Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation: Stories of Power, Politics, and Resistance

Abstract

This paper provides an interpretation of information technology implementation in a relatively unexplored context, that of higher education. In recent years, there has been a call by governments across the world for universities to improve operational efficiency and to reduce duplication of resources by implementing advanced information systems that span the institution and improve processes. Universities in response turned their efforts to implementing complex ERP systems to facilitate the essential cross-functional information integration, free internal information flows, and improve the provision and quality of management information. This paper investigates in turn whether enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems present afeasible information system strategy for higher education institutions. Four in-depth case studies were conducted in IIhe authors would like to acknowledge the work of Mark Havenhand, who undertook part of the data collection and analysis as part of his M.Sc. Dissertation.

Evaluating the impact of ERP systems in higher education

“…There has been a call by governments for universities worldwide to improve their performance and efficiency (Allen and Kern, 2001). Challenges including increasing expectations of stakeholders such as students and governments, decreasing 46 IJILT 32,1 governmental support, meeting quality and performance requirements, and maintaining competitive education environments have pressured universities to adopt new strategies in order to improve their performance (Fisher, 2006).…”

On sociomaterial imbrications: What plagiarism detection systems reveal and why it matters

“…use of maps to represent the territory), which may contrast with those values held across different developing countries (Puri, 2007;Miscione, 2007). Alternatively, when ERP systems are implemented in the public sector they are criticised as reflecting a specific "ideology of the private sector" (Allen & Kern, 2001).The more general point that this paper wants to make is that in sociomaterial imbrications intentionalities (agencies) emerge that cannot be reduced to any actor as such. They are the performative outcome of the sociomaterial nexus.…”

Usage of Finance Information Systems in Developing Countries: Identifying Factors During Implementation that Impact Use

“…Pollock and Cornford [15] argue that the need for implementation of FISs in high education sectors is a response to both internal and external factors requiring more efficient management processes due to increasing growth of the numbers of students, changes in the nature of academic work, increasing competition between institutions, increasing government pressure to improve operational efficiency, and growing diversity of expectations amongst all stakeholders [16].…”