Authors:
Sylvestre Uwizeyemungu
and
Louis Raymond
Affiliation:
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada
Keyword(s):
ERP, enterprise systems, integration, flexibility, process orientation, transversality, information system.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Databases and Information Systems Integration
;
Enterprise Information Systems
;
Enterprise Resource Planning
;
Enterprise Software Technologies
;
Simulation and Modeling
;
Simulation Tools and Platforms
;
Software Engineering
Abstract:
The interest of firms in ERP systems has been echoed in both the scientific and professional literature. It is worth noting however that while this literature has become increasingly abundant, there does not yet exist an operational definition of the ERP concept that is, if not unanimously, at least widely accepted. This constitutes a handicap for both the research and practice communities. The present study outlines what could be considered as an ERP by first determining the essentially required characteristics of such a system : integration, flexibility and transversality. Indicators are then provided in order to operationalise these three characteristics. The study concludes by proposing a research framework on the impact of an ERP’s key characteristics upon the performance of the system in a given organisational setting.