- Broad Assignment Aim
This assignment aims at testing students' understanding about the factors that contribute to the failure of a complex ERP system in two case companies chosen from any two journal articles mentioned in Appendix-A. Students are required to:
a) classify the ERP systems failure reported at those case companies
b) apply a Factor-based Framework to analyse the ERP system failure at those two
case companies
c) cite a number of scholarly sources to compare the outcomes of students’ analysis
with the broader views on IT systems failure expressed in the IT literature. d) provide some recommendations to avoid such failure
Specific Instructions
You are required to carefully read any TWO (2) journal articles on ERP systems failure described in SEVEN (7) journal articles listed in Appendix-A. You can access them through using Monash Library e-catalogue search process. Drawing on the reading of the articles as well as your own understanding (developed from attending FIT9123 unit and reading relevant articles identified at your own initiative), prepare Assignment 1 Report addressing the following tasks:
[Note: Please feel free to make any relevant assumptions (if needed) in support of your arguments and clearly articulate those assumptions in your report.]
Your answer should be approximately the “suggested length” specified for each task.
Task 1: Identifying Failure Types (10 x 3 = 30 marks)
Drawing on the ideas of various types of IT systems failure (discussed in FIT9123 Unit), analyse the failure of the ERP system described in two case articles that you have chosen from Appendix-A, in terms of:
interaction failure
process failure
correspondence failure
Suggested length: Maximum three pages
Task 2: Identify Critical Failure Factors (4x 10 = 40 marks)
What are the four (4) most critical factors that you believe may have contributed to the ERP system failure described in each of the two case articles that you have chosen from Appendix-A? Discuss.
Suggested length: Maximum four pages
Task 3: Cross-Case Comparison (10 marks)
Perform a cross-case comparison in terms of the key failure factors. What useful observations do you make (e.g. common failure factors, unique failure factors, classification of failure factors)? Discuss.
Suggested length: Maximum one page
Task 4: Recommendations (5 x 2 = 10 marks)
Had you been the CIO of those two companies reported in two case articles that you have chosen from Appendix-A, recommend TWO key actions, for each of those two case companies, that you would had taken in order to avoid the ERP system failure.
Suggested length: Maximum one page
Task 5: Use of References (0.5 x 10 = 5 marks)
Include at least ten (10) scholarly references and cite them in the body of your assignment report and add full references in the bibliography (use APA style).
Task 6: Report Format (5 marks)
Carefully prepare your Assignment 1 report by following guidelines provided in Sections 4 and 6 of this Assignment document.
4000 words
