Term Paper: Critical Success Factors for Implementing an ERP System

According to Mayere, Grabot, & Bazet (2008), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are now the backbone of the information systems in most large and medium companies, but also in many administration. In addition, ARC Advisory Group Inc., study found that Dedham, MA the worldwide market for ERP systems is expected to grow at a 4.8% cpmpound annual rate, rising from $167.7 billion in 2005 to more than $21 billion in 2010. The success is linked to several factors, and mainly to their expected ability to address the main limitations of former legacy systems. ERP makes it possible for adoption of best practices that allowing strong improvements of company performance.

In spite of these hopes, implementing an ERP is still considered as a risky and difficult project in which many ERP implementations need suffered from excessive delays and costs but also from difficult appropriation by users, with consequences which could lead in extreme cases to partial loss of control by the companies of their daily activities. ERP could be considered as information system that making human activity more efficient or technical artifact unable to cope with the social reality of organizations.

Moreover, according to Mayere, Grabot, & Bazet (2008), the major objectives of ERP systems is integration within the company, between functions or departments, but also ousside the company, between business partners like customers, distributors, suppliers or sub-contractors. On the technical side, integration is considered as a way to coordinate distinct entities working for a common goal, the organization being often seen as a consequence of this coordination (p. 2).

Write a ten to fifteen (10-15) page term paper in which you:
1. Assess the effectiveness and efficiency enterprise resource planning to large and medium companies.
2. Evaluate benefits realized by organization ability to address the main limitations former legacy systems.
3. Examine the challenges of developing ERP system. 

4. Describe critical success factors for implementing an ERP system in a university setting.

5. Describe key issues that need to be considered in the context of ERP implementations in higher education.
6. Describe ERP system quality, information quality, project scope, and user satisfaction and use. 
7. Describe the importance of aligning business objectives with ERP system processes and its impact on system quality.
8. Describe how the benefit of a system is influenced by the system’s use and user satisfaction.

Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
•Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
•Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

 
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
•Explain how the components of an information technology system interrelate in an organizational context.
•Describe the use of network management, Web, wireless, and mobility technologies.
•Describe and identify the uses of business process management and systems development.
•Use technology and information resources to research issues in information systems and technology. 
•Write clearly and concisely about topics related to information systems for decision making using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric