Organizations become more homogenous when they adapt to the external environment for survival and competitiveness. Institutional theorists call this phenomenon "isomorphism," which is a constraining process that forces organizations---through coercive, mimetic, or normative pressures---to resemble each other when facing the same set of environmental conditions. In recent years, concerns about cost-efficiency and standardization of information technology (IT) have led organizations to rely more heavily on IT to enhance their business operations. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems enable the tight integration of all necessary business functions into a single system. Typically, a database, designed to standardize organizational IT platforms and business processes, is shared throughout an organization. The high adoption rate of ERP systems among the biggest corporations has pressured other organizations to adopt ERP systems. Information system (IS) researchers call this phenomenon "technical isomorphism". / This study examines the effects of ERP implementation on organizational homogeneity from the viewpoint of institutional theory. Through mediating factors, such as the extent of ERP implementation and software adaptation, this study also investigates the effects of organizational homogeneity on the core competencies of user-organizations. It addresses four important issues: (a) whether institutional pressures lead to organizational homogenization; (b) whether institutional pressures affect the extent of ERP implementation in organizations; (c) whether the extent of ERP implementation affects software adaptation and subsequently, homogenization; and (d) whether the core competencies of organizations are ultimately affected by the adoption of technology. / This study's findings contribute to our understanding on the effects of ERP implementation in organizations, particularly on the IT and business activities. They open a whole new arena of research into the impact of technology on organizational abilities, providing a new set of constructs, relationships, antecedents, and dependent variables. Moreover, this study provides the necessary evidence on the occurrence of homogenization, its origins, and its consequences. It also provides valuable guidelines in finding a balance between conformity and retaining the uniqueness of companies, which is regarded as a source of core competencies. Thus, the research findings can help organizations redirect their focus and efforts into ERP implementation, saving millions of dollars in the process. / Liu, Kar Wai Connie. / Adviser: Vincent S. Lai. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-04, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-152). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese; appendix 8.3 and 8.4 in Chinese.

Business organizations invest significant resources implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, yet some organizations utilize less than 75% of the ERP system capabilities. The purpose of this single-site case study was to explore ERP utilization strategies implemented by 4 managers in the information technology (IT) department from 1 organization that uses an ERP system in the Midwest region of the United States. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was the user participation theory. Data were collected through participant interviews and analyzed using traditional text analysis. Member checking was used to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness of the interpretation of the participants' responses. The emergent themes from the study were user participation, user involvement, user attitude, user system satisfaction, and user preparation. The most prominent utilization strategies identified by the participants related to the user participation theme. The implications for positive social change include the potential optimization of benefits from the ERP system that could allow the organization's leaders to direct their resources to causes that can improve the health and welfare of the geographic population in the operational region.

Thesis (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems integrate business processes (BPs) into one database, facilitate data sharing, and provide real time information to authorised users, leading to an increase in efficiency and effectiveness. However, the implementation of an ERP system is not always a success as some systems turn out to be misaligned with the organisation’s objectives. This misalignment can lead to inadequate controls within the system. ERP systems are designed to improve transactions within the BPs and provide a competitive advantage to organisations. However, this benefit can become a weakness if project implementation fails due to controls in the system not being aligned with the objectives. The aim of the study is to explore how audit functions can contribute to the implementation of ERP projects, and the objective is to propose a guideline that can improve the implementation processes of ERP projects. To address the aim and meet the objective of this study, two main questions are asked: 1) What are the factors to be considered when introducing audit functionality in the implementation of an ERP system? 2) How can audit functions assist organisations in ERP project implementation? A subjectivist philosophical stance is followed and the epistemology lies within the interpretivist paradigm. An inductive research approach is followed and a case study is used as research strategy to conduct the research. The unit of analysis is the Operation Finance and Information Technology departments within the selected organisation, while selected employees (14) within the organisation form the unit of observation. A non-random, purposively selected sampling technique was used. Data were collected by means of semi-structured questionnaires through interviews. Data were analysed by summarising, categorising, and applying thematic analysis. The data analysis shows that audit functions (Operation Finance department, internal and external auditors) bring objectivity and assurance to the project in terms of financial reports, checks and balances, processes, structure, and internal controls. Getting people to cooperate however is a challenge for audit functionalities, and internal and external auditors can be a challenge during project implementation because their practical skills and computer-based knowledge to deal with huge volumes of data is extremely limited. It is highly recommended that the guideline presented in this research is followed, that engagement of audit functions with business processes is introduced and adopted by other role players involved in the project implementation process, and that audit functions should not be seen as a ‘must have’ but rather as support to improve the process. Ethical requirements as requested by CPUT are fulfilled.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects, a type of complex information technology project, are very challenging and expensive to implement. Past research recognizes that escalation, defined as the commitment to a failing course of action, is common in such projects. While the factors that contribute to escalation (e.g., project conditions, psychological, organizational, and social factors) have been extensively examined, the literature on deescalation of projects is very limited. Motivated by this gap in the literature, this research examines deescalation, that is, on breaking the commitment to the failing course of action with a particular focus on ERP projects. This study is organized as a single-case study of a complex ERP project that was undertaken after a merger of two organizations. It examines how the project team members’ sensemaking is implicated in deescalation. Applying sensemaking as a theoretical lens, this engaged scholarship research contributes to practice by providing recommendations on how to better manage ERP project deescalation. It contributes to theory by providing a nuanced understanding of ERP project deescalation through project team members’ sensemaking activities.

More than 90% of enterprises in Taiwan are small and medium enterprises. These flexible and efficient forces are one of the important foundations for economic development in Taiwan. How large is the number? Based on the data of ¡§The White book of Small and Medium Enterprises in Year 2011¡¨ from Ministry of Economic Affairs, the number is over one million and two hundred thousand! However; taking on strong competition in emerging markets and enterprise globalization, the small and medium enterprises in Taiwan face many challenges. For large enterprises and electronic industry, implement ERP to manage enterprise resources efficiently to respond to immediate changes is the core of enterprise information technology. With limited budget on information systems and specialties from small and medium enterprises, how should they implement ERP? How could they successfully implement ERP? Should they have change management when implementing ERP? Do they have the same key factors as ERP implementation in the large enterprises? Whether there is any particular attention they should pay on? This study conducted multiple case interviews using semi-structures on the objects of ERP-implemented small and medium enterprises to explore the derivation of the processes of each case, what problems and difficulties have they encountered? How to overcome the problems? By the case corporate practical experiences to assess the key factors of successful implementation, coping with the processes and problems of the implementation derivation, we expected to propose the improvement of core enterprise competition and success rate to the traditional small and medium enterprises that will implement ERP in the future. Keywords: Enterprise Resource Planning, KSF, Traditional Industries, Small and Medium Enterprises, BPR

Abstract In the wake of diversification and rapid changes in market needs, corporations have to deal with ever increasingly strict demands imposed by both customers and competitors that concern prompt supply, complicatedness in manufacturing technology, life cycle of product, and competition from within the industry. To be able to respond without any delay, consolidate their organization, and take control of operation so as to gain the ultimate advantage in competition, local small businesses must have access to a complete set of managerial accounting information that can constantly reflect the operation of each process and the correctness of information, provide strategic basis for decision making, and provide a mechanism for forecasts and advance warnings. However, selecting a set of electronic tool software that is suitable to a business is more important than anything else in gaining advantage in competition. For the present, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is considered the most viable software that can integrate the internal processes of a business to effect business reengineering and connect with suppliers and consumers to achieve electronic information flow for the system. ERP is an integrative system that has been widely implemented in recent years. It has an outstanding purpose: to help plan and manage enterprise resources in an all-inclusive and integrative manner so that the business can achieve high operating efficiency and immediate improvement, reconstruct its strategic advantages, and reorganize and restart itself. It deserves our investigation whether managerial accounting information can, through the effective application of ERP system, provide corporations with prompt evaluations and make decisions for them and bring about tangible benefits in management. Therefore, this research has defined the major purposes that follow: 1. Pertinent information obtained by local small businesses when they initiate ERP can be subsequently used as the basis for evaluations when others initiate local small businesses. 2. Local small businesses, in implementing ERP, find reasonable analysis or solutions for difficulties they encounter, which will enable other businesses in the future that initiate ERP to reduce possibility of making mistakes and costs by planning in advance and taking preventing measures. 3. Understand how ERP after being initiated by local small businesses help accounting personnel enhance their functions in making spreadsheets and carrying out accounting control, and elevate their analytical skill. 4. Understand that after being initiated into local small businesses, ERP can enable managerial accounting information to bring up effectiveness to users or managers. This research, using case corporations as the subjects of study, was designed to understand the impact of ERP after being initiated on the degree of application of managerial accounting information. As to research design, literature review provided theoretical foundation. Methodology of taking grounded theory, part of qualitative research, was taken to understand the actual meaning of background environment of these corporations. Based on the nature of facts, data were collected, summarized and analyzed through questionnaire survey an case depth interview, to find out how a case corporation is related with managerial accounting information before and after it initiates ERP and to discover the support and impact given by an enterprise after it obtains managerial accounting information. The aspects of such an impact can be used by this corporation to improve or adjust its operation and provide corporations that have not initiated ERP or decided to initiate ERP with self inspection and suggestions to shorten the time frame for initiating ERP, reduce wastes on resources, ensure the effectiveness of using managerial accounting information, gain access to more opportunities so as to ensure perennial existence and create competitive edge for the corporation.

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Zugl.: Magdeburg, Univ., Diss., 2009

M. Tech. Business Administration / An Enterprise Resource Planning system is complex software that ties together and automates the processes in a business. The benefits of having an Enterprise Resource Planning system included having a single database that allowed the data to be available across all business units. Small, Medium Enterprises, and Large South African companies, have introduced Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems as a means of improving productivity and efficiency over the past few years. Various South African companies have experienced difficulties in the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning systems because they are costly in terms of finance and time. This study aims to analyse the degree to which the South African company Iliad Africa has benefited from the implementation of an ERP system.

D.Tech. Organisational Leadership. Business School. / The development of a quality framework for services in a shared services environment was the focus of the study. The shared services model has recently become an attractive organisational structure with many conglomerate multinational corporates. Shared services can be defined as a concentration of internal support services, professionally managed as an internal services business unit rendering the necessary services to the organisation’s business units. The shared services concept is not about centralisation. It is based on the existence of an internal supplier-customer relationship, where the power of the demand and nature of the services rest with the various business units. The literature has shown that the benefits of the shared services model include a reduction in the operating costs, improvements in efficiency of the corporate and in a higher level of internal customer satisfaction. Many practitioners have documented the fact that a reduction of operating costs stems from the elimination of duplicated services and providing service offerings at a greater economy of scale. In addition, business units can concentrate their efforts on the improvement of sales, thus lowering the percentage of the cost of sales. Efficiencies are improved by acquiring better technologies made possible by proportioning the costs to the various business units. The customer satisfaction levels of services from shared services centres have not materialised as per the literature. In recent research, shared services customers reported that they were dissatisfied with the quality of services and felt that there is a need for intervention to improve the quality of the services. One of the popular interventions for improving quality is a quality model.