Effective information and resource management are the most important factors driving businesses to success. In today's dynamic and turbulent global business environment, there is a strong need for organisations to be competitive under all circumstances. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) can be used as a strategic tool, helping companies to gain competitive edge by integrating all business processes and optimising available resources. While ERP systems are powerful packages, many companies are not fully satisfied with their systems, because ERP systems do not always fulfil all company’s business needs. This work is meant to promote ERP systems by presenting one of them – the MFG/PRO by QAD, discussing its common and unique properties, sharing particular working experience and proving that this ERP system can be perfectly adapted to suit the needs of all companies. New methods for adaptation of ERP system according to organizational needs have been developed. Methods incorporate database, application and user interface modifications. Implemented modifications caused a reasonable improvement in MFG/PRO’s capabilities.

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.

Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2006--Aachen.

Techn. Universiẗat, Diss, 2006--Darmstadt.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Bond University, 2007. / "Submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-159). Also available via the World Wide web.

Zugl.: Potsdam, Univ., Diss., 2009

ARAÚJO NETO, Adalberto Napoleão de. Análise da utilização do Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) como ferramenta de integração dos processos e gerenciamento organizacional em companhias estaduais de saneamento básico. 2009. [14], 229 f. Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Faculdade de Economia, Administração, Atuária e Contabilidade, Mestrado Profissional em Administração e Controladoria, Fortaleza-CE, 2009. / Submitted by Dioneide Barros (dioneidebarros@gmail.com) on 2016-04-26T11:29:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_dis_anaraujoneto.pdf: 2257541 bytes, checksum: 9ff7e570a2932c8035d80b3ce0664208 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Dioneide Barros (dioneidebarros@gmail.com) on 2016-04-27T12:28:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_dis_anaraujoneto.pdf: 2257541 bytes, checksum: 9ff7e570a2932c8035d80b3ce0664208 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T12:28:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_dis_anaraujoneto.pdf: 2257541 bytes, checksum: 9ff7e570a2932c8035d80b3ce0664208 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Brazilian basic sanitation has undergone profound structural changes over the past years, requiring basic sanitation state agencies (CESB) to revise their working procedures. Thus, law #11.107/05 introduced new practical possibilities, such as the participation of private enterprises in the management of sanitation services by way of public bidding, thereby increasing competition in the sector, while law #11.445/07, commonly referred to as the “basic sanitation regulatory framework”, calls for the universalization of public services, economic efficiency and sustainability and administrative transparency, based on information systems and institutionalized decision-making processes. In response, CESBs have adopted a range of management practices and IT tools in order to improve their results. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems designed to maximize results are increasingly popular among companies around the world, and have been in use by private enterprises in Brazil since the mid-nineties and even by CESBs since the beginning of the current decade. ERP is associated not only with numerous advantages, but also with a number of problems compromising expected results. The main objective of the present study is to analyze the use of ERP systems by CESBs. Based on a review of the literature and a survey in combination with a case study of one of the 27 CESBs operating in Brazil, the study is exploratory and descriptive with regard to the objective, and quantitative-qualitative in its approach. The results show that ERP systems are not used at all hierarchical levels of the CESBs and do not cover the main processes and some of the support processes. ERP systems are most often used to support organizational operations and processes and executive tactical and operational decision-making processes. The main support processes include financial administration, accounting, logistics and staff management. Existing functionalities were found to ad here to these processes and, even in the presence of such restrictions, the assessment of the improvement to the management of CESB transactional processes was positive, revealing a congruence with the present reality of the basic sanitation state agencies. / O setor de saneamento básico no Brasil tem passado por grandes transformações em sua estrutura nos últimos anos, requerendo das Companhias Estaduais de Saneamento Básico (CESB) uma completa mudança na forma de atuar, principalmente, pelas novas possibilidades trazidas pela Lei nº 11.107/05 que em termos práticos, permite a participação de empresas privadas na gestão dos serviços de saneamento, por meio de licitação, aumentado a concorrência no setor, e, sobretudo, pelas exigências impostas pela Lei nº 11.445/07, comumente conhecida como “Marco Regulatório do Saneamento”, que dentre outros pontos preconiza a universalização dos serviços prestados; a eficiência e sustentabilidade econômica e a transparência das ações, baseada em sistemas de informações e processos decisórios institucionalizados. Diante desse cenário, as CESBs vêm adotando diversas práticas de gestão e várias ferramentas de TI a fim de melhorar os seus resultados. A adoção de sistemas ERP – Enterprise Resourse Planning como alternativa para maximizar os resultados das organizações têm se tornado uma prática em várias empresas no mundo, chegando às empresas brasileiras a partir de meados da década de 90, inclusive nas Companhias Estaduais de Saneamento no início dos anos 2000. Inúmeros são os benefícios associados à utilização dos sistemas ERP nas organizações. Todavia, diversos problemas são relacionados ao uso desses sistemas, que impendem o alcance dos resultados inicialmente esperados e prometidos. Nesse contexto, esse trabalho tem como objetivo principal analisar como as Companhias Estaduais de Saneamento Básico têm utilizado os sistemas ERP na sua gestão. Do ponto de vista de seus objetivos, a presente pesquisa caracteriza-se como exploratório-descritiva. Quanto à abordagem do problema pode ser classificada como quantitativa e qualitativa. No tocante aos procedimentos adotados, pode-se citar a realização de pesquisa bibliográfica e a aplicação de um survey combinado com a realização de um estudo de caso em uma das 27 companhias estaduais de saneamento básico do Brasil. A partir da análise dos resultados constatou-se que os sistemas ERP não são utilizados por todos os níveis hierárquicos das CESBs e não contempla os seus processos principais e parte dos processos de apoio. Em relação ao propósito a que se destina a sua utilização, verificou-se que são utilizados com maior freqüência para dar apoio às operações e processos da organização e apoio à tomada de decisão empresarial, pelo nível tático e operacional das CESBs. Em relação aos processos que dão suporte, ficou evidenciado que se concentram basicamente em parte dos processos de apoio, quais sejam: Financeiro; Contábil; Logístico e Gestão de Pessoas. Constatou-se que as funcionalidades existentes se aderem a tais processos, e, mesmo com essas restrições verificadas a avaliação sobre as melhorias proporcionadas à gestão dos processos transacionais das CESBs foi positiva, evidenciando uma congruência com a atual realidade das Companhias Estaduais de Saneamento Básico.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T15:56:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo3098_1.pdf: 2085382 bytes, checksum: 66e9e8f35593b02a8dd942a7398f086a (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / A crescente globalização dos negócios estimula que as empresas deixem de operar em um ambiente puramente competitivo e passem a estabelecer alianças para atuar como parceiros com o objetivo de agregar valor aos seus produtos e serviços. Diante deste cenário, os investimentos em Tecnologia da Informação estão sempre crescentes, porém, as organizações já compreenderam que a tecnologia em si não pode resolver todos os problemas organizacionais e que a introdução da tecnologia resulta em mudança. O impacto da mudança depende de como as novas tecnologias irão afetar o ambiente e a cultura organizacional. Por esse motivo, inúmeras empresas começaram a adotar abordagens planejadas para integração de seus Sistemas de Informação (SI), buscando novos métodos para ajudar a alinhar os SI à estratégia da organização e obter melhores resultados com isso. Atualmente, empresas de diversas áreas estão adquirindo soluções de software disponíveis no mercado. Uma das principais soluções de software adquiridas são os sistemas Enterprise Resource Planning ERP. Em particular, nas médias e grandes organizações, o ERP sozinho não consegue realizar em plenitude a sua missão, ele precisa integrar-se a outros sistemas de informação da própria empresa ou a sistemas de outras empresas para que a informação flua em toda a cadeia produtiva. Durante o processo de integração desses produtos de software, surgem inúmeros desafios, tais como: coordenar equipes de empresas distintas, manter a comunicação ativa entre as partes interessadas e organizar testes integrados. Com o objetivo de entender este problema, através de uma visão bastante prática e real realizamos um estudo empírico com uma empresa brasileira desenvolvedora de produto ERP. Esta dissertação apresenta o PIE (Process oriented Integration of ERP), uma proposta para sistematizar o processo de integração entre produto ERP e outros produtos de software. A principal contribuição do processo de integração proposto é garantir a gestão eficiente dos processos de negócio em ambientes colaborativos. Em particular, espera-se que uma abordagem sistemática para o processo de integração seja capaz de aumentar a transparência e a disponibilidade de informações, contribuindo assim para alinhar os objetivos do negócio com as soluções tecnológicas

M.Tech. (Information Technology) / This study conceptualises the effects of socio-organisational factors during Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations and the impact these have towards ERP system security. Social Exchange Theory (SET) is applied in the study. SET is premised on the notion that there is a reward exchange between actors, the main purpose being to maximise benefits and minimise costs to the different actors involved in the ERP implementation. The study looks at SET‟s three independent socio-constructive factors: exchange relations, dependency and power in relation to ERP system security. Pertinent discourse dwells on power and exchange relations that occur during an ERP implementation and how these relations influence information security. Potential benefits and risks towards information security are examined across these relations. The research is quantitative in nature and a survey was directed to people involved in ERP implementations. The study contributes to the discipline by developing a framework for conceptualising the relationship between power, dependency and exchange relations applicable during an ERP implementation. The main goal would be for such a model to be useful for ERP system security. The main findings from this study are that some of the socio-organisational factors like Expert Power, Referent Power, Coercive Power and Exchange Relations influence the implementation of Information Security during ERP implementations. Socio-organisational factors like Reward Power, Positional Power and Dependency were found to have no influence or minimal influence on the implementation of Information Security during ERP implementations.

Organisations are seeking for an opportunity to reduce costs while they increase service delivery to their customers. In order to remain in business, companies must have proper strategies in place to reduce costs while they still deliver the same standard of service. In order to remain competitive, companies have implemented Information Communication Technology (ICT). The implementation of ICT was done to assist organisations to improve efficiency in their production processes. To achieve these objectives, companies implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Some companies that have implemented an ERP system, however, are faced with the challenge of not fully realising the full benefits of implementing the ERP system. The Water Industry is faced with a challenge of ensuring that it manages the water value chain effectively through the use of an ERP system. The industry is also experiencing difficult times in ensuring that the business is run in a sustainable manner to manage the infrastructure assets. This has resulted in the importance of internal reporting within the Water Industry to assist management to monitor performance and take informed decisions. The implementation of an ERP system has affected all the roles in the Water Industry, especially the role of management accountants who are involved with internal reporting. Management accountants are experiencing challenges during and after the implementation of an ERP system, especially with the effective and efficient reporting of information. This study investigated the challenges that management accountants encountered after the implementation of an ERP system in the Water Industry in South Africa. The research consists of a preliminary study to identify challenges that management accountants encounter during and after the implementation of ERP system in the Water Industry. A literature review on the role of management accountants combined with the ERP system applications and framework are investigated and an ERP system implementation framework for the Water Industry is proposed. The proposed framework is evaluated and recommendations are made to those involved with the water industry that are considering upgrading or implementing an ERP system.