Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the six decades since organisations rst adopted computer machinery to support their operations this form of technology has undergone rapid evolution. This evolution is characterised by both the advancement of the machines themselves and the expansion of their application in the organisational domain through the development of increasingly advanced software. A particularly in uential development for large enterprises has been the introduction of computerised Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPs) and the popularisation of proprietary ERP packages. By integrating the feature sets of an increasingly wide range of business software applications ERPs enable organisations to satisfy a large part of their information processing requirements by adopting a single software artefact. This approach o ers numerous bene ts to adopters as it ensures the integration of information processing activities across organisational functions. However, the realisation of these bene ts depends upon the organisation's ability to achieve congruence between its own structures and those embedded in proprietary ERP packages. This includes, on one level, the management of the processes of adaptation through which organisational actors become accustomed to a new technology and, on another level, the con guration and alignment of the artefact with the organisation's operating procedures. Despite the popularity of ERP adoption the achievement of congruence in information systems is an illusive ideal for many organisations. Accordingly, many Information Systems (IS) scholars have researched the organisational, technical and social factors which obstruct congruence and the interventions proposed to counter these. A key nding following from these investigations is that, notwithstanding the implementation of countering interventions, organisations often need to continue operations while experiencing some degree of incongruence or mis t in their information systems. The research performed in this study advances knowledge about this phenomenon by investigating the implications of incongruence for the behaviour of users of proprietary ERPs in organisations. Weickean Sensemaking Theory is adopted as conceptual framework to enable the investigation of instances of incongruence as events experienced by users in the context of their work environments. The theory dictates that users, rather than passively adopting the impositions of software artefacts, en- act information systems in unpredictable ways based on subjective and shared processes of sensemaking. An empirical investigation is performed and takes the form of a single, cross-sectional case study in which a variety of data collection techniques are utilised. The data sources are analysed and triangulated to trace the relationship between experiences of incongruence and patterns of information systems enactment among the user community. The ndings of the study reveal that experiences of incongruence cultivate knowledge sharing among a user community, a process which aligns their beliefs about the nature, role and use of a technology in an organisation. Furthermore, experiences of incongruence encourage users to augment designed technologies through the development informal information processing activities and alternative work ows. These forms of behaviour, while resolving users' experiences incongruence, lead to variance between the designed technology and the enacted technology creating various risks for the integrity of the organisation's business processes. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die ses dekades sedert organisasies rekenaar masjinerie begin toepas het om hul bedrywighede te ondersteun, het hierdie vorm van tegnologie dramatiese ontwikkeling ondergaan. Hierdie ontwikkeling word gekenmerk deur beide die bevordering van die masjiene self, asook die uitbreiding van hul toepassings in die organisatoriese domein deur die ontwikkeling van meer gevorderde sagteware. 'n Besonder invloedryke ontwikkeling vir groot ondernemings was die bekendstelling van gerekenariseerde Enterprise Resource Plan- ning Systems (ERPs) en die popularisering van kommersiële ERP pakkette. Deur die integrasie van 'n toenemend wye verskeidenheid funksionaliteit stel ERPs organisasies in staat om 'n groot deel van hul inligting verwerking vereistes deur die aanneming van 'n enkele sagteware produk te dek - 'n benadering wat talle voordele bied aangesien dit die integrasie van inligting verwerking tussen organisatoriese funksies verseker. Die verwesenliking van hierdie voordele is egter afhanklik van die organisasie se vermoë om kongruensie tussen sy eie strukture en die van ERP pakkette te bewerkstelling. Dit sluit die bestuur van prosesse waartydens organisatoriese akteurs aanpas by 'n nuwe tegnologie in, asook die kon gurasie van die pakket om belyning met die organisasie se operasionele prosedures te verseker. Ten spyte van die gewildheid van ERPs is die bereiking van kongruensie in inligtingstelsels 'n ontwykende ideaal vir baie organisasies. Gevolglik word die organisatoriese, tegniese en sosiale faktore wat kongruensie belemmer gereeld deur Information Systems (IS) akademici ondersoek. 'n Prominenete bevinding wat uit hierdie navorsing voortspruit is dat organisasies dikwels hul werk moet voortsit ten spyte van inkongruensie in hul inligtingstelsels. In hierdie studie word die bovermelde fenomeen verder ondersoek deur die implikasies van inkongruensie vir die gedrag van gebruikers van kommersiële ERP pakkette te ondersoek. Weick se Sensemaking teorie word toegepas as konseptuele raamwerk om gevalle van inkongruensie as gebeure wat deur gebruikers ervaar word te ondersoek. Die teorie bepaal dat die gebruikers nie bloot rekenaarstelsels aanvaar nie, maar dit op onvoorspelbare maniere enact op grond van subjektiewe en gedeelde prosesse van singewing. 'n Gevallestudie word uitgevoer waarin 'n verskeidenheid data-insamelingstegnieke gebruik word. Die databronne word ontleed en kruisvalidasie word gedoen om die verhouding tussen ervarings van inkongruensie en patrone van gedrag binne inligtingstelsels te beskryf. Die bevindinge van die studie dui daarop dat ervarings van inkongruensie die deel van kennis binne 'n gebruikersgemeenskap tot gevolg het. Hierdie proses belyn gebruikers se verwysingsraamwerke oor die aard, rol en gebruik van 'n tegnologie in 'n organisasie. Verder word bevind dat gebruikers, agv ervarings van inkongruensie, 'n tegnologie uitbrei dmv die ontwikkeling van informele inligting verwerkingstegnieke en alternatiewe werksprosesse. Hierdie gedrag stel gebruikers in staat om inkongruensie te oorkom, maar lei tot variansie tussen die ontwerpte tegnologie en die toepassing daarvan binne die organisasie. Dit hou verskeie risiko's vir die integriteit van die organisasie se besigheidsprosesse in.

<p>Background</p><p>The importance of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is that they redesign organizational processes and structure. The new knowledge embedded in the ERP systems induces substantial changes in the businesses which adopt ERP systems. Furthermore, ERP implementations are socially complex and knowledge-intensive activities as several companies may be involved in a single ERP project and intensive knowledge transfer among these companies is vital for the success of the implementation projects.</p><p>Purpose</p><p>To date limited amount of research has been performed in the area of knowledge transfer in ERP implementations. My study answered the following questions:</p><p>1. What is the effect of the transfer of knowledge that is associated with ERP implementations?</p><p>2. What (if any) knowledge transfer barriers have been identified during the ERP implementation process?</p><p>3. What types of activities did the firms initiate to enable the knowledge transfer during the ERP implementation process?</p><p>Method</p><p>My research consisted of theoretical and empirical parts. Theoretical part entailed a thorough review of current literature on the ERP systems and knowledge management. Adopting a phenomenological approach I next collected the primary data through interviews and surveys with experts in the ERP implementation projects.</p><p>Results</p><p>I have described the area of knowledge transfer within ERP implementation projects and identified connections between ERP implementations and organizational learning. I have also uncovered and analyzed the origins of a number of factors that potentially inhibit or enable the knowledge transfer within implementation projects. I was able to connect the theoretical part of the thesis with empirical data and gained a comprehensive understanding of the phenomena at hand. Major barriers to the knowledge transfer stem from the tacit nature of the knowledge itself and the lack of social relationships within the various stakeholders. Activities organizations engage in are ‘knowledge conversion’ and relationships facilitation within the project team.</p>

Mittelständische Industrieunternehmen setzen für ihre betrieblichen Abläufe Planungs- und Ausführungssysteme ein. Aufgrund der Turbulenzen auf Absatz- und Beschaffungsmärkten kann die Wirtschaftlichkeit und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit dieser Unternehmen nur durch permanente Anpassungen der Organisationsstrukturen und -abläufe erfolgen. In der Praxis zeigt sich eine unzureichende technologische Anpassungsfähigkeit der heute eingesetzten Standardsoftwaresysteme. Diese lassen zwar während der Einführungsphase vielfältige Konfigurationsmöglichkeiten zu, Veränderungen im laufenden Betrieb sind aber meist nur mit großem Aufwand möglich. Hier sind die Softwarehersteller in Zukunft zunehmend gefordert, wandlungsfähige Auftragsabwicklungssysteme zu entwickeln. Über die Entwicklungsphase (Build-Time) hinaus muss auch parallel zur Betriebsphase (Run-Time) der technische Fortschritt aufgrund von geänderten Anforderungen durch entsprechende Softwarereleases synchronisiert werden. / Development and application of adaptive enterprise resource planning systems: <br><br> Medium-sized industrial enterprises apply resource planning systems for their business processes. Changing markets require permanent adaptation of these enterprises’ organisational structures and processes to ensure their efficiency and their competitiveness. However, currently applied standard software systems have proven to be insufficiently adaptable. They allow multiple configuration options during implementation and setup, but it is hardly possible to perform configuration changes during the application phase. Therefore software developers will have to focus on adaptable enterprise resource planning systems in future. Beyond the development phase (build time) technological progress caused by changing requirements also has to be synchronised simultaneously by current software releases during the application phase (run time).<br> --------<br> © GITO mbH Berlin

As the society becomes more internationalized and companies spread operations to multiple locations in different countries, there is a growing need for systems that can link information between different company departments and make it available for users at any time. Over the years, companies have used several information systems for different business activities and purposes, but due to complexity and high costs, a need for an integrated platform has emerged. A system that can connect different business functions within a company, and at the same time link systems owned by customers and suppliers through modern technology is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Today, management control may be regarded as an information intensive company process where managers can improve control by working with relevant and accurate information. An ERP system represents a natural bearer of that information, and because of that, it becomes interesting to analyze the effects on management control when its fundamentals (the ERP system) change. As previous publications mostly have examined organizational changes and effects of ERP implementations from a more general perspective, the authors realize a need for addressing ERP systems in relation to management control. Though prior research indicates that implementation of ERP systems have affect on management control, there is still uncertainty how it may be affected. The aim for this study is therefore to create understanding of how a major change such as an ERP implementation may affect management control by causing changes among supporting roles and activities. In order to achieve the purpose for this work, the authors have exemplified an ERP implementation through a case study of a manufacturing company implementing Electronic Invoice Processing (EIP) as a part of a larger ERP change. By using a scientific research approach characterized by an iterative process that moves between theory and empiricism, some valuable outcomes can be drawn from the analyzed case material. These outcomes become in the end target for a broad interpretation of roles, activities, and how changes among them may affect management control on a more generalized ERP level. Analyzing the case, the authors have been able to identify three distinctive roles that may be affected by an ERP implementation; the Executor, the Supervisor, and the Supporter. These three roles have been found to carry out five prime activities; Information Assembling, Information Verification, Information Registration, Information Presentation, and Information Storing. Finally, the changes and altering of focus between these roles and activities were found to potentially affect management control positively through five prime aspects; Timeliness, Accuracy, Accessibility, Richness, and Control.

Background The importance of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is that they redesign organizational processes and structure. The new knowledge embedded in the ERP systems induces substantial changes in the businesses which adopt ERP systems. Furthermore, ERP implementations are socially complex and knowledge-intensive activities as several companies may be involved in a single ERP project and intensive knowledge transfer among these companies is vital for the success of the implementation projects. Purpose To date limited amount of research has been performed in the area of knowledge transfer in ERP implementations. My study answered the following questions: 1. What is the effect of the transfer of knowledge that is associated with ERP implementations? 2. What (if any) knowledge transfer barriers have been identified during the ERP implementation process? 3. What types of activities did the firms initiate to enable the knowledge transfer during the ERP implementation process? Method My research consisted of theoretical and empirical parts. Theoretical part entailed a thorough review of current literature on the ERP systems and knowledge management. Adopting a phenomenological approach I next collected the primary data through interviews and surveys with experts in the ERP implementation projects. Results I have described the area of knowledge transfer within ERP implementation projects and identified connections between ERP implementations and organizational learning. I have also uncovered and analyzed the origins of a number of factors that potentially inhibit or enable the knowledge transfer within implementation projects. I was able to connect the theoretical part of the thesis with empirical data and gained a comprehensive understanding of the phenomena at hand. Major barriers to the knowledge transfer stem from the tacit nature of the knowledge itself and the lack of social relationships within the various stakeholders. Activities organizations engage in are ‘knowledge conversion’ and relationships facilitation within the project team.

PhD. (Computer Science) / Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are implemented within organisations to enable them to work more efficiently and enhance productivity. They also ensure that different levels of information are available to managers within the organisation for strategic and tactical decision-making. The implementation of ERP systems is often associated with great costs, they are resource intensive and cover the whole organisation. The implementation of ERP systems is perceived as a project that often fails owing to overrun on cost and time. The return on investment (ROI) is also often questioned once an ERP system has been implemented, since the organisation does not always see the benefits of the ERP system versus the effort and cost of implementing it. The purpose of this thesis is twofold: firstly it determines what an ERP system is and whether it can be subdivided into different components. The focus of this section is on the operational side of an ERP system to determine how it is managed and operated within an organisation. The second focus is on the way that ERP systems are implemented and the management that goes hand in hand with this implementation. The first focus area is addressed by developing a model that explains ERP and the different components within it. It describes the interactions between the different components and how the ERP system affects the organisation. This model provides a better understanding of an ERP system and shows the technology to be mature. The second focus area is addressed by a framework that assists organisations in deriving projects from the organisational vision. This ensures that the implementation of an ERP system will directly support the organisation’s vision and strategies. This addresses the issue of determining the value of the ERP system as well as ROI. The framework also provides alternative ways and methods that can be used to implement ERP systems. The value of this research is firstly that it provides a holistic model of what constitutes an ERP system and its effect on the organisation. ERP systems change not only the financial systems, but also the way the organisation operates. They introduce organisational change. The value of the framework is that it can assist organisations in identifying and implementing projects that will enable the implementation of the organisation’s vision and strategies. This will eliminate any favoured projects that are not in support of the organisation’s vision and can save the organisation’s scarce resources that would have been wasted on these projects. The framework can also assist organisations in determining if they must implement an ERP system and what value this implementation will have for the organisation.

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Gröna försörjningskedjor bidrar till att företag tar bättre miljömässiga och hållbara beslut i sin verksamhet och tillsammans med ett välutvecklat ERP-system kan tillverkande företag bli mer konkurrenskraftiga. Digitalisering inom träindustrin sker inte i samma takt som utvecklingen av informationsteknologi, vilket innebär att branschen har en rad utmaningar kopplade till bland annat spårbarhet och utbyte av information.  Studiens syfte är att beskriva och förklara hur ERP-system kan stödja gröna försörjningskedjor inom träindustrin utifrån ett användarperspektiv. Studiens syfte besvaras med hjälp av en kvalitativ ansats där semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med 5 respondenter samt en dokumentanalys av två verksamheters hållbarhetsrapporter och observation på ett av företagens sågverk.  Utifrån en öppen kodning har studiens empiri framställts i tre övergripande teman vilka är, hållbarhet och miljö, spårbarhet och informationsdelning samt data och kvalitet i affärssystem. Företag inom träindustrin arbetar mot hållbar utveckling inom verksamheten, dels för att kunna besvara marknadens efterfrågan, dels för att bidra till Sveriges möjlighet att uppnå agenda 2030 och FN:s globala mål för hållbar utveckling. Respondenter vittnar om att det är svårt att jobba mot miljömålen i sin specifika roll och hur mycket de jobbar mot det sker i varierande utsträckning. Samtidigt saknas funktioner i systemen för att anställda ska kunna få de rapporter de är i behov av. Idag inhämtas information från olika system och det saknas integrationer mellan databaser och system. Visst arbete sker även med manuell handpåläggning och eller dokumenteras enbart i Excel. Det saknas även möjlighet att spåra produkter genom hela försörjningskedjan. Spårbarhet av certifikat framträder som särskilt viktigt för lyckat miljöarbete inom träindustrin, systemstöd för detta finns men enkelt stöd för spårbarhet genom hela kedjan saknas. Många olika system används idag vilket gör att fördelarna med ERP-system inte syns i det dagliga arbetet. Tillgång till information upplevs generellt som god medan tillvägagångssättet att hitta information kan förenklas. Integrationer mellan system såväl som förbättrad funktionalitet kopplat till rapporter och måluppföljning efterfrågas av användarna. Gröna försörjningskedjor stöds av de existerande systemen i viss utsträckning, studiens resultat tyder dock på att det finns utrymme för vidare utveckling för att uppnå ett bättre anpassat system baserat på användarnas behov

<p>Logistics and Information System Development are hot topics in today’s business world. Although many studies have been conducted on these two areas, information about logistics costs is still lacking in many companies. Information Systems are tools that, if properly developed, aid organizations in processing data and providing information with speed, accuracy and quality to its intended users. A lacking in the relation between the business world and the Information System’s world was apparent in a studied company’s self-developed Enterprise Resource Planning system, where information about logistics costs was neglected. A case study made in this same studied company, show the importance of seven different logistics costs types and its related information. Using the analysis of the material gathered from both literary work and this case study, it was determined what information about logistics costs is neglected by the manufacturing organization’s self-developed ERP-system. Finally, it was concluded what information on these logistics costs that should be considered by manufacturing organizations for facilitating the understanding of total product cost of specific products and which may not be supported by these systems.</p>

The purpose of this empirical study is to examine the usage of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPS) in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). Recently, rapid growth in information technology services compels developing countries to emerge as an information-based society. This emergence corresponds with the calls of researchers to address ERPS (Abbas, 2011). However, there is a scarcity of efforts by researchers to identify the factors contributing to the usage of ERPS at the organisational, departmental and end-user layer in HEIs. To fill this gap, this research develops a Multi-Layer Usage Model (MLUM) to determine the factors of ERPS usage across the organisational, departmental and individual levels of HEIs. The theoretical foundation of this study is adapted from unified theory of acceptance and use of technology developed by Venkatesh et al (2003). The study is unique in many respects. Firstly, it offers a newly developed multi-level conceptual model that is tested empirically using three distinct questionnaires; one for each layer. A large primary dataset, 1317 responses, is collected through three questionnaire from 18 higher education institutions in Pakistan; 86 responses from the organisational layer, 143 from the departmental layer and 1088 from the end-user layer. Structural equation modelling is used to analyse the effect of factors at three layers contributing to the usage of ERPS. Furthermore, the models are refined by applying extensions of structural equation modelling. Results suggest that at the organisational layer human resource availability, tolerance for risks and conflicts, collegial support and collaboration and decision making and control are significant and contributed towards ERPS usage while at the end-user layer behavioural intentions and motivation were insignificant and were therefore, removed from the model. This study contributes to theory development regarding usage of innovations in the under-researched context of HEIs. It also provides indigenous manifestations of ERPS usage that may be used by policy-makers.