Title: A study into the creation of feral information systems as a response to an ERP implementation within the supply chain of a large government-owned corporation

Authors: Luke Houghton, Don V. Kerr

Addresses: Griffith Business School, Griffith University, University Drive, Meadowbrook, Queensland 4131, Australia. ' Griffith Business School, Griffith University, University Drive, Meadowbrook, Queensland 4131, Australia

Abstract: This paper investigates the creation of feral systems as a response to an Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) systems implementation of Systems, Applications and Products (SAP) in the supply chain of a large Government-Owned Corporation (GOC). Using a case study approach and extensive interviews, the researchers found that a SAP system was rigid, highly structured and ignored by some elements of the social system. Moreover, it focused on technical prowess of the SAP solution at the apparent expense of supporting real-world activity. Such a focus allowed the spontaneous creation of |feral systems| that involved ad hoc processes used to get around the SAP solution, to complete important work. This paper begins with an analysis of the feral systems concept and then examines the case study of feral systems in the organisation in question. This paper concludes with a call for future research into feral systems and their effectiveness on ERP systems to support real-world activity.

Keywords: SAP implementation; feral systems; social systems; ERP; enterprise resources planning; supply chain management; information systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIEM.2006.010239

International Journal of Internet and Enterprise Management, 2006 Vol.4 No.2, pp.135 - 147

Published online: 11 Jul 2006 *

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