Drivers, barriers and critical success factors for ERPII implementation in supply chains: A critical analysis

Critical Success Factors Evaluation by Multi-Criteria Decision-Making: A Strategic Information System Planning and Strategy-As-Practice Perspective

Strategic information system planning (SISP) is a central process that enables organizations to identify the strategic alignment of their IT portfolio to achieve their business needs and objectives. The extant SISP literature has focused on theoretical and processual aspects and has left methodological ambiguity about how SISP is practiced. This paper contributes to the current knowledge by providing a mixed-methods SISP framework labeled CSF-MCDM for company-wide strategic alignment. The paper conducts a methodological synthesis, embracing an expert-based qualitative approach based on a PEST-SWOT and causal layered analysis to draw the critical success factors of a next-generation business system for an automotive company in South Korea. The derived CSF dimensions and sub-criteria are evaluated by the multi-criteria decision-making model, engaging a strategy-as-practice lens to SISP to enable an integrative analysis of IS strategy formulation, planning, and implementation. The findings reveal the relative strategic priorities of dimensions, the following core activities, and the global priorities for resource distribution planning for IS strategy of the firm. This paper argues that bringing replicability with SISP and diversifying methodological approaches within the organization is substantial. This paper also suggests that future researchers validate the suggested framework for scientific replicability and expand the SISP research stream within the entire IS/IT ecosystem.

Theoretical Perspectives on Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Digital Transformation: A Literature Review and a Conceptual Framework

In an era where environmental and social pressures on companies are increasing, sustainable supply chain management is essential for the efficient operation and survivability of the organizations (members of the chain). Digital transformation and the adoption of new technologies could support the development of sustainable strategies, as they support supply chain processes, decrease operational costs, enable control and monitoring of operations and support green practices. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between sustainable supply chain management and digital transformation through the adoption of specific technologies (Blockchain technology, big data analytics, internet of things). It aims at theory building and the development of a conceptual framework, enabling the explanation of under which circumstances the above combination could lead to the development of sustainable performances. It also aims to examine how companies can increase their competitive advantage and/or increase their business performance, contributing both to academics and practitioners. After conducting a literature review analysis, a significant gap was detected. There are a few studies providing theoretical approaches to examining all three pillars of sustainability, while at the same time analyzing the impact of big data analytics, internet of things and blockchain technology on the development of sustainable supply chains. Aiming to address this gap, this paper primarily conducts a literature review, identifies definitions and theories used to explain the different pillars of flexibility, and examines the effect of different technologies. It then develops a theoretical conceptual framework, which could enable both academics and practitioners to examine the impact of the adoption of different technologies on sustainable supply chain management. The findings of this research reveal that digital transformation plays an important role to companies, as the combination of different technologies may lead to the development of significant capabilities, increasing sustainable performances and enabling the development of sustainable strategies, which can improve companies’ position in the market.

Multi-criteria decision-making toward supplier selection: exploration of PROMETHEE II method

Purpose

Supplier Selection (SS) is one of the vital decisions frequently executed by numerous industries. In recent times, the number of suppliers has increased enormously depending on a wide range of criteria. A selection of suppliers is a sensitive process that may impact various supply chain activities. The purpose of this research is to explore an underutilized technique called PROMETHEE II method for SS.

Design/methodology/approach

Various tools and techniques are available under multi-criteria decision-making tools, which sometimes creates confusion in researchers' minds regarding reliability. PROMETHEE II was the most prominent method for ranking all available alternatives that ultimately avoid decision-making errors. To execute this equal and unequal weights approach has been used with three case studies.

Findings

In this research, three case studies have been used and soved with the help of the PROMETHEE II approach. The study also provides fundamental insights into the supplier's ranking on different criteria using sensitivity analysis. Further, criteria were divided as per benefits and non-beneficial to get a robust result. The pros and cons of PROMETHEE II approaches are also highlighted compared to other MCDM tools in this study.

Originality/value

Most of the SS research uses either AHP or TOPSIS as per existing literature. There are very few attempts highlighted in the literature that use PROMETHEE II for the SS problem with sensitivity analysis. The proposed method is probable to motivate decision-makers to consider using a more sophisticated method like PROMETHEE II in supplier evaluation processes. This study opens a new direction for the ranking of suppliers in the field of the supply chain. The study also bears significant practical as well as managerial implications.

Smart Production Planning and Control: Concept, Use-Cases and Sustainability Implications

Many companies are struggling to manage their production systems due to increasing market uncertainty. While emerging ‘smart’ technologies such as the internet of things, machine learning, and cloud computing have been touted as having the potential to transform production management, the realities of their adoption and use have been much more challenging than anticipated. In this paper, we explore these challenges and present a conceptual model, a use-case matrix and a product–process framework for a smart production planning and control (smart PPC) system and illustrate the use of these artefacts through four case companies. The presented model adopts an incremental approach that companies with limited resources could employ in improving their PPC process in the context of industry 4.0 and sustainability. The results reveal that while make-to-order companies are more likely to derive greater benefits from a smart product strategy, make-to-stock companies are more likely to derive the most benefit from pursuing a smart process strategy, and consequently a smart PPC solution.

Cyber security risks in globalized supply chains: conceptual framework

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine cyber security risks in globalized supply chains (SCs). It has been seen to have a greater impact on the performance of SCs. The information and communication technology of a firm, which enhances the efficiency and effectiveness in the SC, could simultaneously be the cause of vulnerabilities and exposure to security threats. Researchers have primarily focussed on the cyber-physical system (CPS) vulnerabilities impacting SC. This paper tries to categorize the cyber security risks occurring because of the SCs operating in CPS.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the flow of information along the upstream and downstream SC, this paper tries to identify cyber security risks in the global SCs. It has further tried to categorize these cyber security risks from a strategic point of view.

Findings

This paper tries to identify the various cyber security risk and cyber-attacks in globalized SC for improving the performance. The 16 cyber security risks have been categorized into three categories, namely, supply risk, operational risk and demand risk. The paper proposes a framework consisting of different cyber-attacks across the information that flows in global SCs along-with suitable mitigation strategies.

Research limitations/implications

The paper presents the conceptual model of cyber security risks and cyber-attacks in globalized SCs based on literature review and industry experts. Further validation and scale development of these risks can be done through empirical study.

Practical implications

This paper provides significant managerial insights by developing a framework for understanding the cyber security risks in terms of the drivers of these risks and how to deal with them. From a managerial perspective, this framework can be used as a decision-making process while considering different cyber security risks across the stages of globalized SCs.

Originality/value

The major contribution of this study is the identification and categorization of cyber security risks across the global SCs in the digital age. Thus, this paper introduces a new phenomenon to the field of management that has the potential to investigate new areas of future research. Based on the categorization, the paper provides insights on how cyber security risks impact the continuity of SC operations.

Fostering ICT use by older workers

Purpose

Adaptation to the requirements of digital economy is especially difficult for older workers, which is a challenge for today’s organizations due to workforce shrinking and ageing. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how it is possible to develop older employees’ potential in technology use in the business environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examined how employees at various age perceive barriers during enterprise system (ES) adoption and use. This exploratory study is based on grounded theory and draws from the opinions of 187 Polish ES practitioners.

Findings

With age, emphasis on employees’ perception of mandatory ICT implementation projects is shifting from technology to people-related considerations. For older employees, job security and workload appear the most critical issues in such projects. Age-diverse collaboration appears necessary to address the problems posed by technology-related and demographic changes.

Research limitations/implications

The findings imply that incorporating multiple stakeholder perspectives and age-related considerations into research on ICT adoption appears essential.

Practical implications

ICT adoption in the business environment can be successfully supported by age-balanced team building, cooperation between younger and older employees, and age-adjusted change management initiatives.

Social implications

Supporting older employees during the implementation of mandatory business software should embrace reducing their negative attitudes to ICT-induced change by minimizing their perception of job insecurity.

Originality/value

Unlike many prior studies, the current research places age in the central role and discusses not only how it is possible to support older employees, but also how to leverage their potential in the process of ICT adoption and use in a mandatory setting.

Literature review on supply chain collaboration: comparison of various collaborative techniques

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to create an understanding on the magnitude and dimension of supply chain collaboration (SCC) reported in the literature. The detailed review discusses various indicators that help companies to implement collaboration successfully and create awareness on the barriers faced while initiating collaboration in supply chain (SC).

Design/methodology/approach

The meta-analysis includes full-text papers retrieved from the Web of Science database using verified keywords. The articles are reviewed for identifying the performance indicators used to evaluate the SC. The systematic review is performed for the collaborative techniques in the following categories: information sharing (IS); vendor managed inventory; and collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment. The papers are then comprehensively analyzed for the approaches, and the key findings are mentioned along with the future scope.

Findings

The review suggests that the SC relationship, trust, quality of IS and technological involvement are to be focused for successful implementation of the collaborative technique. Proper collaboration helps SC partners to enhance their technique of operations in an effective manner which results in high business turnovers.

Originality/value

The review paper provides a quantitative study of SCC. A bird’s eye view of the scopes and benefits of using SCC for the academic scholars and industrial personnel are the primary concern discussed.

Conceptualizing a circular framework of supply chain resource sustainability

Purpose

In response to calls for conceptual frameworks and generic theory building toward the advancement of sustainability in supply chain resource utilization and management, the purpose of this paper is to advance a circular framework for supply chain resource sustainability (SCRS), and a decision-support methodology for assessing SCRS against the backdrop of five foundational premises (FPs) deduced from the literature on resource sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

Taking a conceptual theory-building approach, the paper advances a set of SCRS decision-support criteria for each of the theoretical premises advanced, and applies the theory of constraints to illustrate the conceptual and practical applications of the framework in SCRS decision making.

Findings

This study uses recent conceptualizations of supply chains as “complex adaptive systems” to provide a robust and novel frame and a set of decision rules with which to assess the interconnectedness of environmental, economic, and social capital of supply chain resources from pre-production to post-production.

Research limitations/implications

The paper contributes to theory building in sustainability research, and the SCRS decision framework developed could be applied in tandem with existing quantitative hybrid life-cycle and input-output approaches to facilitate targeted resource sustainability assessments, with implications for research and practice.

Originality/value

The novel SCRS framework proposed serves as a template for evaluating SCRS and provides a decision-support methodology for assessing SCRS against the five theorized FPs.

Diminution of Impediments in Implementation of Supply Chain Management Information System for Enhancing its Effectiveness in Indian Automobile Industry

Supply Chain Management Information System (SCMIS) has gained a lot of importance because of its ability to reduce costs and increase responsiveness in the supply chain. The implementation of SCMIS is a complicated process with significant risk. The studies have revealed that the success in implementing these systems is not very encouraging. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the impediments in SCMIS implementation and their severity. Studies on the failure factors of the ERP system have already been done by various researchers. The research on SCMIS, an inter-organizational system, is in its early stages and is still to receive that much attention as its predecessor whereas barriers for its implementation are more severe. Thus, there exists a gap in research in this important area. In this paper an attempt has been made to establish impediments, their severity and improvisation for the successful implementation of SCMIS in the Indian automobile industry.

INTERNET OF THINGS BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION AND THE STAGE-GATE PROCESS: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS

Large manufacturing companies will in future be continuously challenged to develop and implement new IoT-related business models. Existing research offers interesting insights on high-level stages of business model innovation (BMI) processes in general. However, only little is known about the presence of main gates in BMI processes and even less about the underlying decision criteria applied at these gates. To shed more light on this research field, 27 expert interviews with employees from eight companies across the IoT ecosystem were conducted. The expert interviews reveal that, despite the increasing popularity of (radically) new innovation approaches, two main decision points can be identified across BMI processes. These findings are a first explorative step towards a better understanding of IoT adoption and provide a starting point for interesting future research avenues.

An integrated framework for ERP system implementation

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative integrated approach based on the stage-gate method to implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems which will enhance the effectiveness of ERP projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was conducted on ERP system implementation and its effectiveness. The need for improving implementation approaches and methodologies was examined. Based on the insights gained, a conceptual framework for ERP system implementation is presented by combining the state-gate approach with the pre-implementation roadmap.

Findings

The proposed framework aims to enhance the overall ERP implementation outcomes, ensuring critical success factors and eliminating common causes of failures. A pre-implementation roadmap is identified as a key element for eliminating many causes of failure including lack of organisations’ readiness for ERP. The post-implementation stage can be used for further improvements to the system through internal research and development.

Research limitations/implications

The development of the framework is an attempt to contribute to improving ERP implementation. This research is expected to motivate researchers to work in this area, and it will be beneficial to practicing managers in the identification of opportunities for improvements in ERP systems. Case studies will be valuable to refine and validate the proposed model.

Originality/value

This paper explores research in a needy area and offers a framework to help researchers and practitioners in improving ERP implementation. This framework is expected to reduce the implementation project duration, strengthen critical success factors and minimise common problems of ERP implementation projects.

Mutual Monitoring of Resources in an Enterprise Systems Program

During the implementation of IT programs, competition among project managers for the scarce resources required for the completion of individual projects is a common phenomenon. To avoid such self-interested resource competition among individual project managers, according to agency theory, resource monitoring among project managers can serve as an effective management mechanism for effective resource conflict resolution within a program. Furthermore, team cognition theory suggests that an understanding of goals for each project among project managers can also serve as a solid foundation for effective resource monitoring. Social interdependence theory also suggests that positive goal interdependence among projects within a program can motivate project managers to engage in cooperative interactions, allowing them to accomplish individual project goals as well as the overall program's goals. Based on a survey of 146 enterprise system implementation programs, the results of this study confirm that mutual resource monitoring among project managers is positively associated with final program implementation efficiency. Goal understanding among project managers, as well as goal interdependence, is positively associated with the effectiveness of resource monitoring among project managers within the implementation program.

Critical success factors in enterprise resource planning implementation

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to consolidate the critical success factors (CSFs) as published in enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation case studies. The authors perform the analysis and propose the final CSFs based on the reported ERP implementation process stages.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper follows the eight category coding steps proposed by Carley (1993) and utilizes only ERP implementation case studies to identify a distinct set of critical success factors. The 37 case studies used in this paper provide a reasonable sample from different countries and contexts. Two methodologies were followed, one for the literature review process and the other for the analysis and synthesis.

Findings

– Out of 64 reported CSFs that were extracted from the literature and subsequent detailed analysis and synthesis the authors found a total of 22 factors that are distinct. These factors which encompass change management, are proposed with five ERP implementation stages.

Research limitations/implications

– The final set of success factors proposed in this study gives a consolidated and unified view of the significant variables to be considered during all the stages of ERP implementation. The research is limited to case study literature and does not account for ERP implementation models and frameworks. Another limitation would be the scope of the literature searched which is that of the Management Information Community.

Practical implications

– The proposed CSFs can be used by practitioners in five ways: assess implementation of an ERP; ex-ante assessment; comparative analysis with other implementation experiences; utilize CSFs from model as part of key performance indicators; and utilize the model to establish a concise strategy to project management process for the ERP implementation.

Social implications

– ERP implementation is complex. The promise has not yet been fully realized. An ERP-enabled organization entails primarily strategy and change management. To that effect, all stakeholders are impacted by ERP implementation. This paper, identified CSFs extracted from cases of ERP implementation and proposes a model to support its project management, user satisfaction and sustainability. The results aim at reducing costs, maintaining timeline, reducing employee anxieties and with a successful implementation, better service to customer base.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first attempt to present a consolidated list of CSFs and mapping them to the stages of an ERP implementation as reported from the industry. It originality is its focus on utilizing rigorous published case studies with the hope that future case studies would utilize the work to report on the same factors. The value is that as the case studies are increased, comparison and differentiation between is enhanced.

Ensuring benefits realisation from ERP II: the CSF phasing model

Purpose

Delivering benefits from ERP II is challenging and the purpose of this paper is to investigate the allocation of resources contributing towards benefits realisation.

Design/methodology/approach

A case‐study investigation was based on a five‐month placement within the project team of an organisation implementing ERP II. A critical success factors (CSF) phasing model was developed in order to categorise invested resources. Participant observations formed the first stage of the research and two years post implementation the observations were presented back to four key members of the project team to identify which invested resources contributed towards benefits realisation. Subsequently, the findings were presented to seven supplier organisations to validate the CSFs required to deliver benefits realisation from ERP II implementations.

Findings

This research has identified 19 CSFs for ERP II, contributing an additional six to those already outlined in literature. A critical pathway for ERP II implementations has been presented, allowing the identified CSFs to be tackled at the appropriate stages of the implementation.

Originality/value

This is the first time CSFs have been allocated to different phases of the implementation lifecycle using a structured model. As a result, resources contributing towards benefits realisation can be more effectively applied, saving the organisation valuable resources.

Absorptive Capacity and ERP Implementation in Indian Medium-Sized Firms

Whilst absorptive capacity has been identified as an important contributor to the effective implementation of IT systems, previous studies have failed to explicitly consider the contribution of individual and organizational knowledge processes. Nine case studies of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation were undertaken. The case studies were all undertaken in SMEs in a developing country since this is an important but under researched area for the application of the concept of absorptive capacity. A particular implication of the findings is that firms lacking knowledge of IT implementation cannot simply seek this from external sources but must develop internal organizational knowledge processes if their implementations of IT systems are to be effective. This finding is particularly pertinent to the developing country and SME context of this study, where low levels of experience within the firm and the loss of experienced staff are found to impact on the development of absorptive capacity.