International Journal of Enterprise Information Systems, 5(3), 1-13, July-September 2009 1
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introduCtion
An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system
is an integrated enterprise information system
to automate the fow of material, information,
and fnancial resources among all functions
within an enterprise on a common database. ERP
systems are meant to replace the old systems
usually referred to as ‘legacy systems’ in order
to help organizations integrate their information
fow and business processes (Abdinnour-Helm
et Al., 2003). ERP provides two major benefts
that do not exist in non-integrated departmental
systems: (1) a unifed enterprise view of the
business that encompasses all functions and
departments; and (2) an enterprise database
where all business transactions are entered,
recorded, processed, monitored, and reported.
This unifed view increases the requirement
for, and the extent of, interdepartmental co-
operation and coordination. Moreover, it en-
measuring the impact of an erP
Project at smes:
a framework and empirical investigation
Maria Argyropoulou, Brunel University, UK
George Ioannou, Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece
Dimitrios N. Koufopoulos, Brunel University, UK
Jaideep Motwani, Grand Valley State University, USA
abstraCt
This article analyses and tests a novel framework for the evaluation of an ERP project. The framework
incorporates specifc performance measures, which are linked to a previously developed model, (the
‘six-imperatives’ framework) and are relevant to ERP implementation Two case studies illustrate the use
of the framework in two Greek companies aiming to measure, in practical terms, the impact of the ERP
project on their operations. The main results indicate that the “six-imperatives” provide a comprehensive
methodology based on the profound exploration and understanding of specifc business processes and
objectives that should be met in order to assess an ERP project. [Article copies are available for purchase
from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]
Keywords: Action Research; EPP System Evaluation; Greece; Performance Measures; SMEs; Supply
Chain
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