کاربرد برنامه ریزی منابع سازمانی (ERP) در چین : بررسی اجمالی

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are among the most important enablers for business intelligence and planning functionality in supply chains. We provide an overview of ERP research and its development and implementation in China. We describe the current market, challenges and future trends for ERP software in China. Cases are provided where ERP implementations have been used to enhance supply chain management of major companies. One of the (not unexpected) findings is that not only analytical data concepts play an important role in successful ERP implementations in China but also cultural and language aspects.

An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a highly integrated enterprise information system to manage all aspects of the business operations of an enterprise (especially regarding transactional data) including production, purchasing, engineering design, manufacturing, sales, marketing, distribution, accounting and customer service, etc. Once ERP systems are successfully implemented, significant benefits such as improved customer service, better production scheduling, and reduced manufacturing costs can be gained. However, the successful implementation rate can be accounted for as still quite low and many firms that have gained some benefits from ERP systems have yet to exploit the full potential benefits in their organizations. Comprehensive studies related to the economical evaluation of information systems in general and those of ERP systems in particular still seem to be in their infancy to date. More specifically, if one cares about specific cultural and language barriers (including not even language differences but also considerations regarding character sets different from those used in most Western countries as they can be found, e.g., in Greece or China) related studies need to investigate additional aspects not yet included in general ERP adoption and innovation diffusion models. One of the major concerns in today's globalization is the transformation of countries like India or China. ‘More than any other country, China is being transformed by its application of IT, from a poor and isolated society to a major force in the global economy.’ (Martinsons, 2005, p. 46). What makes China a somewhat special case is the great variety of ownership structures including state-owned, foreign-invested, and privately held companies. That is, the role of ownership can be studied in relatively greater depth there than elsewhere (Reimers, 2003).

In the battle of globalization, China is becoming one of the most important areas to bear international responsibility. For more than two decades, China depended on the advantages of labor cost and a large domestic market. It has attracted many chances, accumulated tremendous knowledge, techniques, management and marketing experiences, and now, China is still in the midst of immense development. Information technology has still not reached its final development stage compared to developed countries. We have tried to scrutinize the adoption of ERP system application in China. While our primary data are somewhat restricted (like many other studies) with respect to experiencing the answers of some 25 companies, we have collected a comprehensive list of case studies and secondary data from the literature. The first finding indicates that ERP systems dominate the area of information systems. The SME market currently seems to be the most appealing and growing ‘arena’ for ERP providers. However, most implementation projects seem not so ‘successful’ in terms of budget, schedule, and expectation. During implementation most companies are looking for consulting assistance with ERP system vendors themselves becoming the most popular consultants during the implementation. Nevertheless, some consulting companies with special experience have a considerable growth share. For the selection of appropriate consulting companies, price seems not the main influencing factor, but reputation and practical experience. Despite all the advances, there is still a considerable way to go for China regarding ERP implementation, and for improving their operational as well as their management level.