An ERP System Life Cycle-Wide Management and Support Framework for Small- and Medium-Sized Companies

Abstract

Currently, the companies that have introduced the ERP system in Taiwan are mostly large enterprises. Due to the high cost of introduction and uncertain performance, however, ordinary small- and medium-sized enterprises can hardly afford the system. Thus, not only would a reference model for ERP life cycle-wide management support and assist large enterprises in evaluating and renewing the system, but it would also offer small- and medium-sized enterprises a set of procedures to successfully introduce the ERP system. The objective of this research is to explore the life cycle-wide management and support activities of an ERP system in order to establish a managerial model which can be used as a guideline for managers in dealing with their critical managerial activities. This study applied both the results from the literature review and Delphi study on the basis of Gowin's Vee Approach. Through literature review, this research initially determined the life cycle-wide activities of the ERP system and then used the Grounded Theory to develop a prototype of the reference model for ERP life cycle-wide management and support. Subsequently, this study used the Delphi Method to collect the opinions of field experts. After analyzing and organizing the results, comparison and amendments were made to propose a final set of reference models for ERP life cycle-wide management and support. From the perspective of academic research, the authors believe that this study contributes to the development of a managerial model and provides prospective researchers with future directions in this subject area. As for the business sector, this managerial model can assist large enterprises through a better approach in management and support of the current ERP system, while small- and medium-sized enterprises are provided with a set of concrete steps to facilitate the successful introduction of the ERP system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]Copyright of Communications of AIS is the property of Association for Information Systems and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)