Coping with ERP-related contextual issues in SMEs: a vendor's perspective

From an ERP vendor’s perspective, this paper analyzes what can be done to address contextual issues relating to ERP implementation. The case of UFSoft, a Chinese ERP vendor, reveals three strategies that could be useful for achieving fit between ERP systems and adopting organizations. First, ERP systems need to be localized to reflect the local management features. Second, ERP systems should be customizable at a variety of levels. Finally, BPR should be carried out in an incremental manner, taking the dialectic of organizational learning into account. A significant contention is that IS researchers and practitioners should consider companies’ stages of growth as a contextual factor when conducting ERP research or implementing ERP systems. q 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.