utilisation and perceived usefulness of integrated Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS). Integrated HR Information systems have become prevalent in modern organisations. These systems promise operational efficiencies and competitive advantage. In order to deliver these benefits, the systems should be effectively utilised and perceived as a useful business tools. The utilisation and perceived usefulness of the HRIS could be influenced by quality of data it produces. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of data quality on the utilisation and usefulness of the HRIS. The aim was to ensure that organisations realise their investments in HRIS. This would be achieved by improving qualities that ensures effective utilisation of HRIS. Moreover, the study sought to enhance the body of academic knowledge in HRIS as far data quality is concerned. Mixed research method was used to meet the objectives of the study. Survey research and qualitative interviews techniques were employed. Statistical and deductive analysis was applied to raw data in order to draw conclusions. The study found that data quality positively influence utilisation and usefulness of HRIS. Moreover, findings revealed that the HRIS was predominantly used for operational, rather than strategic tasks. HRIS data is also not generally perceived to be of poor quality. HR practitioners emphasise accuracy over other quality dimensions. Organisations that seek to maximise their investment in HRIS should implement data quality improvement initiatives. This will ensure that the system is effectively utilised and produces high quality information for decision-making. This could lead to competitive advantage. Further research could be undertaken to understand; success factors for HRIS data quality initiatives, determinants of HRIS user satisfaction, drivers for dedicated HRIS management roles and the impact of having HRIS manager among others.

Purpose. Real-time Locating Systems (RTLS) are used to identify and locate physical assets in real-time. Essentially, the aim of RTLS is to increase process visibility and thus provide accurate process data concerning for example, lead times, cycle times and inventory control. Today, process visibility is one of the most critical aspects for manufacturing companies in their quest for higher quality and shorter lead times. Since the introduction of Industry 4.0, RTLS has received an upswing in attention in the literature. However, despite the technical advances, enterprises are struggling to fully comprehend the entire impact of RTLS. Further, when integrating RTLS and other IT systems, such as the ERP, business operations can be carried out based on real-time information, providing more value than a standalone RTLS. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is the core IT system for enterprises. The ERP is in turn divided into several modules: Manufacturing, Warehouse, Human resources, Sales & Distribution, and Finance & Accounting. Evaluating the applicability for each module will provide a holistic view on RTLS and ERP integration that has a wider perspective than previous studies on the topic. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to examine and evaluate the applicability of integrating RTLS with the various ERP modules and present a set of guidelines for RTLS and ERP integration. The guidelines will be created based on the following research questions. RQ1: How can the various ERP modules utilize RTLS data? RQ2: What barriers and enablers are there when integrating RTLS and ERP? Research method. An extensive literature review and interviews with industry experts were conducted. Thematic analysis and thematic narrative analysis were applied to extract relevant information form the literature review and industry expert interviews. Thematic synthesis was applied to synthesize the information received from the result of the thematic analysis and thematic narrative analysis, thence answer the research questions, and create the guidelines. Findings. Applicability was found for all ERP modules and the main barriers identified was lack of mature processes, knowledge, and cost. The guidelines created in the study included five main steps. 1) organizational enablers, 2) IT structure enablers, 3) ERP module applicability, 4) knowledge and understanding, and 5) business case generation. The guidelines were presented in text and as a picture. Contributions. This study has contributed to research by expanding the perspective on RTLS and ERP integration further than previous studies on the topic. The study showed that all ERP modules can utilize the RTLS data to provide value for that particular module. This study contributes to industry by providing guidelines that can be utilized by managers and decision makers in their process of evaluating RTLS implementation Managers and decision makers can use these guidelines to create a fundamental understanding of how RTLS can create value for all ERP modules. This knowledge is a key to create profitable business cases. The guidelines will therefore facilitate enterprises to overcome the initial knowledge barriers and thus, contribute to the acceleration of the RTLS expansion within the industry.

Orientador: Marta Lígia Pomim Valentim / Banca: José Oswaldo de Sordi / Banca: Bárbara Fadel / Resumo: No mundo globalizado as informações têm papel extremamente importante, visto que a internacionalização da economia exige excelência em relação aos sistemas de informação e documentação, por isso mesmo as informações se tornaram um recurso de gestão extremamente importante, mas nem sempre são valorizadas corretamente por parte das organizações. Nos ambientes organizacionais é absolutamente necessária a utilização de recursos tecnológicos para mediar o acesso e uso da informação pelo usuário, bem como para apoiar as distintas atividades organizacionais, desde as atividades cotidianas, o processo decisório, até o planejamento de ações estratégicas. O foco do problema de pesquisa refere-se aos fluxos informacionais em âmbito organizacional, mais especificamente os fluxos informacionais vinculados ao processo de inteligência competitiva organizacional (ICO). O objetivo deste estudo visava a analisar a contribuição das tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TICs), através dos sistemas integrados de gestão, mais especificamente o Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), aplicado ao processo de inteligência competitiva organizacional nas indústrias associadas ao Sindicato Calçadista da cidade de Jaú/SP. Estudou-se os conceitos, definições, métodos e técnicas relacionados ao processo de ICO e às TICs, mais especificamente o ERP, por meio da análise da literatura nacional e internacional, assim como identificou-se e analisou-se no universo pesquisado as indústrias que possuem e aplicam o sistema ERP ou outro sistema semelhante, visando a analisar a relação do uso desse tipo de sistema para a competitividade organizacional. Da mesma forma, verificou-se a ocorrência do uso de métodos e técnicas aplicados ao processo de inteligência competitiva organizacional, desde que baseados em sistemas ERP. A pesquisa é descritiva exploratória... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In the world globalized the information have seen, extremely important role that to economy and requires excellence regarding the information and documentation systems, by that even the information became a resource of extremely important management, but do not always be valued correctly on the part of organizations. In organizational environments is absolutely necessary the utilization of technological resources for mediate the access and use of information by the user, as well like for support the distinct organizational activities, since the routine activities, the decision making process, until the planning of strategic actions. The focus of problem of research refers to the information flows in organizational scope, more specifically the information flows linked to the organizational competitive intelligence process (OCI). The objective of this study aims analyze the contribution of information and communication technologies (ICTs), through the management integrated systems, more specifically the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), applied to the organizational competitive intelligence process in the associated industries to the Footwear Syndicate of Jaú/SP city. Intends to study the concepts, definitions, approaches and techniques related to the OCI process and ICTs, more specifically the ERP, through the analysis the international and national literature, as well as intends identify and analyze in universe researched the industries that possess and apply the system ERP or another similar system, aiming at analyze the relation of the use of that system kind for the organizational competitiveness. Similarly, intends to verify the occurrence of use of approaches and techniques applied to the organizational competitive intelligence process, since based in ERP systems. The research is descriptive exploratory, of qualitative nature, analyzes data and information collected... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre