4. ERP—example implementation and guidelines
Top management of the company must ask questions
whether the system’s technical imperatives coincide or
conflict with the company’s business imperatives, and what
is the impact of ERP implementation on company’s
business strategy and functional strategies (Davenport,
1998; Laughlin, 1999). The operating assumptions of
M. Gupta, A. Kohli / Technovation 26 (2006) 687–696 693
the ERP system being implemented should be support the
company’s operating policies.
For example, SAP R/3 provides operations with a
consistent decision making ability that supports the chosen
business strategy. To better understand the integration and
decision making process in SAP, let us consider
implementing SAP for a company with make-to-order
process strategy or the differentiation product strategy. In
real life, DELL, a computer manufacturer, and Hillerich
and Bradsby, a specialized baseball bat manufacturer, fit
this profile.