Automated ERP Category Configuration Support for Small Businesses

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Klaus Wölfel

Disruptive business models, such as software as a service and open source software, have made Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages and related software more accessible for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). However, the consulting required to configure an ERP to meet the specific needs of an organization remains a major financial burden for SMEs. One configuration task which is common to many ERPs is category configuration. With the help of automated category configuration support, managers of small businesses can perform category configuration on their own and reduce part of the consulting cost. This paper presents the design of a generic automation approach for ERP category configuration, its implementation and its application to the open source ERP package ERP5. The approach is based on similarity of example data, automatic vocabulary consolidation through Wikipedia redirects and (meta-) templates. The empirical evaluation through a laboratory experiment with one hundred test persons and a survey supports the validity, effectiveness and utility of the designed artefact.

Author(s):  
Klaus Wölfel

Disruptive business models, such as software as a service and open source software, have made Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages and related software more accessible for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). However, the consulting required to configure an ERP to meet the specific needs of an organization remains a major financial burden for SMEs. One configuration task which is common to many ERPs is category configuration. With the help of automated category configuration support, managers of small businesses can perform category configuration on their own and reduce part of the consulting cost. This chapter presents the design of generic automation approaches for ERP category configuration, their implementation and their application to the open source ERP package ERP5. The approaches are based on similarity of example data, automatic vocabulary consolidation through Wikipedia redirects and (meta-) templates. The empirical evaluation through a laboratory experiment with one hundred test persons and a survey supports the validity, effectiveness and utility of the designed artefact.


2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 140
Author(s):  
Putu Wuri Handayani ◽  
J.W. Saputro ◽  
Achmad Nizar Hidayanto ◽  
Indra Budi

Usaha Kecil dan Menengah (UKM) di Indonesia telah dapat berkontribusi terhadap PDB (Produk Domestik Bruto) nasional sebesar 55.56% berdasarkan data Biro Perencanaan Kementerian Negara Koperasi dan UKM Republik Indonesia, pada tahun 2008. Untuk memperluas pangsa pasar dan meningkatkan daya saing UKM, UKM membutuhkan suatu aplikasi yang dapat mengintegrasikan dan mengotomatisasi proses bisnis UKM. Aplikasi ERP dapat menjadi salah satu solusi untuk UKM dikarenakan keuntungan yang dapat diberikan seperti memberikan informasi dengan waktu respon yang cepat, meningkatkan interaksi antar bagian dalam suatu organisasi, meningkatkan pengelolaan siklus pemesanan barang, dsb. Beberapa isu kritis yang dihadapi oleh UKM adalah terbatasnya dana dan kapabilitas teknologi informasi yang dimiliki. Dalam memahami kebutuhan layanan yang diperlukan oleh UKM untuk aplikasi ERP dan untuk menyediakan arahan bagi UKM serta menanggapi kurangnya riset ERP di Indonesia maka riset ini bertujuan untuk menggambarkan peta rencana jangka panjang dari agenda riset ERP yang akan dilakukan untuk UKM di Indonesia. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia has been able to contribute to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of 55.56% based on national data Planning Bureau of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs of the Republic of Indonesia, in 2008. To expand market share and improve the competitiveness of SMEs, SMEs need an application that can integrate and automate business processes of SMEs. ERP applications can be one solution for SMEs because of the advantages that can be provided such as providing information with fast response time, increase the interaction between the departments of an organization, improving the management of ordering goods cycle, etc. Some of the critical issues faced by SMEs are the limited funds and information technology capabilities they have. In understanding the needs of the services required by SMEs for ERP applications and to provide guidance for SMEs and response to the lack of research about ERP in Indonesia, this research aims to describe the long-term plan maps of the ERP's research agenda that will be made for SMEs in Indonesia.


Author(s):  
Swanand J. Deodhar ◽  
Kulbhushan C. Saxena ◽  
Rajen K. Gupta ◽  
Mikko Ruohonen

Open source approach to software development has been used to develop the so-called ‘horizontal infrastructure’ software such as databases and application servers. However, there is an increasing acceptance of open source approach for developing business applications like enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Indeed, organizations are building business models around ERP and similar business application developed using open source. In this chapter, the authors analyze the business model of one such open source ERP and explain increasing importance of software licensing and partner networks in FOS-ERP business models.


2010 ◽  
pp. 1571-1589
Author(s):  
Ashley Davis

Open source software is becoming more prevalent in businesses today, and while still a relatively immature offering, open source enterprise resource planning (OS-ERP) systems are becoming more common. However, whether or not an OS-ERP package is the right software for a given organization is a little researched question. Building on the current real options thinking about platform acquisitions, this chapter proposes the five most critical factors to consider when evaluating an OS-ERP package. To adequately do this, a great deal of detail about the current offerings in OS-ERP software is presented, followed by a review of the real options theory and thinking behind using these factors to evaluate OS-ERP options. The international implications of OS-ERP are presented in the “Future Trends” section.


Author(s):  
Swanand J. Deodhar ◽  
Kulbhushan C. Saxena ◽  
Rajen K. Gupta ◽  
Mikko Ruohonen

Open source approach to software development has been used to develop the so-called ‘horizontal infrastructure’ software such as databases and application servers. However, there is an increasing acceptance of open source approach for developing business applications like enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Indeed, organizations are building business models around ERP and similar business application developed using open source. In this chapter, the authors analyze the business model of one such open source ERP and explain increasing importance of software licensing and partner networks in FOS-ERP business models.


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evila Piva ◽  
Cristina Rossi-Lamastra

In the past decade, Open Source (OS) licenses have attracted the interest of many scholars. However, there is still a limited understanding of the license choices made by small and medium enterprises doing business with OS (OS SMEs). The present paper aims at filling this gap. The authors argue that, because of firm specificities, OS SMEs tend to prefer copyleft licenses. Their arguments are corroborated by empirical evidence from a survey on 146 Italian OS SMEs. This evidence documents that OS SMEs are not plagued by the GPL fear theorized by the OS founding fathers. Conversely, these firms use copyleft licenses to more easily in-source knowledge from the community of OS users and developers. At the same time, license choices are influenced by the ideological motivations that OS SMEs inherit from their owner-managers.


2009 ◽  
pp. 603-619
Author(s):  
Walt Scacchi

This study examines the development of open source software supporting e-commerce (EC) or e-business (EB) capabilities. This entails a case study within a virtual organization engaged in an organizational initiative to develop, deploy, and support free/open source software systems for EC or EB services, like those supporting enterprise resource planning. The objective of this study is to identify and characterize the resource-based software product development capabilities that lie at the center of the initiative, rather than the software itself, or the effectiveness of its operation in a business enterprise. By learning what these resources are, and how they are arrayed into product development capabilities, we can provide the knowledge needed to understand what resources are required to realize the potential of free EC and EB software applications. In addition, the resource-based view draws attention to those resources and capabilities that provide potential competitive advantages and disadvantages to the organization in focus.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Abdelilah Khaled ◽  
Mohammed Abdou Janati Idrissi

Historically, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems were initially destined to large companies in order to standardize and streamline their key business processes. Recently, they have been increasingly adopted by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). However, making strategic tradeoffs among the various marketplace solutions is a troublesome balance task for SMEs without the rescue of systematic multicriteria decision approaches. This paper addresses the question of how to choose an ERP solution that best suits a given SME. It serves twofold objectives; firstly it defines a set of selection criteria related to SMEs’ context. Secondly, it presents a selection methodology based on the construction of an induced decision model through capturing the decision maker’s preferences. The key contribution of this paper is the introduction of a new iterative learning based approach destined to make enlightened decisions through the consideration of interdependencies among the adopted selection criteria thanks to the Choquet Integral.


Author(s):  
Arif Bramantoro

<p>This paper aims to present the benefits of enterprise resource planning (ERP) service over traditional ERP through the development of ERP in the form of software-as-a-service<br />(SaaS). This service is published in response to the fact that traditional ERP is rarely implemented in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia due to the high<br />cost and risk of implementation failure. This paper can be used to encourage SMEs in Saudi Arabia to exploit ERP service. ERP service can be accessed by client via any<br />programming interface over an Internet connection without special configuration, thus highlighting the core competencies of the SMEs. As a prove of concept, the stock service<br />is published as a concrete ERP service. Two types of application were developed to access the service: desktop and smartphone based application. Based on a simple qualitative<br />assessment, it is acknowledged that ERP service is advantageous over traditional ERP systems in terms of its scalability, agile implementation, global accessibility,<br />mobility, low operational costs, lack of upfront costs, best practices, rapid upgrading, and interoperability among other services.</p>


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