case study, pdf attached

Executive Summary
This paper discusses the impact of adoption of ERP technology within an organization. Literature has been reviewed and factors that influence ERP technology adoption process are identified. The paper further identifies the case examples where ERP is recently adopted to illustrate the impact of this technology on organizations. The factors are demonstrated to be consistent in the case organizations as identified from literature. Discussion has been done to identify which factors significantly impacted the case organizations and should be considered by any organization while adopting a new ERP technology.
Enterprise resource planning system standardizes, streamlines and integrates business processes of human resources, finance, procurement, distribution, etc. The factors that are crucial for an organization in considering adoption of an ERP system include reliability, visibility of data, cost saving, ease of use and compatibility with existing system and business goals. This paper focusses on defining the factors that mediate the technology adoption and determinants that affect the process.
Contents
Executive Summary    2
Introduction    4
ERP Technology    5
ERP Adoption    5
Key Factors Influencing Technology Adoption    5
Case Study 1: Escorts Limited    6
Case Study 2: Indianapolis Zoo    7
Case Study 3: Cognizant Transportation and Logistics-ANHAM FZCO    8
Discussion    8
Conclusion    10
References    11
Introduction
Organizations strive to strengthen as well as maintain their competitiveness in today’s dynamic business environment. Adoption of new technology is one ultimate solution which involves investment in the technology. Such an adoption shall render competitive advantage to the adopting organization over its competitors. However, if not implemented correctly, the adoption process can fail causing financial loss and ultimately causing loss of business and reputation to the organization. This paper discusses ERP technology, process of its adoption and the factors that influence the process of this technology adoption. The adoption process has been described through three case examples where the ERP technology has been successfully adopted and has contributed to enhanced performance and achievement of business goals.
Technology adoption is the process of accepting a new ERP technology through different channels over time thus spreading knowledge among target organizations who intent to change their existing business processes. The adoption process begins from selection procedure when an organization identifies the need of purchasing and adopting ERP technology and further focus on its real implementation and utilization. The process of adoption of ERP system involves awareness about the technology, forming a perspective about it and finally decision making about its adoption. The adoption process begins from knowledge gathering and ends with actual implementation of the chosen technology within the business process of the organization. Legacy systems often consist of individual systems and databases to perform business operations. While running a business. It is as crucial to have complete view of the organization’s performance as it is challenging. With significant increase in customer base, number of employees and products offered, it is imperative for the organizations to access the right information to enable themselves to take insightful decisions. This is essential for the to enhance overall performance and stay ahead in competition. ERP system offers significant advantage over such decentralized administrative systems. ERP system adoption has become a preferred choice among organizations owing to its capability to combine business processes and information system into single solution.
The paper includes an introduction to ERP technology, how the adoption of this technology is initiated in an organization and the key factors that influence the adoption of this technology in an organization. The main factors are functional performance, cost of acquisition, operating cost, ease of use, reliability, compatibility and serviceability. The paper further discusses three case examples of Escorts Limited, Indianapolis zoo and Cognizant Transportation and Logistics- ANHAM FZCO where ERP systems are adopted and how the key factors have influenced the business at each organization. A comparative study of the adoption process on the basis of those factors is done in the discussion section. The paper is concluded with an insight on adoption of this technology and the importance of its adoption in today’s competitive world.
ERP Technology
Enterprise Resource Planning system integrates all aspects of the business processes of the target organization in order to fulfil the business requirements. ERP technology offers an integrated solution to organizations to operate their business. It enables management of all the information and resources involved in an organization’s operations by means of an integrated software system. The technology replaces standalone systems of separate departments like accounting, budget, payroll, human resource, etc. into an integrated solution that functions as a single automated system which runs on a central database.
ERP system was initially designed for manufacturing organizations but has found its way into service industries, hospitality, health care, finance services, higher education and government. Every industry has its own set of functionalities achieved through ERP.
ERP Adoption
ERP systems witness the largest technological investments owing to their ability and popularity. In today’s competitive environment, organizations need to re-establish their business goals in...