Exploring Factors Causing Disparity between Desired and Experienced Effects of Campus ERP Systems

Abstract: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have been used by organizations and companies throughout the world since 1990. Many universities have recently replaced their legacy systems with ERP systems to improve work efficiency. One solution available for universities by way of management information system is the Campus ERP system. The Campus ERP system helps universities incorporate all departments and functions within a single database system that manages all student information. The Campus ERP is used to facilitate the routine work of end users and to achieve a better resource management. Nevertheless, the effects of the Campus ERP systems experienced by users do not correspond with their desired effects of these systems. To investigate the reasons for these differences, we conduct an empirical study at the University of Nizwa (UoN) in Oman to identify the differences between desired effects and experienced effects of the Campus ERP system and the reasons for these differences. The target group from UoN were administrators, developers and teachers. We examine the impacts of the Campus ERP system by introducing the TOC model as a catalogue of criteria to investigate the determinants affecting the influence of the ERP system. In our study, we classify these determinants as avoided reasons, identified reasons, and unidentified reasons. We investigate whether there exists any difference between desired effects and experienced effects at UoN, assuming that the university is aware of the avoided reasons and the identified reasons. Thus, we set out to discover the unidentified reasons for the difference. By doing so, we contribute to a new understanding of unknown influential factors that lead to the difference between desired and experienced effects of ERP systems, which is significant as a yardstick for the successful implementation of Campus ERP projects.