day 2 readings by ahmet k

-Business Capabilities of ERP Packages:
ability to better meet various competitive goals,
desire to reengineer business processes,
and access to integrated data.

-IT Capabilities of ERP Packages:
desire to replace aging mainframe systems with more modern, enterprise-wide client-server architectures,
replacement of legacy systems that no longer meet the firm’s needs,
desire to reduce information systems costs by buying rather than building software

Decision Making Models:
-Classical; seek a best alternative to maximize achievements
-Administrative; look for alternatives that meet minimum standards
-Incremental; small incremental changes, successive limited comparisons with no set of clear objectives
-Adaptive; Administrative + Adaptive (mix of two)
-Irrational; Decision doesn't begin with a problem & end with solution, they are products of organizational events (!!??)
-Political; politics replace organizational goals, very common

Research findings:
-decisions during the lifecycle of the ERP project are structured or semistructured
-a small number of alternatives are evaluated
-objectives for ERP projects are well defined and they guide the decision-making process
-personal and group politics influence decision-making.

an ERP Weaknes: doesn't handle returns or reverse logistics well.
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The book is a story about ERP implementation decision. The ownew of a business decides to buy his brother's business and wants to learn about the SAP system they use in the other business.

He puts a skeptical worker into charge and tells him to learn about ERP systems. The guy, spending considerable time on the topic, concludes that the system in the other business can't be implemented-at least easily to the current business because there were big differences in flexibilities of business and makes his recommendation accordingly. However, the owner was persuaded to implement the system in the other business by the IT manager of the other business. They massed up, and now our guy is in charge to clean it!

key learning: analyze well, speak to people; Talk, Communicate, discuss!