Recording, analysing and using HR information Essay

It is beneficial for a business to collect a variety of data to gain an understating of its performance to satisfy compliance legislation. However the information collected needs to be useful, relevant and selective. Raw data collected can be converted into useful information. It is important for human resources (HR) to collect data to meet legal requirements, keep necessary contact details of employees, records all contractual arrangements and to provide supporting information in the event of a claim that may be made against an organisation. It also supports an organisation when making decisions. Data can be collected in two different types of formats within an organisation. These are quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative is data collected numerically which allows for data to be measured and calculated. Quantitative is a descriptive method of collecting data. This type of data can be observed but not measured. These two different types of data support HR practices in a number of different ways, such as, showing patterns of absence relating to employees, highlighting any learning and development requirements that an individual may require, trends’ in staff turnover and key performance indicators. Customer feedback can also be obtained to allow a business to improve it services and costs can also be easily monitored. HR data can be stored by a number of different methods each having advantages and disadvantages. Data can be stored electronically and non-electronically. Storing data electronically can be beneficial as it is easy to access, can be shared easily and takes up less space. Online HR systems are available to employees where data and information can be added and updated by an individual and also can be accessed by one or more people such as line managers. This is useful for appraisals and monitoring performance. Storing data electronically through databases is also more secure than manual documents. Sorting data manually such as diaries, word processing documents and paper based surveys also has its benefits as it can be more cost effective to a business and cannot be easily lost where electronic data could be. Also employees require less training to store and organise manual data. There is an array of different UK legislations currently enforced relating to data and legislation is in place to enforce correct storing, recording and accessibility of data. One of these UK legislations are The Data Protection Act, The information commissioner has produced a code of conduct relating to the data protection act. This applies to personal data held and the legitimate grounds for this being held, which information is classed as sensitive and cannot be gathered without explicit permission. Another type of current UK legislation is the Human Rights act. This confers the right of respect of privacy on individuals and provides for employees in the public sector to take legal actions against their employer of they consider their rights infringed.

Vacant Chapter 13 Forgive

So far I've cleaned the bathroom, the oven, the refrigerator and vacuumed – twice. It's after nine and Emily still hasn't shown up. I'm starting to think that her things are simply a mirage, or maybe she just didn't want to carry a lot of junk with her. Maybe she's staying with one of her school friends, and she didn't need her hygiene stuff. Maybe my earlier thought about what she would need to do for money wasn't that far off the mark. Maybe she's out doing something dangerous, or worse yet, something has already happened to her. There's no one but me to know she's missing. How long do I have to wait before I turn her in as a missing person? I know she has to be missing for at least twenty-four hours, but maybe she's already been gone for a couple days. Oh, God – what if she's hurt and lying somewhere. Maybe she only has minutes left and I can't get to her in time†¦ â€Å"Ow!† I hit my head on the bottom shelf of the linen closet, cleaning the dried and caked shampoo from the floor when the sound of the door closing startles me. â€Å"Emily?† I hope it's her. If it's not, I'm going to call the cops and lie and tell them she's been missing for days. I hear the slapping of tennis shoes against the linoleum, then a thud on the carpet. I turn and look down the hall to see a brown-haired beauty face down on the floor. â€Å"Emily? Are you okay?† I almost – almost – laugh when she looks up at me with her hair tangled in her face. â€Å"Ethan, it's you! It's really you!† She scrambles the rest of the way to me on her knees, spitting her hair out of her mouth and hugging me tighter than I can ever remember. Her smile is brighter than a sunny day at the equator. We settle on the couch, still holding on to each other. I can't seem to let go. I never want to let go. â€Å"Where have you been?† There doesn't seem to be any anger in her tone. How could she NOT be angry with me? I'm ashamed at my answer. â€Å"I drove. I didn't really go anywhere. I was just running away, Emily.† I hang my head, embarrassed that I don't even have a good reason for leaving her. â€Å"I know it won't make any difference now because you probably hate me, but I love you too, Emily. I have since†¦forever, and I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you. I should have said it to you a week ago instead of running away like the coward I am. But, I can't hold back any longer without you knowing how I feel about you. I've never been in love before, but I'm pretty sure this is what it feels like. I can't think about anything else but you – how you laugh, the way you comb your hair, the way you smell right after the shower†¦ God!† Something stops my rambling, something soft, warm and moist. Emily's lips are on mine and her arms are wrapped around my neck. She's kissing me, and I don't ever want her to stop. Her mouth on mine is awesome! And I think about other things I want her to do with her mouth. While there are a hundred synonyms for how kissing Emily feels, the only thing in my head the at the moment is â€Å"woo-hoo†. If I really think about what is actually happening, I'll make her stop. This is wrong – not the kissing part, but the part where she's willing to forgive all my sins and just take me back without a second thought. Now that I'm thinking about it†¦ Damn it! Now I'm mad. I pull away while her lips linger. â€Å"Emily,† I sigh, not really knowing where to start. â€Å"We have to talk about this,† I motion between us. She nods begrudgingly. It's written all over her face; she thinks I'm going to reject her again. â€Å"Look,† I pull her chin up so her eyes meet mine, â€Å"nothing will change my feelings for you. They haven't changed in the last few years, and they won't change in the next few, either. What I have to know, though, is how you are feeling.† She starts shaking her head, telling me not to worry, but that's precisely the problem. She should be angry with me. â€Å"Emily, you should be upset with me. Yell, scream, hit – anything to let me know how you feel!† I'm almost shouting near the end of my declaration. I pull back and get myself in check before I completely lose it. â€Å"Relieved.† â€Å"What?† It's a stupid question because I heard perfectly well what she said. It's a stall tactic on my part. â€Å"I'm relieved, Ethan.† â€Å"Why aren't you-â€Å" â€Å"Do you know how many people there have been in my life who I cared about or who cared about me?† I'm pretty sure I know the answer. I'm hoping it's two, but know for sure it's one – her mother – but I'm always careful not to bring up LouAnne. I just squeeze her hand, which I'm still holding onto like the piece of wood Leonardo DiCaprio was holding onto after his exit from the Titanic. â€Å"Two, Ethan. Two.† Now I'm relieved. â€Å"And one of them can't ever come back, but you did. You came back and I don't care where you went or what you did. You are here now, safe.† The tremble in her voice as she says, â€Å"what you did,† tells me she's a little scared of what – or who – I might have done, so I hope I'm about to put her fears to rest. â€Å"I just drove and slept in my car. I ate a few times, but honestly, Emily, the only thing I did was think about you and how much you mean to me. I was an asshole for leaving you. I didn't take your safety or well-being into account and for that, I'm sorry. You should be upset with me.† â€Å"I was scared, Ethan. At first, I thought maybe you were just blowing off some steam, off figuring out a way to tell me to leave, but when you didn't come home that first night or the next morning, I started to get worried. Then Margie came by and said you hadn't shown up for work.† So, this is how Margie knows about Emily. â€Å"I wasn't really sure how much she knew, but I could tell she was surprised to find me here. She was so nice though. I told her how highly you speak of her and how much we appreciated the deal she and her husband gave on the car. Then I lost myself for a little bit and told her about you surprising me and taking me to graduation.† Emily pauses and smiles, then looks down as if she's a little embarrassed. â€Å"It was nice to have a woman to talk to again. It reminded me a little of my mom.† Emily continues to tell me about Margie coming to the house. She said she cried for a little bit because she didn't know what to do, that she'd been relying on me for so long. She didn't know what she would do if I didn't come home. She also tells me how Margie asked her about a job and what she liked to do. It seems they went to the public library and Emily applied for a position. She can work there part-time and still go to school. Apparently, she works until closing and that's why she came home so late. Margie also got her a bus pass and rode with her the first time to make sure it was safe. There isn't a bouquet of flowers big enough for Margie right now.

Murmuring Judges

Re-read Act 2 Scene 3. How does Hare present tensions between characteristics in this scene and the play as a whole? In ‘Murmuring Judges’, Hare demonstrates many different tensions between the various characters and systems within the play. In Act 2 Scene 3, we witness the events taking place inside the police station. We see their day to day actions, mainly filling out paper work. However also included is an intimate conversation between Barry and Sandra, exposing Barry’s corrupt actions against Gerard and the other criminals.Throughout the scene, and indeed the rest of the play, Hare presents tensions in different ways, whether it be through the language use of the characters, the structure of their sentences or even the stage directions. Perhaps the most prominent tension that Hare has presented in this scene is in the relationship between Barry and Sandra. The pair find themselves alone within the police station and immediately the audience understands that t hey are romantically involved, but are keeping it a secret. â€Å"I do get tired of the secrecy. It makes the whole thing seem silly.Assignations. Times and places. † It’s already been made clear that their relationship is strained, with Barry describing it as if it was work. However, it’s through the language of Sandra that the tensions between the two are made obvious to the audience. â€Å"Don’t you rather like that? †, â€Å"Hasn’t it? †, â€Å"is that what you mean? †. Sandra’s frequent questioning suggests annoyance with what Barry’s saying, unable to understand or accept his speech. Hare also uses sentence structure to express the tensions between the pair. ‘How are you? Fine. I haven’t seen you. No. Hare has used very short sentences to further demonstrate that the relationship is strained, with an awkwardness and hesitation in their communication. To add even more to this effect, Hare uses th e stage directions to show just how tense it is. ‘(She waits)’, ‘(He waits a moment)’, ‘(There’s a pause)’. Hare uses pauses and moments of silence to create an atmosphere where even the audience feel uncomfortable. However it’s not just awkwardness that Hare uses the stage directions to demonstrate, he also presents anger. ‘(He is suddenly firm, as if his patience were worn down’.This shows that Barry is obviously very annoyed with Sandra or perhaps himself, creating a very tense atmosphere. Since this scene includes of the policemen and women, Hare presents other tensions separate to Barry and Sandra’s relationship. For example, Hare develops on the audience’s understanding that there is tension between the police force and how their profession works; a message Hare has put forwards in several of the previous scenes. This is demonstrated immediately with Jimmy’s opening speech. â€Å"An officer on the beat witnesses, actually witnesses, one crime every ten years†.Jimmy is expressing his annoyance with the fact that the police are unable to catch criminals, since they’re stuck doing paper work most of the time. Hare also presented this issue through Barry’s speech in Act 1 Scene 5. â€Å"If you never made any arrests, you’d all be out on the streets all the time, and London would be so much better policed†. This shows that they are obviously unhappy with how they must perform their duties, showing the tension between the police and their own profession. This relates to the context of the play and the fact that at that time, the police force were failing to act upon the vast majority of crimes.Hare also uses Jimmy’s speech to present the tensions between the police and the judiciary, a point which Hare demonstrates throughout the play. â€Å"There’s maybe thirty-five cases. Most of them you haven’t got a chance†. Jimmy is angered that the judiciary aren’t able to prosecute all these criminals with lots of evidence against them. Barry uses this argument to justify his corrupt actions against the Gerard and the other men, knowing he needed some hard evidence. â€Å"You’re allowed a way of doing things which is actually your own†. Hare shows this tension between the two systems on the side of the judiciary in Act 2 Scene 2 with Sir Peter. Just imagine the scale of your problem if the police began to have some significant success†. Hare has presented that both the judiciary and the police feel that the other side are the ones responsible for letting criminals go free. Hare also presents tension within the judiciary with the characters of Sir Peter and Cuddeford. In Act 1 Scene 2, Hare shows an obvious rivalry between the two as they discuss Sir Peter’s radio appearance. Once again Hare uses short sentences to suggest annoyance and bitterness. â€Å"No†, â€Å"Indeed†, â€Å"I see†. Cuddeford is obviously uninterested or jealous so he uses brief responses to try to limit Sir Peter’s boasting. If ‘fallible’ is how you wished to appear†¦it’s none if my business†. Cuddeford’s language is also used to present the competiveness and tension between them. Hare has used a variety of techniques to show many different forms of tension in Act 2 Scene 3 and the play as whole. The character’s language is perhaps the most obvious clue when spotting anger or annoyance, but it’s through stage directions and sentence structure that Hare fully demonstrates tension; whether it be of a romantic nature with Barry and Sandra, an ignorance with the police and the judiciary, or the rivalry between Cuddeford and Sir Peter.

Advantages and Disadvantages of using Open Source Software Research Paper

Advantages and Disadvantages of using Open Source Software - Research Paper Example Why prefer Open source software over proprietary software? In this text it is attempted to highlight the preference given to open source software for third world countries. As quoted by Nikesh Jauhari, besides having soaring prices the other key edges that are absent if a proprietary software is purchased are that the errors in it cannot be edited by anyone other than the developer, new features cannot be added to the software and the software cannot be scrutinized. This, however, is not the case with open source software. Third world countries are developing nations. Their per capita income is far lesser than that of the developed nations. The basic commodities that consume all the income of a person earning his livelihood in third world countries is on the basic needs like food and shelter. In order for persons to learn with technological advancements and excel in learning it is imperative that the newly invented advanced technological for them at very nominal costs. Open source so ftware plays a key role in assisting individuals in third world countries as it is AVAILABLE WITHOUT ANY COST. Moreover, organizations CAN MODIFY OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE in accordance with their modular requirements. Thus instead of purchasing a new proprietary software for each individual module open software serves the purpose with very nominal or no cost at all. This results in an over all increase in the proliferation of the economy of a country as a whole. The emerging aptitude of individuals and organizations towards open source software is clearly evident among those living in the third countries. Fredrick Noronha quotes in his article as follows: â€Å"GNU/Linux, and tons of useful software that comes along with it, is clearly attracting interest from a range of quarters. From... As quoted by Nikesh Jauhari, besides having soaring prices the other key edges that are absent if a proprietary software is purchased are that the errors in it cannot be edited by anyone other than the developer, new features cannot be added to the software and the software cannot be scrutinized. This, however, is not the case with open source software.Third world countries are developing nations. Their per capita income is far lesser than that of the developed nations. The basic commodities that consume all the income of a person earning his livelihood in third world countries is on the basic needs like food and shelter. In order for persons to learn with technological advancements and excel in learning it is imperative that the newly invented advanced technological for them at very nominal costs. Open source software plays a key role in assisting individuals in third world countries as it is AVAILABLE WITHOUT ANY COST. Moreover, organizations CAN MODIFY OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE in acco rdance with their modular requirements. The emerging aptitude of individuals and organizations towards open source software is clearly evident among those living in the third countries. Fredrick Noronha quotes in his article as follows: â€Å"GNU/Linux, and tons of useful software that comes along with it, is clearly attracting interest from a range of quarters. From Pakistan to the UNDP, from Africa to Malaysia, and even in the Philippines or Thailand and Nepal, GNU/Linux is being closely watched.†

Growth Hormone in Psychological Processes Research Paper - 6

Growth Hormone in Psychological Processes - Research Paper Example Excessive production of growth hormone gets caused by the growth of a benign tumor in the somatotroph cells. This condition gets referred to an adenoma. A tumor of the islets of Langerhans or the lung which produce Growth hormone-releasing hormone can also stimulate excessive production of growth hormone. The growth hormone interacts with insulin through the IGF axis. The liver secretes insulin like growth factor 1- IGF-1, in response to secretion of the growth hormone (Juul & Jens, 2000). The IGF axis interaction is vital in the inhibition of cell death and promoting cell proliferation. IGF-1 is necessary for achieving maximal growth. Gigantism can get more complicated to treat than dwarfism. This is so because some forms of dwarfism get caused by insufficient production of growth hormone. These forms of dwarfism can become rectified by providing the patient with growth hormone (Artwelle & Vislon, 2008). Gigantism, however, results from the overproduction of growth hormone. This can become hard to correct as it is more difficult to place the excess growth hormone in the required normal range. The metabolic rates in a giant also become hyper abnormal, this contributes to a less life expectancy for giants. The pituitary gland gets located in the brain. It is divided into the anterior and posterior lobe. The pituitary gland secretes prolactin hormone, which stimulates the production of breast milk and the control of menstrual periods (Ho, 2011). Prolactin activates the mammary glands to generate milk. During pregnancy, prolactin concentrations rise causing enlargement of the mammary glands. Also produced in the pituitary gland is the hormone vasopressin. Vasopressin also gets referred to as anti-diuretic hormone. This hormone encourages water retention by the kidneys. This hormone works in the kidney’s collecting ducts to stimulate reabsorption of water by the body.

Disclosures regulations in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Disclosures regulations in the US - Essay Example This paper will attempt to explain these regulations, as well as provide an example of these regulations by showing how the executives of Pfizer, a pharmaceutical giant, complies with the CFR. Body According to the SEC, all corporations must disclose any renumeration made to the CEO, CFO and the three most highly paid officers (Right2Info). The rules apply to the following disclosures: â€Å"(1) tabular disclosures regarding executive remuneration and director remuneration;(2) narrative description of other types of remuneration and any information material to an understanding of the tabular information, and (3) a Compensation Discussion and Analysis (â€Å"CD&A†)† (17 C.F.R.  § 229.402(b) (2008)) . The way that all companies must disclose this information is through their annual proxy statement, which the SEC's website makes available on-line (17 C.F.R.  § 229.402(b) (2008)). The information on executives in the tabular disclosures required is information about the salary, bonuses, equity awards and deferred compensation. For directors, the disclosures are similar, although not as detailed with regards to the equity awards. The SEC has started requiring, since 2006, that its compensation discussion and analysis (CD&A), that corporations begin disclosing the following with regards to executive compensation: â€Å"(i) the objectives of the company’s remuneration programs; (ii) what the remuneration programs of the company are designed to reward; (iii) what is each element of remuneration; (iv) why the company chooses to pay each element of remuneration; (v) how the company determines the amount for each element of remuneration; and (vi) how each element of remuneration and the company’s decisions regarding that element fit into the company’s overall compensation objectives and affect decisions regarding other elements of remuneration.† (17 C.F.R.  § 229.402(b)(1) (2008)) . The reason why the SEC has started requiri ng this information is so that investors can get the justification for the salaries and bonuses that executives receive, whereas before this requirement, corporations simply had to disclose numerical data without justification. This is important, as a corporation has to make these justifications, especially into today's climate of anger about executive salaries. Investors and the public have a right to know exactly why a certain executive is making a certain salary and receives certain bonuses. Additionally, there are other regulations that are designed to increase transparency about executive and director compensation. For instance, there are regulations that require disclosure regarding â€Å"(i) beneficial ownership of public company securities by persons owning 5% or more of any class of the company’s voting securities and executives and directors; (ii) transactions between the company and related persons (generally defined to include officers, directors, 5% beneficial h olders, and close family members of these individuals); and (iii) disclosure regarding a company’s processes and procedures for the consideration and determination of executive and director remuneration.† (17 C.F.R.  § 229.407 (2008)). As an example of the disclosures that are required by the SEC under the promulgated CFR rules, one can look to the SEC disclosures for Jeffrey Kindler, who is the CEO of Pfizer. On this website, the company details the remuneration for Mr. Kindler, as well as detailed several pages of justification for why Mr. Kindler is being

HIMSS Virtual Conference Reaction Paper-due november 16th Essay - 1

HIMSS Virtual Conference Reaction Paper-due november 16th - Essay Example The HIMSS Virtual Conference and Expo held in 3-4th November, 2010 focused on the various aspects and opportunities for attaining a meaningful use of health IT in various healthcare settings for the improvement of health and healthcare. The event was highly interactive and educative because of the live chats, real-time participant movement, contests and vendor presentations. The conference brought together leading industry vendors and influential decision-makers. It allowed the participants to interact with qualified executives and share industry knowledge, get extensive brand exposure and generate qualified sales. The HIMSS Virtual Conference and Expo held in June 8th and 9th 2011 focused on various models and methods that are used in different care settings like the health information exchanges, hospitals, clinical practices among others to transform healthcare. This conference was a transformational approach to healthcare. The importance of health IT was one important thing that was spoken of. Dr. Carol Steltankamp, Chief Medical Information Officer, UK HealthCare explained that a revolution in healthcare today focuses on increasing quality and efficiencies, enhancing revenue and preventing errors by leveraging health IT (HIMSS virtual conference and expo June 8-9th, 2011, 9:00-10:00 AM CT session). The conference was fully interactive because of the live chats, online learning, education sessions and industry solutions seminars. Participants were given a chance to interact with the speakers after presentations, chat with the attendees in the networking lounge and discuss the even on discuss the event on facebook and twitter. The conference was fun as it provided a chance for reconnecting with colleagues and make new meaningful connections. The HIMSS Virtual Conference which took place on 2nd-3rd November, 2011 was a continuing education conference.

Air Pollution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Air Pollution - Research Paper Example Both humans as well as the nature have been held responsible for the emission of pollutants in the air. The emission of these pollutants is the reason behind the occurrence of air pollution. Various human activities have been found to heavily contribute to the increase in air pollution.One of the human activities that are constantly increasing the levels of air pollution is the emission of harmful gasses from organizations that produce goods to satisfy human needs. The most common form of air pollutants that is emitted by the industries includes carbon monoxide as well as other chemicals. Another reason due to which pollutants are released in air is the burning down of fossil fuels through airplanes as well as automobiles. Individuals try to keep their homes as well as crops free from insects and pests with the assistance of pesticides and other clearing products and these products release harmful chemicals that result in air pollution. According to Jacoby, the vehicles that travel o n road account for more than 90% of the carbon dioxide.Those who are harming the environment are those who are being negatively impacted by their own actions. Air pollution has been found to be negatively impacting all living things including plants, animals as well as hum beings. Air pollution has been found to result in impacting human health in a negative manner and these effects are both long term as well as short term. The level of impact is directly correlated with the level and length of time an individual is being exposed to these pollutants

Foreign Direct Investment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Foreign Direct Investment - Assignment Example From the discussion it is clear that  countries seek FDI due to the technological benefits that boost production mechanisms in several sectors across the economy. FDIs also create adequate employment opportunities, thereby enhancing the economic growth prospects of the host country. FDIs, nonetheless, increase the quality of products within the market, hence giving the consumers a wider range of products from which they can choose.This paper stresses that FDI is responsible for stimulating the economic development of a target country. Besides, the FDI enables companies to enjoy the benefits that accrue from larger markets in the global economy. Therefore, FDI ensures that industries capitalize on their sales through international presence. While at it, FDI creates new employment opportunities, thereby increasing the income and the purchasing power of people within an economy. This leads to economic growth. As stated earlier, FDI presents a boost in the human capital resources, thro ugh sharpening the knowledge and competence of the cross-border workforce. Many companies also benefit from the tax incentives in their respective business fields. Apart for the development of knowledge, FDI enables the transfer of resources in form of technology, skills and raw materials, hence limiting the disparities between the organizational revenues and costs.  FDI can hinder the domestic investment by offering excess competition. In addition, the risk of political instability threatens to destabilize the operations of foreign investments.

Newspaper Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Newspaper Article - Essay Example Over 80 per cent of the health expenditure in India is in the private sector, while in most developed societies more than 80 per cent of health expenditure is borne by the exchequer. In SAARC, India’s infant mortality rate is 56 per 1,000 live births in 2005 better than that of only Pakistan. It is a far cry from 12 in Sri Lanka. Similarly, life expectancy at birth is 64 years in India, 63 in Nepal & 75 in Sri Lanka. The author of the article titled, â€Å"Financing healthcare in India†, dated: Jan 16, 2010, is Mr. N. J. Kurian. He is a visiting Professor at the Social Development, New Delhi and the Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad. The newspaper, The Hindu, carrying the article is one of the leading newspapers of India with a circulation of 1.45m and readership of 5.2m. The article attempted to give a panoramic view of the universal health care system with emboldened comparisons with the United Kingdom. Despite the detailed information, there was no information on the state of the African nations, or the emerging super power, China. Latin America, received little mentioning with a positive citation of Cuba. It would be unfair to say of any bias in the article as the pros and cons of each system, so mentioned, have been kept with utmost clarity and facts. The subjectivity has been supported with data, for marked credibility. The NHS has been kept as the role model for future course of action for other lagging countries without mincing matters. In US, the healthcare system is expensive with a nexus between private health insurance companies and healthcare providers. Invariably expensive drugs and procedures are prescribed by health insurance companies to the young, the employed and the rich, avoiding those who are elderly, unemployed and poor. Indispuably, all Americans already have access to at least emergency care and hospitals are legally obligated to provide care regardless of ability to pay. It

Cars Type Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cars Type - Research Proposal Example A hybrid car typically provides a higher mileage at lower emission rates and lower gas consumption as compared to the traditionally powered gasoline cars. A typical hybrid car with a combination of electricity and gasoline provide these benefits to the users by combining the set up of these two systems to provide necessary leverage in gasoline consumption and electric power. A traditional hybrid cars works on the principal of hybrid technology which combines the use of traditional locomotive engines which are run by the two different sources of fuel. Most of them work either on Gasoline plus electricity or Diesel plus some other source of fuel and can use nuclear power also. Therefore any vehicle that can combines two or more sources of propulsion are considered as hybrid vehicles. Most of the cars which are now commonly used are hybrid in nature as they use either diesel and electricity or gasoline and electricity as two mutual sources of propulsion. A typical gas powered car carries a fuel tank which is a chief source of providing gasoline to the engine which in turn provides engine the ability to transmit which actually move the wheels of the car whereas compared to the gas powered hybrid car, the electric powered hybrid car which has a set of batteries which provide the power to the engine to run. The normal structure of a gasoline-electricity powered car include a gasoline engine, a fuel tank, electric motor which also acts as a generator in advanced models, a generator to produce electric power, a set of batteries which are used to store electric power, and transmission mechanism which is basically used to perform basic transmission functions like in traditional cars besides providing a radically different mechanism in car models like in Toyota Pirus. (Layton and Nice). Traditionally, the power in the electric-gasoline car can be combined in two ways. One is called Parallel Hybrid in which the gas tank provides fuel to the engine

Determination Of The Relative Composition Of a Mixture Solution Essay Example for Free

Determination Of The Relative Composition Of a Mixture Solution Essay To determine the relative composition of a mixture solution containing sodium ethane-1, 2-dioate and ethane-1, 2-dioic acid. INTRODUCTION Potassium permanganate KMn is a strong oxidizing agent which reacts with reducing agent ethanedioate ion to give and C + 2 Mn+ 16 2+8+10 Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) reacts with acid to give water . the reaction is shown with the following equation + To investigate the relative composition of the mixture solution, it has to be titrated with NaOH first with phenolphthalein as indicator and then with acidify KMn as Mn react with both compound. KMnhas to be acidified first, otherwise brown ppt of Mn is formed instead of 2 H2O + MnO4- + 3 e- à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Mn+ 4 In addition to that, the reaction solution has to be warmed to about 70 as the reaction rate is very slow. MATERIALS AND APPARATUS beaker measuring cylinder. Safety spectacles beaker conical flask pipette ,25 burette ,50, and stand wash bottle white file electrical heater sulphuric acid Potassium permanganate KMn solution Mixture solution PROCEDURE 1. 25.00of the mixture solution was transferred into a 250conical flask using a pipette rinsed by distilled water and the mixture solution 2. The burette rinsed by distilled water and NaOH is filled with NaOH 3. Titrate the mixture solution with 0.1M NaOH solotuion using phenolphthalein as indicactor 4. Until the solution turns pink, result is recorded in table 1 5. About 25.00of 1M sulphuric acid (using measuring cylinder) is added to the conical flask . 6. The mixture is then heated by electrical heater to at least 70. 7. The heated mixture is then titrated with 0.02M Potassium permanganate KMn until a permanent pink colour is observed 8. Record the result in Table2 RESULT Table 1 Titration result of mixture solution against NaOH Trial 1 2 3 Final burette reading 15.4 27.3 39.0 12.8 Initial burette Reading 3.1 15.4 27.3 1.0 Volume of NaOH Added 12.3 11.9 11.7 11.8 Mean Volume of NaOH added ( 11.7+11.8+11.9) /3 =11.8 Table 2 Titration result of mixture solution against KMn Trial 1 2 3 Final burette reading 35.0 26.4 45.5 40.6 Initial burette Reading 16.3 7.1 26.4 21.4 Volume of NaOH Added 18.7 19.3 19.1 19.2 Mean Volume of NaOH added ( 19.3+19.1+19.2) /3 =19.2 CALCUALTION Equation involved in the reaction between NaOH and mixture solution: + +Na(aq) Mole ratio of NaOH:=2:1 = =11.8/10000.1/2 =5.9xmol Molarity of = 5.9X/(25/1000) =2.36 x M + 2 Mn+ 16 2+8+10 Mole ratio of : Mn=5:2 = =519.2/10000.02/2 =9.610^-4 mol Mole of sodium ethane-1,2-dioate = 9.6x-5.91 l = 3.7 x mol Molarity of sodium ethane-1,2-dioate in mixture = 3.7 x/(25/1000) =1.48xM DISCUSSIONS CHOICE OF INDICATORS Phenolphthalein is used as indicator in the reaction between Sodium hydroxide and ethane-1, 2-dioic acid because the reaction involves a weak acid titrated against a strong alkali. REASON FOR HEATING THE MIXTURE SOLUTION The rate reaction between and Mn is very slow as there is repulsion between anion. REASON FOR HEATING MIXTURE SOLUTION IN THE CONICAL FLASK INSTEAD OF MN IN THE BURETTE Aqueous solution of Potassium permanganate KMn is unstable and can easily be decomposed. The decomposition is accelerated by heat. If it is put in the conical flask and heated, it will easily oxidize water to oxygen and the amount of KMn is therefore decreased. 4Mn 4Mn +3 In addition, if hot Potassium permanganate solution is added to the burette, it may cause expansion of burette, causing inaccurate measurement. END POINT The end-point is not very permanent because if the Mn ion is in large excess, the following reaction occur: 2 Mn+3+ 2 +4 DECOPOSITION OF POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE Potassium permanganate is easily decomposed and the decomposition is speed up by light, heat, acids, base, reducing agent in air such as hydrogen sulphide gas, , , and even by the end-product Therefore, it should be stored in brown bottle and should be standardized before use. ABSORPTION OF WATER BY SODIUM HYDROXIDE sodium hydroxide absorb water from air. The volume of solution increase, and hence cause a decrease in concentration, causing inaccurate calculation CONCLUSION The concentration of sodium ethane-1,2-dioate is 1.48xM while ethane-1, 2-dioic acids is 2.36 x M

Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) CHAPTER I 1.0 Introduction This paper will labour to explicate the intricacies of enterprise resource planning (ERP), a concept that has long fascinated many in both academic and professional work environments. The United Nations (UN) has expressed the need to implement ERP. As part of their examination into this procedure, the UN has implemented ERP at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Pristine, Republic of Kosovo, and other agencies of the UN. As they look into the ramifications of ERP implementation, so does this case study. This study attempts to make predictions of the impact of ERP implementation on the business processes and organisational culture of the United Nations secretariat based on results from the UNDP. 1.1 Introduction to the Problem Since the latter part of the 1990s, firms have rushed to implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, e.g., one study showed that more than sixty percent of Fortune 500 companies had adopted an ERP system (G. Stewart et al., 2000). The United Nations, as one of the largest organisations in the world, has lagged behind in adopting the transformation in the management of its resources. The United Nations has been seriously hampered its ability to deliver results effectively and efficiently due to the lack of an integrated information system for managing its resources (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). According to Davis and Olsen (1985), ERP is an integrated system that provides information to support operation management and decision making functions in an organisation. Therefore, the goal of implementing an ERP system and business process reengineering (BPR) is to build an integrated global information system that fully supports the needs of the United Nations, enables the effective management of human, financial and physical resources, and is based on streamlined processes and better practices. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2 Background of the Study 1.2.1 Existing System Currently the United Nations uses an in-house developed system—commonly referred to as Integrated Management Information System (IMIS)—for the management of human, financial and physical resources. The development of IMIS was a milestone in the use of information technology as a discipline that can beneficially affect many if not all areas of administration and management in any given organisation. IMIS was developed as a functionally integrated system, which combines all the departments to support key processes such as human resources management, payroll, finance and accounting, requisitioning and funds control, budget execution and travel management. IMIS was introduced in conjunction with desktop, networked computing and office automation tools such as electronic mail in all offices where IMIS was being used. If an organisation is not yet sure of the need for client-server networks, the state of the art in enterprise-wide computing, it has only to consider the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the United Nations, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The launching of IMIS was subsequently affected and conditioned by major developments in the technological market, and an accelerated shift of focus in the United Nations to field activities. In short, IMIS was designed and developed at a time when the context began to change rapidly and profoundly. Yet, only a few years after the implementation of IMIS, it has become evident that the system cannot take full advantage of the advancement in technology; e.g., even though IMIS is functionally integrated, it was deployed and managed locally at each geographical location, which makes reporting and global management very difficult. The implementation in the United Nations peacekeeping operation was partial, as it is a separate department in t he UN, and was not able to support the supply chain and logistical management. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The IMIS was not an alternative communication technology to paper and telephones, but it involved the synchronization of multiple data sources and the linking of them to several mainframes, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). An investment in tactical systems, which includes a stand-alone system and a modular integration into IMIS through interfaces, a bridging system between two different systems to allow data sharing, was able to address the functional gaps of IMIS. However, the organisation today faces challenges that demand profound transformation beyond the capabilities of IMIS and its ancillary legacy systems currently being used. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2.2 The need for change The United Nations struggled to get everybody in their building to connect electronically. It soon realised that it was time to connect the world with a client-server network, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The need for the United Nations to adopt the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) lead to the requirement of significant change in the accounting processes and systems in order to achieve compliance with the international public sector accounting standard. The requisites changes, indeed, were so fundamental that it is fair to say that the life of IMIS has come to an end after fourteen years since it was first implemented; moreover, the benefits that the staff and managers expect from the information system in day-to-day operations and decision-making no longer match the cost of maintenance and ongoing support. This is because IMIS is no longer able to cope with the fast technological development, and the cost of maintenance and ongoing support has become very expens ive. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The success of your organisations quality initiative depends upon your ability to communicate the need for change throughout the organization, (Arcaro and Arcarco, 1997: 146). The United Nations as an organisation needs to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of the services it provides. They report that the existing systems are not up to the standard, not integrated, duplicative, and are inefficient. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) According to the UN, the effective management, planning and decision-making have been hampered by the lack of integration and complete data on resources. (ibid) As the organisation continues to grow in complexity in its activities, they are dissatisfied with the lack of integration and data sharing between different departments as it has become a bigger problem, and the need for a new ICT global enterprise system for streamlining and simplifying processes has become more crucial as the nature of the organisation is changing itself. (ibid) 1.2.3 Goals and objectives of implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning System The United Nations reports that the implementation of an ERP system will present the opportunity to fully combine resources and functions across the organisation by replacing the existing IMIS system. (ibid) Minahan (1998) reports ERP to be a complex software system that ties together and automates the basic processes of business activities such as finance and budget management, human resources management, supply chain management, central support services, and other corporate core functions. Most importantly, the main value of an ERP system is the opportunity to streamline and improve the operations of an entire organisation through process reengineering, sharing of common data, and implementation of best practices and standards, and perform as the inter-organisation information backbone for communication and collaboration (OLeary, 2004). According to reports from the United Nations (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008), the main objectives of the ERP project can be summarised as follows: To have a global operating system that precisely captures core resource data from each department and agency at the UN while linking them together to provide better decision-making. This will minimize the time required to perform administrative processes and enable easy access to necessary reports for each department, thus increasing the efficiency of the organisation and directing the focus to high priority situations. The main functionalities sought from the new ERP system are expected to encompass functions such as programme planning, budgeting, contributions and performance; human resources management and administration; payroll, including management of benefits and contribution to pension, medical and insurance schemes; supply chain management, including procurement; assets and facilities management; general accounting, travel and other administrative flows; reporting to management and stakeholders, and more. (ibid) Specific United Nations peacekeeping operations functions such as logistics, transportation, fuel and rations systems need to be supported by the new ERP system as these functions are not held in common with other organisations of the United Nations operations. 1.3 Purpose and Significance of the Study The research done in this study will attempt to answer the following question: What will be the impact of ERP implementation on the business transformation and business culture of the United Nations? Specifically, the study will attempt to establish the relationship between the business process transformation and organisational culture change offered as the result of ERP. These questions and findings are expected to provide an increased ability in evaluating the performance and standardisation of the business processes within the United Nations, as well as an increased awareness of its effect on the business culture and productivity over time of the UN. In addition, answers to these questions will subsequently enable other researchers to gain more insight into ERP implementation and business process reengineering. It will also enable the management of the United Nations to see how ERP can be a better means of technological reform, thus providing the opportunity to re-evaluate the existing business processes even further. 1.4 Research Questions The question that constitutes the primary point of pivot for the paper is: What will be the probable future impact of ERP on the business process transformation and business culture of the United Nations? The three subsidiary questions of the present work are: > How will ERP implementation make the organisation better off in the foreseeable future? > What will be the effect on the reformed business culture in terms of productivity? > How does the organisation perceive the benefit of ERP on the standardisation of business processes? 1.5 Structural Approach The rest of the thesis has been structured as follows. Chapter 2 provides a review of relevant literature, including ERP, business process reengineering, and their impact on organisational culture. Chapter 3 discusses the methodologies used for the empirical analysis and describes the data and the various proxies employed for analysing ERP implementation in the United Nations. Chapter 4 provides empirical findings of the relationship between ERP implementation and its effects on business processes and organisational culture. Chapter 5 analyses the research findings. Chapter 6 concludes the research by pointing out the key impacts of ERP on the UN. Chapter 7 makes various recommendations for policy direction and potentially fruitful areas of ERP systems for further research. Chapter 8 reflects on the study as a whole. CHAPTER II 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW The following Literature Review will focus on four main areas of evaluation regarding enterprise resource planning (ERP) on the business process transformation (BPR) in organisations, and more specifically, the United Nations. These are: 1. ERP: definition, evolution, implications 2. BPR: definition, evolution, implications 3. ERP and organisational culture 4. BPR and organisational change This review will analyse the abovementioned systems and related processes insofar as the available data in the literature will allow for a comparison of ERP and BPR and their effects on the United Nations and other large organisations. 2.1 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are commonly described as commercial software packages that allow the assimilation of data and processes throughout an organisation (Markus Tanis, 2000, cited in Kim et al., 2005). ERP enables the flow of information among all business areas such as finance, human resources, manufacturing, sales and marketing, (Tan and Theodorou, 2009: 52). Basically, it allows data from all departments to exist in one computer system (Pang, 2001), making the managerial dream of unification of all information systems into one computer system come true (Adam ODoherty, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007). This unification should offer many benefits to the UN and other large organisations. Large organisations may have a more difficult time relaying information from one sector to another as they have many different departments and even multiple locations. The combination of all department in one system, presents benefits of relaying data in a timely manner. Rather tha n sending files through inter-office mail or needing to track down one particular staff member, each employee will have access to the information required for their job by simply logging into the system. The researcher will attempt to discover whether this unification does indeed allow for more time-efficiency as well as making simple operations tasks easier to accomplish in the UN. The start of ERP systems came about in the 1960-1970s with the invention of Inventory Control (IC) and Materials Requirement Planning (MPR) systems, which managed inventory in manufacturing. In the 1980s, Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRP II) systems came into use to manage both inventory and production requirements together. In 1973, the first ERP system was created with the goal of supporting all business needs. Since then, ERP systems have become much more popular. In fact, by the year 2000, enterprise resource planning systems were estimated to have serviced $23 billion USD in profits for the various organisations that have been implementing them (Pang, 2001). ERP applications are the largest, fastest growing and most influential in the industry (Corbett Finney, 2007). This is probably why the UN has shown such interest in ERP. The increase in ERP implementation does not seem surprising as ERP allows corporations to update to a new integrated system cutting out the previous legacy systems known for their difficulties in maintenance, large size, and old age, as they are segregated systems (Martin, 1998; cited in Boudreau, 1999). This appears to be helpful for the UN as they reported difficulty with their current legacy system (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). It is likely that employees of the UN will be satisfied with the replacement of the legacy system due to the reported problems it has. However, there is a chance that employees may be intimidated by this change as they will have to learn an entirely new system. Advantages of ERP systems for organisations include overcoming fragmentation by streamlining activities and processes, which provides direct access to real-time information by supplying a group of software modules that encase all departments of a business (Koch, 2003, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This appears to be an accurate statement due to the convenience of having all departments existing together. This implies that all information accessed through the new system will be current as it is constantly being updated by various employees based on the tasks they complete. Rather than there being pieces of information in various places, all information regarding the same issue will be together implying that employees can look in one place and have all the information they need rather than searching through various documents or consulting multiple co-workers. This aspect of ERP systems will be investigated at the UNDP in Kosovo in order to determine whether this feature is benefici al. Furthermore, ERP systems are said to provide cost-reduction in addition to increased flexibility (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). These two benefits appear to be linked as decreasing operation costs would imply having more flexibility to perform other processes. For the UN, this would mean more money to use for their peacekeeping missions or other operations. However, flexibility does not depend on cost-reduction. Its possible for the availability of data to imply flexibility in making decisions or flexibility could result from rearranging the organisations processes and being better equipped to perform certain tasks. ERP systems have been reported to enhance business performance by accelerating the merger of organisational resources as well as strengthening the operational efficiency of the company through minimising human error (Shin Knapp, 2001, cited by Wang, 2006). The implication that ERP reduces human error seems to be correct as there is les s opportunity to make a mistake for employees because there is generally only one time they need to input information for data-sharing as opposed to the multiple steps needed to take before. These benefits should assist the UN in accomplishing some of their proposed goals such as linking all departments within one operations system, which decreases the time required for administrative processes. The UN hopes implementation will increase their operational efficiency by allowing valuable time to be spent focusing on high priority situations rather than simple operations tasks (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). More advertised benefits include improved information accuracy and decision-making capacity (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). The UN wants to make use of these proposed advantages (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). Decision-making is a large part of the UN as they have to make difficult decisions everyday that effect large numbers of p eople; making a bad decision is not necessarily easily corrected in this case. Furthermore, many situations the UN deals with are time-sensitive; if its easier to access data, and the accuracy of that data is improved, officials can rest assured that they are making decisions with proper knowledge. In implementing ERP, organisations no longer have to create their own applications that are then unique to their company. They now have standard software available for their business processes, referred to as Best Business Practices (BBP). BBPs came into existence around the same time as ERPs. BBPs are general guidelines to assist companies in the way of handling certain business processes, meaning that each company can now improve itself on the basis of the experience of other corporations that share similar functional processes (SAP, 2007, cited by Revia, 2007). It seems any organisation would be hesitant to implement a system that has not proved to benefit other large organisations as the risks of failure are high (source). BBPs should definitely help the UN as they will be benefitting from previous experiences of other corporations. Some of the disadvantages of ERP are that the implementation requires time, costs and risks (Boudreau, 1999), as they tend to be large, complicated, and expensive (Mabert et al., 2001, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008: 3). ERP implementation calls for serious time commitment from all involved as it is often the biggest project that an organisation will ever face (Moon, 2007). ERP execution requires new procedures, employee training and managerial and technical support (Shang Seddon, 2002, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008), which can be accomplished through good communication of the corporate strategy to all employees (Umble et al., 2003, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). Consequently, the biggest problem is not actually the implementation itself but the expectations of board members and senior staff as well as not having a clear plan or realistic projections (Somers Nelson 2004, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). However, the UN ha s already proposed clear goals and plans for their implementation. The question is whether or not they will be able to successfully translate these goals/plans to all employees of the organisation and whether or not they will be successful. Finally, the importance of selecting the appropriate ERP package is stressed. Corporations must make sure they select the appropriate ERP package that will match their organisation as well as its business processes (Chen, 2001, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This seems obvious as every organisation is different. Some corporations strategise around providing excellent customer service while others focus on decreasing costs to customers as a way to attract more business. However, there are studies that show that customising ERP packages beyond minimal adjustments is discouraged; these studies show that organisations should adjust their processes to fit the package rather than adjust the package to fit the processes (Murray Coffin, 2001 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008). 2.2 Business Process Transformation (BPR): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Business process reengineering (BPR) was not very popular until the release of the book Re-engineering the Corporation by Michael Hammer and James Champy (Barker, 1995). Hammer and Champy introduced the term Business process reengineering in 1990 and defined it as a fundamental redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical areas such as cost, quality, service and speed (Hammer, 1990). Business process reengineering is also defined as a strategic redesign of important business processes, including the systems and policies that support them, in order to achieve maximum productivity of an organisation (Manganelli Klein, 1994). This would suggest a link between ERP and BPR as they are both structured around the redesign of core business processes. In fact, some goals of BPR are the reduction of cost, cycle-time, defects, and the increase of worker productivity (Hales Savoie, 1994), very much the same as ERP. The aim of BPR is to change current business pro cesses in order to make them more efficient overall, again mimicking ERP. In fact, Some researchers suggest that ERP systems are the major tools for making business processes better, leaner and faster through associated business process reengineering, (Shang Seddon, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007: 25). It is not yet known whether or not BPR will be performed at the UN. It is assumed that it will as it is so closely related to ERP. Additionally, reports have shown that ERP often causes BPR to occur due to its very nature (Martin et al., 1999). It seems that in order for ERP to be most successful, BPR should be performed (Sumner, 2000 cited by Law Ngai, 2007), otherwise the UN may not recognize exactly which processes are most important for their operations. Or, they may not be fully aware of the exact way in which ERP should be performed in relation to the core business processes, which is vital to understand for the selection of the proper ERP package. BPR has its origins in the private sectors as a management tool for companies to deal with change and reorganise their work to improve customer service, cut operational costs, and become world-class competitors, (Hamid, 2004, cited in Wang, 2006: 5). Generally, business process transformation takes business processes and allows the m to be done routinely through a computer system. It incorporates peoples perspectives and input to make sure that the processes fit needs specific to each corporation (Wang, 2006). This suggests benefits for ERP implementation in any organisation as the systems are supposed to be designed around core processes specific to each company. It would be helpful for the UN to determine which processes are vital to their operations. Furthermore, cutting operational costs should prove to be very valuable for the UN as many of the services it provides are non-profit. If BPR is performed as a result of ERP, it seems that cost reduction will be achieved. Here is a further look into what a core business process is: A core business process is one that gives value to the customers or stakeholders of the company. These are the most important processes within the organisation and are the ones that will set a company above their competitors if done well. In order to figure out what processes are cor e, one may ask the following questions. 1) Does the process make valued contributions to the customer? Does it improve customer service, increase response-time, decrease customers costs? 2) Is it important for the production/operation of the company? 3) Can it be used for other businesses? If the answer is yes to one of these questions, then the process under consideration can be considered core (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). The UN may consider any process involving cash flow to be core as that is a huge component to many of the services they provide. Furthermore, any documentation of information from one department to another is probably considered core as this organisation relies on data-sharing for its decision-making capabilities. Therefore, it seems that these types of processes will be affected by ERP implementation and will most likely be reengineered. The three most basic strategies that increase a business success are lowering prices, offering more value in products, or focusing on less diversity in commodities and specialising in a certain area (Berrington Oblich, 1995). This suggests that BPR would be structured around these strategies when reorganizing core business processes. If the UN is restructuring using BPR, they are likely to focus on a combination of strategies. As already mentioned, the cost of operations is a huge factor for the United Nations to consider as they provide aid to many countries without expecting any favours in return. This implies they would focus on reduction of costs. However, the main reason they are an organisation is to provide services to those in need. That would suggest they would reorganise their business processes around the strategy of offering more value in their services. In implementing BPR, organisations are asked to choose five or six of the processes that are central to the operation of the company and focus on those to see the ways in which they can make them more efficient (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). Concentrating on making sure core processes are completed to the best of the companys ability only ensures the organisation will do better. In the case of the UN, focusing on data-sharing and managing cash flow suggests an increase in the efficiency of the organisation as those components are vital to their operation. These changes would suggest benefits for both the cost-reduction strategy as well as providing better service to customers. 2.3 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Organisational Culture Organisational culture is a set of core beliefs, values, and behaviours shared by all members of one company, thereby affecting the productivity of the business. It is often described as a pattern of shared assumptions produced and manipulated by top management (Schein, 1992 cited by Boersma Kingma, 2005: 131). Organisational culture is influenced through many aspects, including leadership, personal characteristics, interactions of members, as well as tradition. Culture has visible signs and hidden insinuations. Visible signs include behaviour while the hidden insinuations entail morals and beliefs (Rousseau, 1990 cited by Cooper, 1994). The culture of an organisation is even displayed in the way certain processes are done as well as the outcomes of these processes, which will be examined at the UNDP in Kosovo. Because ERP systems involve most departments in a company, they change many business processes and thereby affect the more deep-seated organisational culture of a corporation . Companies that focus on incorporating their cultures into organisational efforts are said to have an edge in accordance with their productivity. Organisations can focus on culture and work with the people to shape new values, morals and work ethics. If employees are happy to be working for the organisation, they will be more apt to want to work, implying there will be an increase in productivity (Farbrother Marc, 2003). Enterprise resource planning can lead to changes in organisational culture i.e., ERP is implemented in order to increase productivity by changing current business processes (Deal Kennedy, 1982 cited by Cooper, 1994). These changes are maximal and cannot be simply brushed aside. When a company implements ERP, if the organisational culture is ready for the changes it will bring, the employees can work with the system to increase productivity. Consequently, the culture within the business must be one that can be made amenable for change (Nah et al., 2001 cited in Co rbett Finney, 2007). There is the belief that positive and supportive attitudes of those embarking on implementation of ERP will actually bring about a successful transition (Chatterjee et al., 2002 cited in Law Ngai, 2007). However, if the culture has not been made ready for change or the employees are unwilling to change, the system will be less likely to succeed. A system cannot work if there are no users. System implementation represents a threat to users perceptions of control over their work and a period of transition during which users must cope with differences between old and new work systems, (Bobek Sternad, 2002: 285). The social setting of a company and its technology most definitely shape each other; they are hardly independent of one another (Boersma Kingma, 2005). A mistake companies frequently make is to presume that people can change their habits easily when in actuality such changes are considerably taxing for many people. These companies underestimate the effect ERP implementation will have on their employees. Many employees panic when nothing looks the way it used to, nothing works the way it used to, and they can no longer go through their workday with the previously earned sense of familiarity and assurance (Koch, 2007 cited in Revia, 2007). One study showed that it took over two years for users of the new system to forget the process problems they found initially and to gain new knowledge of the system (Seddon Shang, 2003 cited in Revia, 2007). A Chief Information Officer from Nestle sums up this concept very well—she says, No major software implementation is really about the software. Its about change management†¦You are changing the way people work†¦You are challenging their principles, their beliefs and the way they have done things for many, many years (Boersma Kingma, 2005: 123). It seems the best way to ensure that employees are on board with proposed changes is to make them aware of these changes. It is important for them to feel that they are included in the decision to create new values and procedures for the company. Otherwise, they will be clinging on to the old culture and ways of doing things. The change will be stressful and forced rather than welcomed with ease. They should feel that the change is happening because of them rather than happening to them. The most senior level of management initiates enterprise resource planning, but its success depends on its acceptance by the companys ordinary workers (Obolensky, 1996). Cultures can be manipulated by those in management (Handy, 1985 cited by Cooper, 1994). Change can be intimidating and needs to be managed well. Therefore, the conclusion is drawn that managers need to make sure each and every employee is doing their part. This literature suggests that leaders are the most important players in any c hange scenario. Employees wont decide to change their behavi Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) CHAPTER I 1.0 Introduction This paper will labour to explicate the intricacies of enterprise resource planning (ERP), a concept that has long fascinated many in both academic and professional work environments. The United Nations (UN) has expressed the need to implement ERP. As part of their examination into this procedure, the UN has implemented ERP at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Pristine, Republic of Kosovo, and other agencies of the UN. As they look into the ramifications of ERP implementation, so does this case study. This study attempts to make predictions of the impact of ERP implementation on the business processes and organisational culture of the United Nations secretariat based on results from the UNDP. 1.1 Introduction to the Problem Since the latter part of the 1990s, firms have rushed to implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, e.g., one study showed that more than sixty percent of Fortune 500 companies had adopted an ERP system (G. Stewart et al., 2000). The United Nations, as one of the largest organisations in the world, has lagged behind in adopting the transformation in the management of its resources. The United Nations has been seriously hampered its ability to deliver results effectively and efficiently due to the lack of an integrated information system for managing its resources (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). According to Davis and Olsen (1985), ERP is an integrated system that provides information to support operation management and decision making functions in an organisation. Therefore, the goal of implementing an ERP system and business process reengineering (BPR) is to build an integrated global information system that fully supports the needs of the United Nations, enables the effective management of human, financial and physical resources, and is based on streamlined processes and better practices. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2 Background of the Study 1.2.1 Existing System Currently the United Nations uses an in-house developed system—commonly referred to as Integrated Management Information System (IMIS)—for the management of human, financial and physical resources. The development of IMIS was a milestone in the use of information technology as a discipline that can beneficially affect many if not all areas of administration and management in any given organisation. IMIS was developed as a functionally integrated system, which combines all the departments to support key processes such as human resources management, payroll, finance and accounting, requisitioning and funds control, budget execution and travel management. IMIS was introduced in conjunction with desktop, networked computing and office automation tools such as electronic mail in all offices where IMIS was being used. If an organisation is not yet sure of the need for client-server networks, the state of the art in enterprise-wide computing, it has only to consider the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the United Nations, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The launching of IMIS was subsequently affected and conditioned by major developments in the technological market, and an accelerated shift of focus in the United Nations to field activities. In short, IMIS was designed and developed at a time when the context began to change rapidly and profoundly. Yet, only a few years after the implementation of IMIS, it has become evident that the system cannot take full advantage of the advancement in technology; e.g., even though IMIS is functionally integrated, it was deployed and managed locally at each geographical location, which makes reporting and global management very difficult. The implementation in the United Nations peacekeeping operation was partial, as it is a separate department in t he UN, and was not able to support the supply chain and logistical management. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The IMIS was not an alternative communication technology to paper and telephones, but it involved the synchronization of multiple data sources and the linking of them to several mainframes, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). An investment in tactical systems, which includes a stand-alone system and a modular integration into IMIS through interfaces, a bridging system between two different systems to allow data sharing, was able to address the functional gaps of IMIS. However, the organisation today faces challenges that demand profound transformation beyond the capabilities of IMIS and its ancillary legacy systems currently being used. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) 1.2.2 The need for change The United Nations struggled to get everybody in their building to connect electronically. It soon realised that it was time to connect the world with a client-server network, (Rowe Davis, 1996: 122). The need for the United Nations to adopt the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) lead to the requirement of significant change in the accounting processes and systems in order to achieve compliance with the international public sector accounting standard. The requisites changes, indeed, were so fundamental that it is fair to say that the life of IMIS has come to an end after fourteen years since it was first implemented; moreover, the benefits that the staff and managers expect from the information system in day-to-day operations and decision-making no longer match the cost of maintenance and ongoing support. This is because IMIS is no longer able to cope with the fast technological development, and the cost of maintenance and ongoing support has become very expens ive. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) The success of your organisations quality initiative depends upon your ability to communicate the need for change throughout the organization, (Arcaro and Arcarco, 1997: 146). The United Nations as an organisation needs to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of the services it provides. They report that the existing systems are not up to the standard, not integrated, duplicative, and are inefficient. (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008) According to the UN, the effective management, planning and decision-making have been hampered by the lack of integration and complete data on resources. (ibid) As the organisation continues to grow in complexity in its activities, they are dissatisfied with the lack of integration and data sharing between different departments as it has become a bigger problem, and the need for a new ICT global enterprise system for streamlining and simplifying processes has become more crucial as the nature of the organisation is changing itself. (ibid) 1.2.3 Goals and objectives of implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning System The United Nations reports that the implementation of an ERP system will present the opportunity to fully combine resources and functions across the organisation by replacing the existing IMIS system. (ibid) Minahan (1998) reports ERP to be a complex software system that ties together and automates the basic processes of business activities such as finance and budget management, human resources management, supply chain management, central support services, and other corporate core functions. Most importantly, the main value of an ERP system is the opportunity to streamline and improve the operations of an entire organisation through process reengineering, sharing of common data, and implementation of best practices and standards, and perform as the inter-organisation information backbone for communication and collaboration (OLeary, 2004). According to reports from the United Nations (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008), the main objectives of the ERP project can be summarised as follows: To have a global operating system that precisely captures core resource data from each department and agency at the UN while linking them together to provide better decision-making. This will minimize the time required to perform administrative processes and enable easy access to necessary reports for each department, thus increasing the efficiency of the organisation and directing the focus to high priority situations. The main functionalities sought from the new ERP system are expected to encompass functions such as programme planning, budgeting, contributions and performance; human resources management and administration; payroll, including management of benefits and contribution to pension, medical and insurance schemes; supply chain management, including procurement; assets and facilities management; general accounting, travel and other administrative flows; reporting to management and stakeholders, and more. (ibid) Specific United Nations peacekeeping operations functions such as logistics, transportation, fuel and rations systems need to be supported by the new ERP system as these functions are not held in common with other organisations of the United Nations operations. 1.3 Purpose and Significance of the Study The research done in this study will attempt to answer the following question: What will be the impact of ERP implementation on the business transformation and business culture of the United Nations? Specifically, the study will attempt to establish the relationship between the business process transformation and organisational culture change offered as the result of ERP. These questions and findings are expected to provide an increased ability in evaluating the performance and standardisation of the business processes within the United Nations, as well as an increased awareness of its effect on the business culture and productivity over time of the UN. In addition, answers to these questions will subsequently enable other researchers to gain more insight into ERP implementation and business process reengineering. It will also enable the management of the United Nations to see how ERP can be a better means of technological reform, thus providing the opportunity to re-evaluate the existing business processes even further. 1.4 Research Questions The question that constitutes the primary point of pivot for the paper is: What will be the probable future impact of ERP on the business process transformation and business culture of the United Nations? The three subsidiary questions of the present work are: > How will ERP implementation make the organisation better off in the foreseeable future? > What will be the effect on the reformed business culture in terms of productivity? > How does the organisation perceive the benefit of ERP on the standardisation of business processes? 1.5 Structural Approach The rest of the thesis has been structured as follows. Chapter 2 provides a review of relevant literature, including ERP, business process reengineering, and their impact on organisational culture. Chapter 3 discusses the methodologies used for the empirical analysis and describes the data and the various proxies employed for analysing ERP implementation in the United Nations. Chapter 4 provides empirical findings of the relationship between ERP implementation and its effects on business processes and organisational culture. Chapter 5 analyses the research findings. Chapter 6 concludes the research by pointing out the key impacts of ERP on the UN. Chapter 7 makes various recommendations for policy direction and potentially fruitful areas of ERP systems for further research. Chapter 8 reflects on the study as a whole. CHAPTER II 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW The following Literature Review will focus on four main areas of evaluation regarding enterprise resource planning (ERP) on the business process transformation (BPR) in organisations, and more specifically, the United Nations. These are: 1. ERP: definition, evolution, implications 2. BPR: definition, evolution, implications 3. ERP and organisational culture 4. BPR and organisational change This review will analyse the abovementioned systems and related processes insofar as the available data in the literature will allow for a comparison of ERP and BPR and their effects on the United Nations and other large organisations. 2.1 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are commonly described as commercial software packages that allow the assimilation of data and processes throughout an organisation (Markus Tanis, 2000, cited in Kim et al., 2005). ERP enables the flow of information among all business areas such as finance, human resources, manufacturing, sales and marketing, (Tan and Theodorou, 2009: 52). Basically, it allows data from all departments to exist in one computer system (Pang, 2001), making the managerial dream of unification of all information systems into one computer system come true (Adam ODoherty, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007). This unification should offer many benefits to the UN and other large organisations. Large organisations may have a more difficult time relaying information from one sector to another as they have many different departments and even multiple locations. The combination of all department in one system, presents benefits of relaying data in a timely manner. Rather tha n sending files through inter-office mail or needing to track down one particular staff member, each employee will have access to the information required for their job by simply logging into the system. The researcher will attempt to discover whether this unification does indeed allow for more time-efficiency as well as making simple operations tasks easier to accomplish in the UN. The start of ERP systems came about in the 1960-1970s with the invention of Inventory Control (IC) and Materials Requirement Planning (MPR) systems, which managed inventory in manufacturing. In the 1980s, Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRP II) systems came into use to manage both inventory and production requirements together. In 1973, the first ERP system was created with the goal of supporting all business needs. Since then, ERP systems have become much more popular. In fact, by the year 2000, enterprise resource planning systems were estimated to have serviced $23 billion USD in profits for the various organisations that have been implementing them (Pang, 2001). ERP applications are the largest, fastest growing and most influential in the industry (Corbett Finney, 2007). This is probably why the UN has shown such interest in ERP. The increase in ERP implementation does not seem surprising as ERP allows corporations to update to a new integrated system cutting out the previous legacy systems known for their difficulties in maintenance, large size, and old age, as they are segregated systems (Martin, 1998; cited in Boudreau, 1999). This appears to be helpful for the UN as they reported difficulty with their current legacy system (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). It is likely that employees of the UN will be satisfied with the replacement of the legacy system due to the reported problems it has. However, there is a chance that employees may be intimidated by this change as they will have to learn an entirely new system. Advantages of ERP systems for organisations include overcoming fragmentation by streamlining activities and processes, which provides direct access to real-time information by supplying a group of software modules that encase all departments of a business (Koch, 2003, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This appears to be an accurate statement due to the convenience of having all departments existing together. This implies that all information accessed through the new system will be current as it is constantly being updated by various employees based on the tasks they complete. Rather than there being pieces of information in various places, all information regarding the same issue will be together implying that employees can look in one place and have all the information they need rather than searching through various documents or consulting multiple co-workers. This aspect of ERP systems will be investigated at the UNDP in Kosovo in order to determine whether this feature is benefici al. Furthermore, ERP systems are said to provide cost-reduction in addition to increased flexibility (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). These two benefits appear to be linked as decreasing operation costs would imply having more flexibility to perform other processes. For the UN, this would mean more money to use for their peacekeeping missions or other operations. However, flexibility does not depend on cost-reduction. Its possible for the availability of data to imply flexibility in making decisions or flexibility could result from rearranging the organisations processes and being better equipped to perform certain tasks. ERP systems have been reported to enhance business performance by accelerating the merger of organisational resources as well as strengthening the operational efficiency of the company through minimising human error (Shin Knapp, 2001, cited by Wang, 2006). The implication that ERP reduces human error seems to be correct as there is les s opportunity to make a mistake for employees because there is generally only one time they need to input information for data-sharing as opposed to the multiple steps needed to take before. These benefits should assist the UN in accomplishing some of their proposed goals such as linking all departments within one operations system, which decreases the time required for administrative processes. The UN hopes implementation will increase their operational efficiency by allowing valuable time to be spent focusing on high priority situations rather than simple operations tasks (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). More advertised benefits include improved information accuracy and decision-making capacity (Siriginidi, 2000 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). The UN wants to make use of these proposed advantages (Report of the Secretary-General, 2008). Decision-making is a large part of the UN as they have to make difficult decisions everyday that effect large numbers of p eople; making a bad decision is not necessarily easily corrected in this case. Furthermore, many situations the UN deals with are time-sensitive; if its easier to access data, and the accuracy of that data is improved, officials can rest assured that they are making decisions with proper knowledge. In implementing ERP, organisations no longer have to create their own applications that are then unique to their company. They now have standard software available for their business processes, referred to as Best Business Practices (BBP). BBPs came into existence around the same time as ERPs. BBPs are general guidelines to assist companies in the way of handling certain business processes, meaning that each company can now improve itself on the basis of the experience of other corporations that share similar functional processes (SAP, 2007, cited by Revia, 2007). It seems any organisation would be hesitant to implement a system that has not proved to benefit other large organisations as the risks of failure are high (source). BBPs should definitely help the UN as they will be benefitting from previous experiences of other corporations. Some of the disadvantages of ERP are that the implementation requires time, costs and risks (Boudreau, 1999), as they tend to be large, complicated, and expensive (Mabert et al., 2001, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008: 3). ERP implementation calls for serious time commitment from all involved as it is often the biggest project that an organisation will ever face (Moon, 2007). ERP execution requires new procedures, employee training and managerial and technical support (Shang Seddon, 2002, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008), which can be accomplished through good communication of the corporate strategy to all employees (Umble et al., 2003, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). Consequently, the biggest problem is not actually the implementation itself but the expectations of board members and senior staff as well as not having a clear plan or realistic projections (Somers Nelson 2004, cited by Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, and Eldabi, 2008). However, the UN ha s already proposed clear goals and plans for their implementation. The question is whether or not they will be able to successfully translate these goals/plans to all employees of the organisation and whether or not they will be successful. Finally, the importance of selecting the appropriate ERP package is stressed. Corporations must make sure they select the appropriate ERP package that will match their organisation as well as its business processes (Chen, 2001, cited in Corbett Finney, 2007). This seems obvious as every organisation is different. Some corporations strategise around providing excellent customer service while others focus on decreasing costs to customers as a way to attract more business. However, there are studies that show that customising ERP packages beyond minimal adjustments is discouraged; these studies show that organisations should adjust their processes to fit the package rather than adjust the package to fit the processes (Murray Coffin, 2001 cited in Al-Fawaz, Al-Salti, Eldabi, 2008). 2.2 Business Process Transformation (BPR): Definition, Evolution, and Implications Business process reengineering (BPR) was not very popular until the release of the book Re-engineering the Corporation by Michael Hammer and James Champy (Barker, 1995). Hammer and Champy introduced the term Business process reengineering in 1990 and defined it as a fundamental redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical areas such as cost, quality, service and speed (Hammer, 1990). Business process reengineering is also defined as a strategic redesign of important business processes, including the systems and policies that support them, in order to achieve maximum productivity of an organisation (Manganelli Klein, 1994). This would suggest a link between ERP and BPR as they are both structured around the redesign of core business processes. In fact, some goals of BPR are the reduction of cost, cycle-time, defects, and the increase of worker productivity (Hales Savoie, 1994), very much the same as ERP. The aim of BPR is to change current business pro cesses in order to make them more efficient overall, again mimicking ERP. In fact, Some researchers suggest that ERP systems are the major tools for making business processes better, leaner and faster through associated business process reengineering, (Shang Seddon, 2003, cited in Revia, 2007: 25). It is not yet known whether or not BPR will be performed at the UN. It is assumed that it will as it is so closely related to ERP. Additionally, reports have shown that ERP often causes BPR to occur due to its very nature (Martin et al., 1999). It seems that in order for ERP to be most successful, BPR should be performed (Sumner, 2000 cited by Law Ngai, 2007), otherwise the UN may not recognize exactly which processes are most important for their operations. Or, they may not be fully aware of the exact way in which ERP should be performed in relation to the core business processes, which is vital to understand for the selection of the proper ERP package. BPR has its origins in the private sectors as a management tool for companies to deal with change and reorganise their work to improve customer service, cut operational costs, and become world-class competitors, (Hamid, 2004, cited in Wang, 2006: 5). Generally, business process transformation takes business processes and allows the m to be done routinely through a computer system. It incorporates peoples perspectives and input to make sure that the processes fit needs specific to each corporation (Wang, 2006). This suggests benefits for ERP implementation in any organisation as the systems are supposed to be designed around core processes specific to each company. It would be helpful for the UN to determine which processes are vital to their operations. Furthermore, cutting operational costs should prove to be very valuable for the UN as many of the services it provides are non-profit. If BPR is performed as a result of ERP, it seems that cost reduction will be achieved. Here is a further look into what a core business process is: A core business process is one that gives value to the customers or stakeholders of the company. These are the most important processes within the organisation and are the ones that will set a company above their competitors if done well. In order to figure out what processes are cor e, one may ask the following questions. 1) Does the process make valued contributions to the customer? Does it improve customer service, increase response-time, decrease customers costs? 2) Is it important for the production/operation of the company? 3) Can it be used for other businesses? If the answer is yes to one of these questions, then the process under consideration can be considered core (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). The UN may consider any process involving cash flow to be core as that is a huge component to many of the services they provide. Furthermore, any documentation of information from one department to another is probably considered core as this organisation relies on data-sharing for its decision-making capabilities. Therefore, it seems that these types of processes will be affected by ERP implementation and will most likely be reengineered. The three most basic strategies that increase a business success are lowering prices, offering more value in products, or focusing on less diversity in commodities and specialising in a certain area (Berrington Oblich, 1995). This suggests that BPR would be structured around these strategies when reorganizing core business processes. If the UN is restructuring using BPR, they are likely to focus on a combination of strategies. As already mentioned, the cost of operations is a huge factor for the United Nations to consider as they provide aid to many countries without expecting any favours in return. This implies they would focus on reduction of costs. However, the main reason they are an organisation is to provide services to those in need. That would suggest they would reorganise their business processes around the strategy of offering more value in their services. In implementing BPR, organisations are asked to choose five or six of the processes that are central to the operation of the company and focus on those to see the ways in which they can make them more efficient (McHugh, Merli, Wheeler, 1995). Concentrating on making sure core processes are completed to the best of the companys ability only ensures the organisation will do better. In the case of the UN, focusing on data-sharing and managing cash flow suggests an increase in the efficiency of the organisation as those components are vital to their operation. These changes would suggest benefits for both the cost-reduction strategy as well as providing better service to customers. 2.3 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Organisational Culture Organisational culture is a set of core beliefs, values, and behaviours shared by all members of one company, thereby affecting the productivity of the business. It is often described as a pattern of shared assumptions produced and manipulated by top management (Schein, 1992 cited by Boersma Kingma, 2005: 131). Organisational culture is influenced through many aspects, including leadership, personal characteristics, interactions of members, as well as tradition. Culture has visible signs and hidden insinuations. Visible signs include behaviour while the hidden insinuations entail morals and beliefs (Rousseau, 1990 cited by Cooper, 1994). The culture of an organisation is even displayed in the way certain processes are done as well as the outcomes of these processes, which will be examined at the UNDP in Kosovo. Because ERP systems involve most departments in a company, they change many business processes and thereby affect the more deep-seated organisational culture of a corporation . Companies that focus on incorporating their cultures into organisational efforts are said to have an edge in accordance with their productivity. Organisations can focus on culture and work with the people to shape new values, morals and work ethics. If employees are happy to be working for the organisation, they will be more apt to want to work, implying there will be an increase in productivity (Farbrother Marc, 2003). Enterprise resource planning can lead to changes in organisational culture i.e., ERP is implemented in order to increase productivity by changing current business processes (Deal Kennedy, 1982 cited by Cooper, 1994). These changes are maximal and cannot be simply brushed aside. When a company implements ERP, if the organisational culture is ready for the changes it will bring, the employees can work with the system to increase productivity. Consequently, the culture within the business must be one that can be made amenable for change (Nah et al., 2001 cited in Co rbett Finney, 2007). There is the belief that positive and supportive attitudes of those embarking on implementation of ERP will actually bring about a successful transition (Chatterjee et al., 2002 cited in Law Ngai, 2007). However, if the culture has not been made ready for change or the employees are unwilling to change, the system will be less likely to succeed. A system cannot work if there are no users. System implementation represents a threat to users perceptions of control over their work and a period of transition during which users must cope with differences between old and new work systems, (Bobek Sternad, 2002: 285). The social setting of a company and its technology most definitely shape each other; they are hardly independent of one another (Boersma Kingma, 2005). A mistake companies frequently make is to presume that people can change their habits easily when in actuality such changes are considerably taxing for many people. These companies underestimate the effect ERP implementation will have on their employees. Many employees panic when nothing looks the way it used to, nothing works the way it used to, and they can no longer go through their workday with the previously earned sense of familiarity and assurance (Koch, 2007 cited in Revia, 2007). One study showed that it took over two years for users of the new system to forget the process problems they found initially and to gain new knowledge of the system (Seddon Shang, 2003 cited in Revia, 2007). A Chief Information Officer from Nestle sums up this concept very well—she says, No major software implementation is really about the software. Its about change management†¦You are changing the way people work†¦You are challenging their principles, their beliefs and the way they have done things for many, many years (Boersma Kingma, 2005: 123). It seems the best way to ensure that employees are on board with proposed changes is to make them aware of these changes. It is important for them to feel that they are included in the decision to create new values and procedures for the company. Otherwise, they will be clinging on to the old culture and ways of doing things. The change will be stressful and forced rather than welcomed with ease. They should feel that the change is happening because of them rather than happening to them. The most senior level of management initiates enterprise resource planning, but its success depends on its acceptance by the companys ordinary workers (Obolensky, 1996). Cultures can be manipulated by those in management (Handy, 1985 cited by Cooper, 1994). Change can be intimidating and needs to be managed well. Therefore, the conclusion is drawn that managers need to make sure each and every employee is doing their part. This literature suggests that leaders are the most important players in any c hange scenario. Employees wont decide to change their behavi