تحقیق و تفحص در زمینه ی استفاده از سیستم های برنامه ریزی منابع سازمانی (ERP) در بخش خدمات

Recently, service organizations have invested considerable resources in the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, even using solutions initially targeted for manufacturing companies. The aim of this paper is to get an insight into how services approach ERP implementation. A review of ERP projects, especially in services, completed by six case studies has been undertaken. We identify and discuss some characteristics of services, which are discriminatory regarding manufacturing. Main characteristics identified deal with complete or partial integration, product or customer orientation, importance of labour, human factor. In conclusion, trends to standardization and integration seen in the industrial sector are also growing in services, but in different ways.

During recent years, organizations have invested considerable resources in the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. ERP is a software package that attempts to integrate all departments and functions of a company onto a single computer system that can serve all different departments’ needs. Klaus et al. (2000) have performed an historical analysis and a state-of-the-art report on ERP phenomenon. As far as we know, service organizations were not in the initial target zone of many ERP vendors, which instead developed products for manufacturing companies. However, ERP systems are increasingly being implemented in the service sector. By all accounts, services dominate most developed economies given that significantly more than half of these countries’ gross domestic product is in the service sector, and projected economic and job growth through the 21st century is expected to be dominated by services. Concurrent to this growth, the globalization of services and rapid technological progress, afforded by information and communication technology, are increasing the pressures for service firms to compete on new offerings (Menor et al., 2002). Since the study of ERP in the service sector is a new area, there is little theoretical research on the topic. Now, the need for such studies has become apparent. In order to identify and discuss differences between service and manufacturing companies in the context of ERP implementation, one can firstly investigate in ERP return on experiments from services companies. A study with cases in insurance, healthcare, software and telecom services companies has been undertaken, and specificities of ERP projects in services activities have been identified.

Although the essence of ERP philosophy is the fundamental premise that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, one of the main topics is functional integration, which is cited in the literature as a benefit of the ERP system. In a production company it appears possible to integrate all departments and achieve better visibility and control by eliminating interfaces; but human resource management is rarely “fully integrated” (for example: knowledge management, employee portal, etc.). However, as described in Fig. 5, the dream of such a seamless integration does not seem to be possible in services, which generally launch projects including customer relationship and human resources management, and less often design and production of services.