The Paradox of Complex ERP Systems Used In Simplified Organisations Such As Small And Medium Enterprises

Abstract

This chapter further develops and generalises findings from the authors’ July 2008 paper in the International Journal of Enterprise Information Systems (IJEIS) by adding organisational issues such as business process reengineering (BPR). The authors argue that enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are complex management tools that impose standard business processes from larger manufacturing firms. The authors test whether these systems can be adapted effectively to more simplified organisations such as small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The authors found that SMEs tend to have a high perceived level of satisfaction when using these complex tools, independent of size or sector. However, they cannot clearly establish that SMEs having applied BPR while implementing an ERP system are more satisfied than those that did not.