Essay Example on ERP Implementations in SMEs: A Study of Factors and Research Objectives

Introduction

The global economic setting has undergone dramatic change due to financial adversity, political unrest, or natural calamities. As a result, businesses that are majorly affected by such unwarranted situations conduct strategic initiative to have sustainable competitiveness. The adopted strategies help organizations to improve their business procedures and practices (Shaul and Tauber, 2013). By this, organizations have been moving towards upgrading to increase their capability to communicate the needed information accurately and on time. As a tool for change, ERP system integrates ICT in organizations for them to join the rest of the global market (Almgren & Bach, 2014). The ERPSs help businesses to meet their goals and objectives by planning resources in order to integrate corporate functions and multiple units in the computer system. The integration involves multiple subsystems within the organization where the modernized technologies from IT are applied.

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SMEs face multiple challenges attributable to their lower budget allocation. This is despite them having the same demands and expectations as large companies that call for their enhanced level of services to meet business goals. In Iraq, the business environment for SMEs has significant changes over the past few years. This requires them to ensure that customers’ satisfaction is achieved alongside providing flexible services (Baker, 2012). SMEs are adopting the implementation of ERP alongside other approaches to enhance their business operations through business model innovation, job automation, and improved client services. The ERP implementation by SMEs has led them reap the benefits of an integrated working environment, operational benefits, and standardized process (Klaus et al. 2000). However, as most SMEs become willing to apply ERP system to increase computing resources, expensive solutions have hindered this technological advancement. The current research investigates the success factors that influence implementing ERP in the SMEs in Iraq markets.

Background Information

Since the 1980s, there has been a significant growth in business that has been catalyzed by the adoption of the ICT bases applications. With ICT applications, firms become capable of enhancing the flexibility of their businesses, improve the information flow, streamline the operations of the business, and integrate functionalities (Lecic & Kupusinac, 2013). If ICT is successfully adopted, it helps the firms to achieve economic progress. In recent times, ERP is among the profound used ICT applications.

The evolution of ERP started way back in the 1960s when inventory control was the reason behind the manufacturing of systems (Shaul & Tauber, 2013). By then, many companies were struggling to survive through meeting the demand of customers and the remaining at the pace with the competition. The major challenge that companies faced was how to efficiently manage large volumes of inventory since the available packages handled inventory traditionally (Bingi et al. 1999). Material requirements planning (MRP) became the first solution developed by firms to ease the problem of inventory and a massive boost towards the materials planning process. Similarly, improvements were experienced in productivity and quality since companies could systematically and efficiently schedule multiple parts with the inclusion of the techniques for capacity planning.

Further developments led to a closed-loop MRP in which tools that supported customer order promising, forecasting, high-level resource analysis, planning of production levels, and aggregate sales were developed. The need development was facilitated by the incorporation of the techniques for scheduling of the MRP systems factory floor and supplies of the essential services. At a later stage, MRP II for the manufacturing resources planning emerged. The new technology incorporated the systems of financial accounting and the system of financial management. This was enhanced by the systems of material and manufacturing management, allowing companies to integrate their business system (Leyh, 2014). The new plan could include areas such as communication systems, capacity and material planning, finance, human resources, and management of the project (Garg & Chauhan, 2015). As a result of the increased scope of planning, ERP emerged to include all companies that intended to enhance their competitiveness.

ERPSs in Firms

ERP when adopted in the business supports the management of resources and business processes involved. The segment of ERP system has grown very fast within the software market during the last decades and has become essential developments in IT. The ERP market is fragmented, leading to the increased availability of ERPSs with multiple philosophies and technologies (Shaul & Tauber, 2013). Through ERP, organizations improve their effective and efficient ways of using resources such as capital, human resources, and materials, among others. The business units of the organization are integrated, supporting the operations of the company, which then provides the optimum benefit to the company.

Time and money are essential resources that are required when implementing ERP projects by an organization. ERPSs have experienced growth in many corporations, including SMEs, subsequently leading to high financial and human resources expenditure if the successful implementation has to be realized (Arnold et al., 2006). The increase in the ERPSs is because of attempts by the firms to optimize the processes of a firm, integrates the information from the firm, and offers real-time information to the managers. They comprised of a central database and integrated software modules that facilitate a firm to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency when it comes to the usage of resources (Dumitru et al., 2013). Similarly, ERPSs have been common in SMEs and multinational organizations over the last decade as the technology industry is growing, and ERPSs have become more affordable.

The growth in the ERP system usage has attracted multiple numbers of suppliers. These groups have adopted the use of innovation to improve on the system software that clients want. Some of the ERP vendors that businesses are sourcing the systems include Microsoft, Oracle, Baan International, People-soft Inc., and SAP (Ahmadi et al., 2015). ERPSs benefits include improved quality, profitability, productivity, increased efficiency, and timely information generation and communication. They are useful in accounting because they minimize the time and cost of financial reporting and accounting, minimizes plays, and improves employee productivity due to their integration and analysis of data.

The merits that come with ERPSs have attracted the firms into implementing them to achieve a competitive global environment. The ERP system has the main components, which include modules such as inventory control, parts purchasing, product planning, human resource, and order tracking. There are hardware and operating systems which include UNIX, Linux, and Windows NT that are critical in the business processes. Implementing an ERP system determines a firm’s success or failure hence needs to be appropriately analyzed to avoid financial and time loss in case the system fails to meet the objectives of the firm.

Today, many companies have invested in ERPSs despite the existence of different business information integration alternatives for various reasons. The underlining reasons range from technical to business gains such as legacy systems replacement and operational efficiency and performance improvement. The technical reasons behind the adoption of ERP by firms are to have a disparate system replaced into a single integrated system. In the 1990s, it was essential to replace the boom of ERP because many businesses had the desire of replacing their legacy systems in the period of 2000s (Juell-Skills, 2006). Through ERP, firms can test the basis of their system security to ensure the security standards of the organizations are maintained, and data is secure (Shaul &Tauber, 2013). The business reasons include reengineering the processes and procedures of the business, automation, availability of better information, and better operations and management. Firms also look forward to improving teamwork and cooperation among employees in an organization.