Achieving Business Benefits from ERP Systems

Chapter V

Achieving Business Benefits from ERP Systems Alok Mishra Atilim University, Turkey

ABStRAct Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are becoming popular in medium and large-scale organizations all over the world. As companies have to collaborate across borders, languages, cultures, and integrate business processes, ERPs will need to take globalization into account, be based on a global architecture, and support the features required to bring all the worldwide players and processes together. Due to the high cost of implementation for these systems, organizations all over the world are interested in evaluating their benefits in the short and long terms. This chapter discusses various kinds of business benefits in a comprehensive way in order to justify the acquisition and implementation of ERP systems in organizations in the present global context.

intRoDUction Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have become very important in modern business operations as ERP has played a major role in changing organizational computing for the better. One study found that more than 60% of Fortune 500 companies had adopted an ERP system (Stewart, Milford, Jewels, Hunter, & Hunter 2000). These systems have been credited with reducing inven-

tories, shortening cycle times, lowering costs, and improving supply chain management practices. ERP has been credited with increasing the speed with which information flows through a company (Davenport, 1998). ERP has also been credited with creating value through integrating activities across a firm, implementing best practices for each business process, standardizing processes within organizations, creating one-source data that results in less confusion and error, and providing online

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Achieving Business Benefits From ERP Systems

access to information (O’Leary, 2000). All of these features facilitate better organizational planning, communication, and collaboration (Olson, 2004). Applied Robotics increased on-time deliveries 40% after implementing ERP, and Delta Electronics reduced production control labor requirements by 65% (Weil, 1999). Therefore, in the last decade, organizations around the world have made huge investments in enterprise systems. According to a report by Advanced Manufacturing Research, the ERP software market was expected to grow from $21 billion in 2002 to $31 billion in 2006, and the entire enterprise applications market which includes customer relationships management and supply chain management software will top $70 billion (AMR Research, 2002). It was estimated that in the 1990s about $300 billion was invested in ERP systems worldwide and that this was expected to grow to $79 billion annually by 2004 (Carlino, Nelson, & Smith, 2000). Enterprise systems include enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management (SCM), supply chain management (SCM), product lifecycle management (PLM), and e-procurement software (Shang & Seddon, 2002). ERP software integrates management information and processes, such as financial, manufacturing, distribution, and human resources, for the purpose of enabling enterprise-wide management of resources (Davenport, 1998; Deloitte Consulting, 1998; Klaus, Rosemann, & Gable, 2000). ERP helps organizations to meet the challenges of globalization with a comprehensive, integrated application suite that includes next-generation analytics, human capital management, financials, operations, and corporate services. With support for industry-specific best practices, ERP helps organizations improve productivity, sense and respond to market changes, and implement new business strategies to develop and maintain a competitive edge. ERP is designed to help businesses succeed in the global marketplace by supporting international legal and financial compliance issues, and enabling organiza-

tions to adapt internal operations and business processes to meet country-specific needs. As a result, organizations can focus on improving productivity and serving their customers instead of struggling to ensure they are in compliance with business and legal requirements around the world. Companies that automate and streamline workflows across multiple sites (including suppliers, partners, and manufacturing sites) produced 66% more improvement in reducing total time from order to delivery, according to Aberdeen’s 2007 study of the role of ERP in globalization. Those companies that coordinate and collaborate between multiple sites, operating as a vertically integrated organization, have achieved more than a 10% gain in global market share. The majority of companies studied (79%) view global markets as a growth opportunity, but of those companies, half are also feeling pressures to reduce costs (Jutras, 2007). Those companies that coordinate and collaborate between multiple sites, operating as vertically integrated organizations, have achieved more than a 10% gain in global market share (Marketwire, 2007).

BUSineSS BeneFitS FRoM eRP SySteMS With the growing proliferation of ERP systems, including midsize companies, it becomes critical to address why and under what circumstances one can realize the benefits of an ERP system (Gefen & Ragowsky, 2005). ERP systems can provide the organization with competitive advantage through improved business performance (Hitt, Wu, & Zhou, 2002; Kalling, 2003) by, among other things, integrating supply chain management, receiving, inventory management, customer orders management, production planning and managing, shipping, accounting, human resource management, and all other activities that take place in a modern business (Gefen & Ridings, 2002; Hong & Kim, 2002; Kalling, 2003). Thus, business benefits from


ERP systems use are multidimensional, ranging from operational improvements through decisionmaking enhancement to support for strategic goals (Davenport, 2000; Deloitte Consulting, 1998; Markus & Tanis, 2000; Ross & Vitale, 2000; Irani & Love, 2001; Wilderman, 1999; Cooke & Peterson, 1998; Campbell, 1998). Gartner Group (1998) also mentions enterprise systems benefits in these areas, including both tangible and intangible benefits. While some companies claim to have reduced their cycle time, improved their financial management, and obtained information faster through ERP systems, in general they still have a high initial implementation failure rate (Hong & Kim, 2002; Songini, 2004). Many prior studies examining the relationship between investing in IT and the performance level of the organization (Weil, 1999) dealt with the ratio of total IT investment (i.e., software, hardware, personnel) to the entire organization’s performance (the total profit of the organization). Many early studies found no positive relationship between the two variables. Strassmann (1985) examined service-sector firms but found no significant relationship between investment in IT and high-performing firms. Berndt and Morrison (1992) even found a negative relationship between the growth in productivity and investment in high-tech, although, as they point out, this may have been the result of measurement problems. As Brynjolfsson (1993) summarizes, positive returns from investing in IT may not have shown up in previous research because of the inadequate way it was measured. When measuring IT investment on a per-user basis, there is a positive correlation between IT investment and overall productivity (Brynjolfsson, 2003). Although there is a large variance among companies in the benefit they achieve from their IT investment (Brynjolfsson, 2003), on average there is a $10 gain in company valuation for each dollar invested in IT (Brynjolfsson et al., 2002). Showing such a positive relationship is important because it affects MIS funding.

According to Parker and Benson (1988), in order for enterprise to gain competitive advantage, the way in which IT is justified financially must change. Classical quantitative techniques (e.g., cost-benefit analysis) are not adequate for the evaluation of IT applications, except when dealing with cost-avoidance issues, which generally occur at the operational level. If these methodologies are to be enhanced, additional measuressuch as perceived value to the business, increased customer satisfaction, and the utility of IT in supporting decision makingmust be considered (Katz, 1993). Investment in ERP systems payoff remains a controversial question (Hitt et al., 2002; Sarkis & Sundarraj, 2003; Kalling, 2003). ERP systems are very complicated software packages that support the entire set of organizational activities. Hence, it is possible that there are many unknown factors that impact the relationship between investment in ERP and organizational productivity. This chapter observes the manager’s perception of the benefits their organization gains from using ERP systems and what impacts this benefits. ERP system investments are strategic in nature, with the key goal often being to help a company grow in sales, reduce production lead time, and improve customer service (Steadman, 1999). In IT, evaluation costs are hard to quantify in post-implementation audits and benefits are harder to identify and quantify (Hochstrasser & Griffiths, 1991; Willcocks & Lester, 1999; Irani, Sharif, & Love, 2001; Seddon, Graeser, & Willcocks, 2002). Management of organizations that adopt ERP expects many benefits from the systems. These expectations are often difficult to meet. ERP can be seen to provide more responsive information to management. There also is more interaction across the organization and more efficient financial operation (Olson, 2004). There is weaker perceived benefit from operational performance, such as improved operating efficiency, inventory management, and cash management. While more information is available at higher quality, this does not directly translate to cost efficiencies across the board.


SAP-ERP delivers business benefits where they matter mostto the bottom lineand addresses the internal and external business requirements of global enterprise. Organizations can invest in mySAP ERP with confidence that expansion or change in any country or division will be supported. The solution provides global businesses with concrete benefits that enable success, including the following (My SAP ERP, 2007): • • • •

Improved productivity for greater efficiency and responsiveness Increased insight for more assured decision making Advanced flexibility and adaptability to cut costs and speed change A partner for long-term growth

In addition, businesses can reduce the costs associated with compliance and administration, in part by creating flexible processes that balance global demands with local needs and that can be adapted quickly as regulations change. Comprehensive financial and reporting features ensure that globally consolidated financial reports can be generated quickly. Support for internal controls

improves financial management and reduces the risk of noncompliance. In conjunction with the Collaboration Folders (cFolders) application, employees can work in seamless virtual project teams with other departments, partners, and suppliers around the world. Analytical capabilities help organizations improve strategic insight and performance through better identification of global market opportunities and drivers (My SAP ERP, 2007). Benefits perceived from adopting an ERP system were studied by Mabert, Soni, and Venkataraman (2000) in Midwestern U.S. manufacturing, and replicated in Sweden by Olhager and Selldin (2003). Both studies used a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 representing “not at all” and 5 representing “to a great extent.” Average ratings are given in Tables 1 and 2. Here, the results are very similar. ERP systems were credited with making information more available, at higher quality, and with integrating operations (Olson, 2004). There was neutral support for crediting ERP with providing benefits in specific materials management and financial functions. The ratings of support for customer response and personnel management were quite low (although the Swedish rating for customer

Table 1. Expected benefits of ERP systems (Mabert et al., 2000; Olhager & Selldin, 2003)

0

ERP Performance Outcomes

United States

Sweden

Quicker information response time

3.51

3.81

Increased interaction across the enterprise

3.49

3.55

Improved order management/order cycle

3.25

3.37

Decreased financial close cycle

3.17

3.36

Improved interaction with customers

2.92

2.87

Improved on-time delivery

2.83

2.82

Improved interaction with suppliers

2.81

2.78

Lowered inventory levels

2.70

2.60

Improved cash management

2.64

2.54

Reduced direct operating costs

2.32

2.74


Table 2. Areas benefiting from ERP systems Area

United States

Sweden

Availability of information

3.77

3.74

Integration of business operations/process

3.61

3.42

Quality of information

3.37

3.31

Inventory management

3.18

2.99

Financial management

3.11

2.98

Supplier management/procurement

2.99

2.94

Customer responsiveness/flexibility

2.67

2.95

Decreased information technology costs

2.06

2.05

Personnel management

1.94

2.06

response was very close to neutral). Interestingly, both surveys found low support for crediting ERP systems with decreasing information technology costs. With an ERP, an organization can better negotiate with suppliers and reduce the cost of raw materials by as much as 15% (Schlack, 1992). Hence, the higher the cost of raw material, the higher the value of raw material cost reduction out of the cost of the product.

eRP BeneFitS FRAMeWoRk Shang and Seddon (2000) provided a comprehensive framework of the benefits of ERP systems. In their survey of 233 vendor success stories and 34 follow-up phone interviews from three major ERP vendor Web sites, they found that all organizations derived benefit from at least two of the five categories, and all the vendors’ products had returned customer benefit in all five categories. In the beginning of 1997 during the re-engineering process, most of the multinational organizations perceived the following benefits of implementing ERP system: • •

Common processes across the globe Centralized operations

• • • • • • • •

Multi-language and currency capabilities Better tracking of inventory Improved utilization of raw materials Tighter integration of production with sales and distribution Tax advantages through improved asset management Removal of a number of existing legacy systems Improved development and support environment Real-time functional system enhancement capability

In Table 3, the first three categories are based on Anthony’s (1965) much cited work on planning and control systems. Many IS benefit analyses and frameworks have been organized around Anthony’s trinity of operational, managerial and strategic levels of management. One example is Shang and Seddon (2000): •

Weil (1990) evaluated the payoff from three types of IS investmentin transactional, informational, and strategic systemsin the U.S. valve industry. He found that the greatest benefits came from investment in transactional level IT.


Table 3. ERP benefits framework and extent of tangibility and quantifiability (adapted from Shang & Seddon, 2000) Dimension/Sub-Dimensions

Tangible

Quantifiable

1.1 Cost reduction

Full

Full

1.2 Cycle time deduction

Most

Full

1.3 Productivity improvement

Most

Full

1.4 Quality improvement

Some

Most

1.5 Customer services improvement

Some

Most

2.1 Better resource management

Some

Most

2.2 Improved decision making and planning

Some

Some

2.3 Performance improvement

Most

Most

3.1 Support business growth

Some

Full

3.2 Support business alliance

Low

Most

3.3 Build business innovations

Some

Some

3.4 Build cost leadership

Some

Some

3.5 Generate product differentiation

Some

Low

3.6 Build external linkages

Low

Some

4.1 Build business flexibility for current and future changes

Low

Low

4.2 IT costs reduction

Full

Full

4.3 Increased IT infrastructure capability

Some

Some

5.1 Support organizational changes

Low

Low

5.2 Facilitate business learning

Low

Low

5.3 Empowerment

Low

Low

5.4 Build common visions

Low

Low

1. Operational

2. Managerial

3. Strategic

4. IT infrastructure

5. Organizational

•

•

Gorry and Scott Morton (1971) and others (Silver, 1990; Demmel & Askin, 1992) reported significant benefits from using IT for managerial decision suport. Porter and Miller (1985) and others (McFarlan, 1984; Rackoff, Wiseman, & Ullrich, 1985; Clemons, 1991; Venkataraman, Henderson, & Oldach 1993) noted significant benefits from the use of IT in pursuing strategic goals.

•

•

Mirani and Lederer (1998) adapted Anthony’s framework to build an instrument for assessing the organizational benefits of IS projects. Hicks (1997), Reynolds (1992), and Schultheis and Sumner (1989) also used Anthony’s categories in classifying IT benefits as operational, tactical, and strategic. The categories were also used as frameworks for analyzing the benefits of general and enterprise-wide


•

information systems (Wysocki & DeMichiell, 1997; Irani & Love, 2001). Willcocks (1994) and Graeser, Willcocks, and Pisanias (1998) adapted Kaplan and Norton’s (1996) balanced scorecard approach in assessing IS investment in financial, project, process, customer, learning, and technical aspects, and measured organizational performance along Anthony’s three levels of business practice.

Therefore, there are very strong precedents in the IS literature for attempting to classify the benefits of enterprise systems in terms of organizational performance along Anthony’s three levels of business practice.(Shang & Seddon, 2000).

intAnGiBLe BeneFitS in it AnD eRP PRoJectS Webster (1994) defines a tangible item as “something that is capable of being appraised at an actual or approximate value.” But the ‘value’ is monetary worth, or some other measure like customer satisfaction is not certain. According to Hares and Royle (1994), “an intangible is anything that is difficult to measure,” and the boundary between tangible and intangible is fuzzy at best. Determining the intangible benefits derived from information systems implementation has been an elusive goal of academics and practitioners alike (Davern & Kauffman, 2000). Remenyi and Sherwood-Smith (1999) pointed out that there are seven key ways in which information systems may deliver direct benefits to organizations. They also indicated that information systems deliver intangible benefits that are not easily assessed. Nandish and Irani (1999) discussed the difficulty of evaluating IT projects in the dynamic environment, especially when intangibles are involved in the evaluation. Tallon, Kraemer, and Gurbaxni (2000) cited a number of studies indicating that economic and financial measures fail to assess

accurately the payoff of IT projects and suggested that one means of determining value is through the perception of executives. They focused on the strategic fit and the contributions of IT projects, but indicated that researchers need somehow to capture or represent better the intangible benefits of IT. In the technology arena, as in the business areas, many projects deliver benefits that cannot be easily quantified (Murphy & Simon, 2002). Many benefits related to the information technology projects cannot be easily quantified, for example better information access, improved workflow, interdepartmental coordination, and increased customer satisfaction (Emigh, 1999). These are also the features that are listed as key attributes of ERP systems (Mullin, 1999; Davenport, 2000). ERP systems are implemented to integrate transactions along and between business processes. Common business processes include order fulfillment, materials management, production planning and execution, procurement, and human resources (Murphy & Simon, 2002). ERP systems enable efficient and error-free workflow management and accounting processes including in-depth auditing. These systems feature a single database to eliminate redundancy and multiple entry errors, and they provide in-depth reporting functionality. ERP systems provide information for effective decision making on all organizational levels (Murphy & Simon, 2002). According to Hares and Royle (1994), there are four main intangible benefits in IT investment: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Internal improvement: This includes processes, workflow, and information access. Customer service: This ensures quality, delivery, and support. Foresight: This is vision regarding markets, products, and acquisitions in the future. Adaptability: This is the ability to adapt change in rapidly changing industry.

The third and fourth sets of intangibles are future oriented and include spotting market trends and the ability to adapt to change.


Hares and Royle (1994) stated that the first set of ongoing intangible benefits are those concerned with internal improvement of company operations or performance. These include changes in production processes, methods of operations management, and changes to production value and process chains with resulting benefits in increased output or lower production costs. The second group of ongoing benefits, customer-oriented intangibles, is more difficult to measure because their effectiveness is determined by external forces. The benefits of improving customer service are greater retention of customers and customer satisfaction. The third group of intangibles embodies the spotting of new market trends. If new trends can be anticipated, then technology may be able to transform or create products, processes, or services to gain new sales and market position. The final group of intangible benefits is the ability to adapt to change. As with the identification of market trends, the benefits derived include adapting products and services to market trends and the modification of production processesa critical ability for firms in rapidly changing industries. ERP system investments are strategic in nature, with the key goal often being to help a company grow in sales, reduce production lead time, and improve customer service (Steadman, 1999). Organizations turned up an average value of -$1.5 million when quantifiable cost savings and revenue gains were calculated against system implementation and maintenance costs. Improved customer service and related intangible benefits such as updated and streamlined technical infrastructure are important intangible benefits that organizations are often seeking when making these investments. The development and implementation of ERP systems is longer in duration and cost intensive. It is difficult to quantify in monetary terms because of the intangible nature of many of the derived benefits, for example, improved customer service (Murphy & Simon, 2002).

The literature suggests that intangibles can be converted into monetary terms through the ability to take care of the following observations: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Maintain and increase sales Increase prices Reduce costs Create new business

Hares and Royle (1994) give a procedure to quantify intangible benefits. The major steps are: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Identify benefits to be quantified Make intangible benefits measurable Predict the benefits in physical terms Evaluate cash flow terms

enteRPRiSe SySteM BeneFit FRAMeWoRk According to Shang and Seddon (2002), the following five-dimensional framework, which is built on a large body of previous research into IT benefits, has been organized around operational efficiency and managerial and strategic effectiveness, as the outlook of strategic managers are too broad to identify casual links between enterprise system investment and benefit realization, and those of operational managers are too narrow to consider all relevant organizational goals. The most appropriate management level is business managers (middle-level management control), as they have a comprehensive understanding of both the capabilities of ES and the business plans for system use. It is not expected that all organizations will achieve benefits in all 25 sub-dimensions, or even in all five main dimensions, but it provides an excellent checklist of benefits that have been accomplished in organizations using enterprise systems.


1. Operational Benefits: 1.1 Cost reduction: • Labor cost reduction in customer service, finance, human resources, purchasing, IT services, and training. • Inventory cost in inventory turns, dislocation costs, and warehousing costs. • Administrative expenses reduction in printing and other business supplies. 1.2 Cycle time reduction: • Customer support activities in order fulfillment, billing, delivery, and customer enquiries. • Employee support activities in monthend closing, requisition, HR and payroll, and learning. • Supplier support activities in order processing, information exchange, and payment. 1.3 Productivity improvement: Production per employee, production by labor hours, production by labor costs, increased work volume with same workforce, and reduced overtime. 1.4 Quality improvement: Error rate, data reliability to data accuracy. 1.5 Customer service improvement: Ease of data access and inquiries. 2. Managerial Benefits 2.1 Better resource management: • Better asset management for improved cost, depreciation, relocation, custody, physical inventory, and maintenance records control, both locally and worldwide.

•

•

•

Better inventory management in shifting products where they were needed and responding quickly to surges or dips in demand. Managers are able to see the inventory of all locations in their region or across boundaries, making possible a leaner inventory. Better production management for coordinating supply and demand, and meeting production schedules at the lowest cost. Better workforce management for improved workforce allocation and better utilization of skills.

2.2 Improved decision making and planning: • Improved strategic decisions for greater market responsiveness, fast profit analysis, tighter cost control, and effective strategic planning. • Improved management decisions for flexible resource management, efficient processes, and quick response to operational changes. • Improved customer decisions with f lexible customer services, rapid response to customer demands, and prompt service adjustments. 2.3 Performance improvement in a variety of ways in all levels of the organization: • Financial performance by lines of business, by product, by customers, by geographies, or by different combinations. • Manufacturing performance monitoring, prediction, and quick adjustments. • Overall operational efficiency and effectiveness management. 3. Strategic Benefits Strategic benefits are in a wide spectrum of activities in internal and external areas in terms


of general competitiveness, product strategies, strategic capabilities, and competitive position of the organization. 3.1 Support business growth: • In transaction volume, processing capacity and capability. • With new business units. • In products or services, new divisions, or new functions in different regions. • With increased employees, new policies and procedures. • In new markets. • With industry’s rapid changes in competition, regulation, and markets. 3.2 Support business alliance by: • Efficiently and effectively consolidating newly acquired companies into standard business practice. • Building consistent IT architecture support in different business units. • Changing selling models of new products developed by a merged company. • Transiting new business units to a corporate system. • Integrating resources with acquired companies. 3.3 Building business innovation by: • Enabling new market strategy. • Building new process chains. • Creating new products or services. 3.4 Building cost leadership by: • Building a lean structure with streamlined processes. • Reaching business economies of scale in operation. • Shared services. 3.5 Generating product differentiation by: • Providing customized product or

•

services, such as early preparation for the new EMU currency policy, customized billing, individualized project services to different customer requirements, and different levels of service appropriate for various sizes of customer organizations. Providing lean production with maketo-order capabilities.

3.6 Enabling worldwide expansion: • Centralized world operation. • Global resource management. • Multicurrency capability. • Global market penetration. • Cost-effective worldwide solution deployment. 3.7 Enabling e-commerce by attracting new customers or getting closer to customers through the Web integration capability. The Web-enabled ES provides benefits in business to business and business to individual in: • Interactive customer service. • Improved product design through customer direct feedback. • Expanding to new markets. • Building virtual corporations with virtual supply and demand consortia. • Delivering customized service. • Providing real-time and reliable data enquiries. 3.8 Generating or sustaining competitiveness: • Maintaining competitive efficiency. • Building competitive advantage with quick decision making. • Staying ahead of competitors for better internal business support. • Using opportunities generated by enterprise systems to pull abreast of world leaders by using the same software and being compatible with customers.


4. IT Infrastructure Benefits 4.1 Building business flexibility by rapid response to internal and external changes at lower cost and providing a range of options in reacting to changing requirements. 4.2 IT cost reduction in: • Total cost of maintaining and integrating legacy systems by eliminating separate data centers and applications, as well as their supporting costs. • IT staff reductions. • Mainframe or hardware replacement. • System architecture design and development. • System upgrade maintenance. • System modification and future changes. • Technology research and development. 4.3 Increase IT infrastructure capability: Stable and flexible support for the current and future business changes in process and structure. Stability: • Reliable platforms. • Global platforms with global knowledge pipeline. • Transformed IS management and increased IS resource capability. • Continuous improvement in process and technology. Flexibility: • Modern technology adaptability. • Extendibility to external parties. • Expandability to a range of applications. • Customizable and configurable.

5. Organizational Benefits Organizational benefits can be evaluated in individual attitudes, employee morale and motivation, and interpersonal interactions. 5.1 Changing work pattern with shifted focus: • Coordination between different interdisciplinary matters. • Harmonization of interdepartmental processes. 5.2 Facilitating business learning and broaden employee skills: • Learned by entire workforce. • Shortened learning time. • Broadened employee skills. • Employees with motivation to learn the process. 5.3 Empowerment: • Accountability, more value-added responsibility. • More proactive users in problem solving, transformed from doers to planners. • Working autonomously. • Users with ownership of the system. • Greater employee involvement in business management. 5.4 Building common visions: • Acting as one and working as a common unit. • Consistent vision across different levels of organizations. 5.5 Shifting work focus: • Concentrate on core work. • Focus on customer and market. • Focus on business process. • Focus on overall performance.


5.6 Increased employee morale and satisfaction: • Satisfied users with better decision-making tools. • Satisfied users with increased work efficiency. • Satisfied users in solving problems efficiently. • Satisfied users in increased system skills and business knowledge. • Increased morale with better business performance. • Satisfied employees for better employee service.

DiScUSSion The above benefits were reported by all selected cases as mentioned by Shang and Seddon (2002); also, examples of each benefit dimension were found in cases from each ES vendor. Every business achieved benefits in at least two dimensions. Operational and infrastructure benefits were the most quoted benefits: 170 cases (73% of 233) claimed to have achieved operational benefits, and 194 cases (83%) claimed IT infrastructure benefits (Shang & Seddon, 2002). Operational benefits such as cost, speed, and error rates are measurable in many cases. Managerial benefits, although less tangible, are linked directly with information used at different decision-making levels and with different resources. The most useful information on both these dimensions was provided by business managers or process owners, who had a clearer picture of the impact of the adoption of ES on the overall organization, including their own and their colleagues’ decision making. Strategic benefits appear to flow from a broad range of activities in internal and external areas, and are described in terms of general competitiveness, product strategies, and other strategic capabilities. Organizational benefits are mainly reflected in individual attitudes (e.g., employee morale) and interpersonal interactions.

Operational benefits may come with increased managerial effectiveness, strategic benefits rely on operational efficiency, and organizational benefits can be realized in parallel with managerial benefits (Shang & Seddon, 2002). Regardless of tangible or intangible benefits, it is progressively more difficult to measure managerial, organizational, and strategic benefits than infrastructure or operational benefits; this has been an issue of debate since information systems advanced beyond transaction processing systems (Murphy & Simon, 2002). With ERP systems, success has been determined based on the organization’s acceptance of the changes that the system introduces. Further, Murphy and Simon (2002) observed that organizational and managerial classification benefits are not only the most difficult to obtain, but also are the hardest to quantify.

FUtURe ReSeARch DiRectionS Empirical studies of ERP benefits assessments in different organizations and their comparisons might be an interesting area for further work in this direction. Furthermore, assessment of ERP benefits can be performed at two levels: first at an enterprise level, where the entire ERP system can be assessed regarding different types of benefits derived from the ERP; and second at a specific module (application) level, which offers interesting areas for future research. Future research efforts should focus on managerial, organizational, and strategic benefits, which are still unexplored in terms of intangible benefits measurement to quantify.

concLUSion Assessing whether investment in enterprise systems pays off is an important issue. Organizations can achieve a number of tangible and intangible


benefits due to successful implementation of ERP systems. These benefits can be derived globally, and in the context of globalization it is important to understand an organization’s managerial people and shareholders as well. ERP helps organizations meet the challenges of globalization with a comprehensive, integrated application suite that includes next-generation analytics, human capital management, financials, operations, and corporate services. ERP is designed to help businesses succeed in the global marketplace by supporting international legal and financial compliance issues, and enabling organizations to adapt internal operations and business processes to meet country-specific needs. This will be helpful for decision makers (managerial people) of organizations to evaluate various available ERPs in acquisition and implementation. This will also a further aid managers in assessing the benefits of their existing ERPs in the organization in a more objective way all over the world .

Campbell, S. (1998). Mining for profit in ERP software. Computer Reseller News, (October), 19.

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