Adoption of ERP Systems in Small and Medium Enterprises: A Study of Multiple Cases In Southern of Minas Gerais

Copy igh © 2022 by Au ho /s and Licensed by IADITI. This is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems Enginee ing and Managemen 2022, 7(3), 15819 e-ISSN: 2468-4376 h ps://www.jisem-jou nal.com/ Resea ch A icle Adop ion o ERP Sys ems in Small and Medium En e p ises: A S udy o Mul iple Cases In Sou he n O Minas Ge ais Rod igo F anklin F oge i1, Ped o dos San os Po ugal Júnio 1 *, Fab ício Pelloso Piu cosky2, Gua acy Sil a3 1 Cen o Uni e si á io do Sul de Minas UNIS-MG B azil 2 Cen o Uni e si á io In eg ado - B azil 3 Unicesuma * Co esponding Au ho : ped o.junio @unis.edu.b Ci a ion: F oge i, R. F., Júnio , P. D. S. P., Piu cosky, F. P., and Sil a, G. (2022). Adop ion O ERP Sys ems in Small and Medium En e p ises: A S udy o Mul iple Cases In Sou he n O Minas Ge ais. Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems Enginee ing and Managemen , 7(3), 15819. h ps://doi.o g/10.55267/iad .07.12244 ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Recei ed: 19 May 2022 Accep ed: 20 Jul. 2022 This wo k analyzes he adop ion o En e p ise Resou ce Planning (ERP) in o ma ion sys ems in small and m edium en e p ises (SMEs). Adop ion o ERP in SMEs can p o ide be e con ol o o ganiza ional p ocesses and quali y o he in o ma ion ha d i es decision-making. Howe e , small and medium- sized en e p ises ha e long emained ou side he scope o ERP ado p ion esea ch. Cu en scien i ic li e a u e co e , a i s , la ge i ms and when SMEs a e he uni o analysis, esul s a e no simila whe he compa ed o he la ge i ms. Thus, his esea ch aims o iden i y and analyze he ac o s ha in luence he adop ion o ERP in SMEs. This pu pose was achie ed h ough a quali a i e app oach, induc i e logic, in e p e i e epis emology, and a mul iple case s udy (six i ms) in companies loca ed a he sou he n o Minas Ge ais s a e, B azil. Da a we e collec ed by in e iews wi h he manage s (adminis a i e o IT) and analyzed by wo echniques: Lexical and Con en Analysis. We used I amu eq so wa e o suppo Lexical Analysis. We obse ed ha he adop ion o ERP in SMEs has highe in luence by Technological and O ganiza ional cons uc s han by En i onmen al ac o s. Va iables such as comme cial pa ne ships, ex e nal suppo and compe i i eness we e no obse ed as a ac o ha in luence ERP adop ion in SMEs. O he wise, added alue, compa ibili y, i m size, an d he composi ion o he s ee ing body we e obse ed as a ac o ha posi i ely in luence ERP adop ion in B azilians SMEs. Keywo ds: Small and medium en e p ises, In o ma ion sys ems, En e p ise Resou ce Planning, Technology- O ganiza ion-En i onmen . INTRODUCTION The shi o compe i i eness om a local o global le el equi es small and medium businesses be e con ol o hei o ganiza ional p ocesses and quali y in he in o ma ion ha can di ec he decision-making p ocess (Rui o e al., 2012). In his con ex , he adop ion o In o ma ion Sys ems (IS) ype ERP is obse ed as one o he p emises o SMEs o ha e minimum le els o p ocedu al con ols and gene a ion o s uc u ed in o ma ion holis ically in he i m (Rui o e al., 2012). Acco ding o (P a es and Ospina, 2004, p. 12), in SMEs " he inc ease in o ganiza ional accu acy, aided by in o ma ion sys ems, can lead o g ea e e iciency in he adminis a ion o hei p ocesses, esou ces, ac i i ies and g ea e e ec i eness in ob aining p e iously es ablished esul s". The ele ance o his wo k lies in p esen ing, h ough a mul iple case s udy in he Sou h o Minas Ge ais, B azil - he ac o s ha lead o he implemen a ion o ERP In o ma ion Sys ems in SMEs. SMEs a e companies ha ha e limi ed human, inancial esou ces and lack s a egic p ac ices (Rod igo F anklin F oge i e al., 2019). These cha ac e is ics do no allow SMEs o make la ge in es men s, as is he case wi h he implemen a ion o an ERP, wi hou a p ospec o e u n o he o ganiza ion (Toma , 2017). Inc easingly used in companies, ERP can p o ide ad an ages such as agili y in o ganiza ional p ocesses (Rui o e al., 2012). Mo eo e , he adop ion o ERP ype SI in SMEs can imp o e he quali y o o ganiza ional in o ma ion, suppo he s a egic decision-making p ocess and, indi ec ly, p o ide compe i i e ad an age in ela ion o companies ha do no ha e such IT capaci y (Rod igo F anklin F oge i e al., 2019). F oge i R.F. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15819 2 / 10 Howe e , small and medium-sized en e p ises ha e long emained ou side he scope o ERP esea ch (Toma , 2017). The con en s ound in he cu en bibliog aphy co e , a i s , la ge companies and when hey a e applied in SMEs do no p esen simila esul s (Toma , 2017). Thus, his esea ch can con ibu e o he expansion o he li e a u e in ol ing SMEs and he adop ion o ERP in SMEs. This s udy aims o iden i y and analyze he ac o s ha in luence he adop ion o ERP In o ma ion Sys ems in SMEs. Thus, he ollowing esea ch ques ion led he s udy: ac o s associa ed wi h Technology, he O ganiza ion, and he En i onmen o which he o ganiza ion is subjec in luence he adop ion o ERP sys ems in SMEs? This pu pose was achie ed h ough a quali a i e, induc i e logic app oach wi h in e p e i e epis emology and a mul iple case s udy in companies in he Sou h o Minas Ge ais. The da a we e analyzed h ough Con en Analysis (Ba din, 2011) and Lexical Analysis (Ma chand and Ra inaud, 2012). THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Theo e ical amewo k was o ganized in o h ee sec ions. Fi s sec ion discusses In o ma ion Sys em ypes and i s concep . Second sec ion discusses ERP in o ma ion sys em cha ac e is ics. Thi d sec ion p esen s he ERP in o ma ion sys ems adop ion model based on (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016). In o ma ion Sys ems Acco ding o (Laudon and Laudon, 2015, p. 15) an In o ma ion Sys em (SI) can be echnically de ined as “a se o in e ela ed componen s ha collec (o e ie e), p ocess, s o e, and dis ibu e in o ma ion designed o suppo decision- making, coo dina ion, and con ol in an o ganiza ion. In addi ion, in o ma ion sys ems also help manage s and wo ke s analyze p oblems, isualize complex issues, and c ea e new p oduc s”. Acco ding o (S ai , 1998, p. 12) "in o ma ion sys ems a e a se ies o in e ela ed elemen s o componen s ha collec (inpu ), manipula e and s o e (p ocess), dissemina e (ou pu ) da a and in o ma ion, and p o ide a eedback mechanism." (Laudon and Laudon, 2015) sugges di e en ypes o in o ma ion sys ems, including: T ansac ion P ocessing Sys ems (TPS), Managemen In o ma ion Sys ems (MIS), Decision Suppo Sys ems (DSS) and Execu i e Suppo Sys ems (ESS). TPS can be de ined as compu e ized sys ems ha pe o m and eco d day- o-day ansac ions o he ope a ion o a i m, such as sales and paymen s (Laudon and Laudon, 2015). Using he da a gene a ed by TPS, MIS p o ides epo s wi h he o ganiza ion's cu en pe o mance o manage s and hus helps moni o and con ol he i m. Wi h he in o ma ion gene a ed by TPS, MIS and in o ma ion om ex e nal sou ces, DSS ocus on unique p oblems. Finally, he ESS suppo senio managemen in non- ou ine decisions, whe e he e is a need o pe cep ion and common sense (Laudon and Laudon, 2015). ERP In o ma ion Sys ems Acco ding o (Laudon and Laudon, 2015), he need o in eg a e all ypes o in o ma ion sys ems esul ed in he eme gence o ERP sys ems, ac onym o En e p ise Resou ce Planning. Acco ding o Souza and Zwicke (200, p. 47), ERP sys ems can be de ined as: "In eg a ed in o ma ion sys ems, acqui ed in he o m o comme cial so wa e packages, in o de o suppo mos o a i m's ope a ions (supplies, manu ac u ing, main enance, inancial adminis a ion, accoun ing, human esou ces, e c.)". Acco ding o (Pan and Jang, 2008, p. 100), "ERPs acili a e he au oma ion o many, i no all, basic p ocesses in o de o in eg a e in o ma ion in o a i m and o elimina e complex and expensi e in e aces be ween compu e sys ems”. This ype o IS can be a di e en ial o he i m because can in eg a e da a, consolida ing in o ma ion and making hem a ailable quickly (Ca alho e al., 2008). The in o ma ion is s o ed in a single da abase ha inc eases eliabili y, secu i y and access (Ca alho e al., 2008). In eg a ed managemen sys ems a e so wa e pu chased o mee he compu e iza ion needs o a wide gama o i m ope a ions. A single, cen alized da abase media es he a ious in o ma ion ha will be p ocessed in modules wi h in eg a ed p ocesses be ween he depa men s o a i m (Escoba - Rod iguez e al., 2014). (Zwicke and de Souza, 2000) p esen a se o cha ac e is ics ound in ERP ype sys ems ha dis inguishes i om o he sys ems, ha is: (i) ERP's a e comme cial so wa e packages - ERPs a e so wa e eady o be pu chased; (ii) ERP's inco po a e s anda d business p ocess models. ERPs a e designed wi h adi ional business p ocess models o se e mo e companies and ha e scale; (iii) ERPs in eg a e he a ious a eas o a i m. ERPs in eg a e in o ma ion be ween depa men s. A single sys em se es mul iple depa men s o he i m; (i ) ERP's use a co po a e da abase. All i m in o ma ion is s o ed in a single da a sou ce; ( ) ERP's ha e a wide unc ional scope. Fo each business p ocess, ERPs p o ide many unc ions. The se o hese unc ions o m he modules, usually connec ed o a depa men ; ( i) ERP's equi e adjus men p ocedu es. They allow cus omiza ion and pa ame e iza ion in hei p ocesses o sui he pa icula i ies o a i m. They a e always up o da e o imp o emen s and bug ixes. Finally, an En e p ise Resou ce Planning (ERP) can be concep ualized as a ype o so wa e ha o ganiza ions use o manage day- o-day business ac i i ies such as accoun ing, p ocu emen , p ojec managemen , isk managemen and compliance, and supply chain ope a ions. A comple e ERP sui e also includes en e p ise pe o mance managemen , so wa e ha helps plan, budge , p edic , and epo on an o ganiza ion’s inancial esul s. Howe e , o ganiza ions’ eali ies a e no all iden ical and ERP's unc ionali ies may a y depending on he indus y b anch. ERP In o ma ion Sys ems adop ion model To analyze he ac o s ha in ol e he adop ion o an ERP in Small and Medium En e p ises (SMEs), we sough in he s udy o (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016) he cons uc s ha in ol e his phenomenon. (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016) p esen a axonomy o he TOE (Technology, O ganiza ion and En in onmen ) s uc u e o .The s uc u e sugges ed by (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016) de ines h ee cons uc s o he adop ion o an ERP, namely: Technology, O ganiza ion, and he En i onmen . Fo each cons uc , a iables we e de ined, as shown in Figu e 1, as ollows: 3 / 10 F oge i R.F. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15819 Figu e 1. P oposed s uc u e o ERP adop ion (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016) de ine ha he Technology cons uc is composed o a iables ela ed o he a ailabili y o physical esou ces, knowledge o echnical suppo , he bene i s ha ERP adop ion can esul and da a secu i y. Table 1 p esen s he Technology cons uc , i s a iables, and assump ions wi h i s espec i e de ini ion. The O ganiza ion cons uc , i s a iables, and assump ions wi h he espec i e de ini ion is p esen ed in Table 2. The las cons uc o axonomy sugges ed by (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016) is he En i onmen , composed o h ee a iables (compe i i eness, ex e nal suppo , and comme cial pa ne ships). Table 3 p esen s he En i onmen al cons uc , i s a iables, and assump ions wi h he espec i e de ini ion. Thus, based on he axonomy o he TOE model sugges ed by (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016) he wel e assump ions o his s udy we e es ablished. Table 1. Technology - TOE axonomy Va iable Assump ions De ini ion In as uc u e IT P1. The a ailabili y o IT in as uc u e signi ican ly de e mines he adop ion o an ERP- ype In o ma ion Sys em. IT in as uc u e is made up o ha dwa e and so wa e. Thus, he a ailabili y o ha dwa e such as compu e s, ne wo ks and in e ne can in luence he adop ion o ERP Technical knowledge P2. The a ailabili y o echnical know-how signi ican ly de e mines he SMEs adop ion o ERP. Technical knowledge suppo s ERP de ini ions and main enance. Compa ibili y P3. Compa ibili y be ween ERP so wa e and exis ing pla o ms makes i possible o be used among SMEs. Possible ERP in eg a ions wi h o he in e nal o ex e nal pla o ms (such as ax obliga ions) signi ican ly de e mines he adop ion o ERP. Added alue P4. The added alue and/o bene i s o ERP so wa e o acili a e ope a ions make i possible o adop ion among SMEs. Added alue as compe i i e ad an age can signi ican ly in luence ERP adop ion. Sa e y P5. The e is a signi ican ela ionship be ween in o ma ion secu i y and ERP adop ion. The in o ma ion uni ied and s o ed in a da abase ep esen s mo e secu i y and his can de e mine he adop ion o ERP. F oge i R.F. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15819 4 / 10 Table 2. O ganiza ion - TOE axonomy Va iable Assump ions De ini ion Fi m Size P6. The size o SMEs signi ican ly de e mines he possibili y o he adop ion o ERP ins alla ions. The size, in his case, is ela ed in he scope o ope a ion (local, egional, s a e, na ional and in e na ional) and he numbe o se ices p o ided. Composi ion o he s ee ing body P7. The composi ion o he go e ning body o he decision- making eam signi ican ly de e mines he adop ion o ERP acili ies by SMEs. The o ganiza ion's s a egies a e de ined by senio managemen . The knowledge ela ed o he inno a ion o manage s can suppo he adop ion o ERP. Scope o business ope a ions P8. The scope o business ope a ions is mo e likely o posi i ely de e mine ERP adop ion. Companies wi h mo e echnological business ope a ions such as e-comme ce make hem mo e ecep i e o inno a ion. Subjec i e no ms P9. Subjec i e s anda ds signi ican ly de e mine he possibili y o adop ion o ERP esou ces. The subjec i e no m i s inse ed in he social in luence in a g oup. I decision make s belong o a g oup wi h inno a i e people, inno a ion can hus be in luenced, such as ERP. Table 3. En i onmen al - TOE axonomy Va iable Assump ions De ini ion Compe i i eness P10. Compe i i e p essu e signi ican ly de e mines he adop ion o ERP solu ions by SMEs. A i m inse ed in a ma ke wi h high compe i i eness will be mo i a ed o inno a e o gain an ad an age o e i s compe i o . Ex e nal Suppo P11. Ex e nal suppo signi ican ly in luences he adop ion o ERP so wa e by SMEs. Ex e nal suppo , such as s a e unding, can in luence he adop ion o an ERP in an SME. Comme cial pa ne ships P12. The eadiness o ading pa ne s signi ican ly de e mines he adop ion o ERP by SMEs. The need o be in eg a ed wi h you supplie s and cus ome s can de e mine he adop ion o ERP. METHODOLOGY Me hodologically, he s udy has a quali a i e app oach, induc i e logic and in e p e i e epis emology. As o he objec i e, i is desc ip i e and is cha ac e ized by being a mul iple case s udy. The di e si y o classi ica ions gi en o he concep o SMEs in e e e in scien i ic s udies ha seek compa a i e conclusions wi h o he coun ies (R.F. F oge i e al., 2019). In B azil, o example, we ha e ins i u ions such as Seb ae ha de ine he size o he i m acco ding o he numbe o employees and he Na ional De elopmen Bank (BNDES) ha conside s annual g oss ope a ing e enue o annual income. Table 4 shows he BNDES classi ica ion o companies acco ding o hei size, used in his s udy: The companies pa icipa ing in his s udy a e in Pouso Aleg e, sou h o Minas Ge ais. Pouso Aleg e is he second la ges ci y in sou he n Minas Ge ais, wi h mo e han 150,000 inhabi an s. Due o i s loca ion, whe e i is 200 kilome e s om he capi al São Paulo and 400 om Belo Ho izon e, i has become an indus ial hub. Table 4. BNDES Classi ica ion Classi ica ion Annual G oss Ope a ing Re enue o Annual Income Mic oen e p ise Less han o equal o R$ 360,000 Small business G ea e han R$ 360,000,00 and less han o equal o R$ 4.8 million Medium en e p ise G ea e han R$ 4.8 million and less han o equal o R$ 300 million La ge i m G ea e han R$ 300 million Table 5. Companies pa icipa ing in he s udy Fi m Id Sec o Size Alpha P o ision o se ices Small business Be a P o ision o se ices Medium en e p ise Gama Indus ial Medium en e p ise Del a Indus ial Medium en e p ise Ze a Indus ial Medium en e p ise 5 / 10 F oge i R.F. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15819 Table 6. In e iewees pa icipa ing En e p ise Id Name Gende Posi ion Time in he posi ion Educa ion Alpha E1 Male Adminis a i e Manage 3 yea s old G adua ion in In o ma ion Sys ems. Specializa ion in IT Go e nance Be a E2 Female Adminis a i e and Financial Manage 5 yea s old G adua ion in Business Adminis a ion Gama E3 Female Adminis a i e Manage 2 yea s old G adua ion in Human Resou ces Managemen Del a E4 Female Adminis a i e Manage 2 yea s old G adua ion in Business Adminis a ion. Pos g adua e in p oduc ion planning and con ol Del a E5 Male IT Manage 6 yea s old G adua ion in In o ma ion Sys ems. Specializa ion in IT Go e nance Ze a E6 Female Adminis a i e and Financial Manage 6 yea s old G adua ed in Accoun ing. Specializa ion in business managemen Da a collec ed occu ed by semi-s uc u ed in e iews conduc ed acco ding o he sc ip desc ibed in Appendix I, based on he axonomy o he TOE model sugges ed (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016). The in e iews happened wi h six manage s and decision make s o he i ms in ol ed in his s udy. Da a analysis was pe o med using he Con en Analysis (Ba din, 2011) and Lexical Analysis (Ma chand and Ra inaud, 2012). (Ba din, 2011) sugges s ha he Con en Analysis echnique occu s in h ee s ages: p e-analysis, explo a ion o he ma e ial and ea men o he ob ained esul s and in e p e a ion. In he i s s age, he p epa a ion and eading o he ma e ial we e pe o med, going o he coding and ca ego iza ion s age o he ma e ial, and eaching he analysis and in e p e a ion o he esul s. Lexical Analysis was elabo a ed h ough he I amu eq ex ual analysis so wa e ha allows analysis such as wo d cloud, simili ude analysis, ac o analysis o co espondence (CFA) among o he s (Cama go and Jus o, 2013). To ollow he bes p ac ices in scien i ic esea ch in ol ing human beings, he s udy was submi ed o he Resea ch E hics Commi ee in B azil (CEP) and is app o ed unde he numbe o Ce i ica e o P esen a ion o E hical App ecia ion (CAAE) 39615720.3.0000.5111. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION Table 5 shows he classi ica ion o he companies pa icipa ing in his s udy. Due o he di e si y o classi ica ions o a i m, i was decided o classi y he i ms by BNDES classi ica ion because i in ol es he annual income o a i m and no he numbe o employees. Acco ding o (To ès and Julien, 2005), a small i m is no necessa ily a small business; a small i m, bu wi h cha ac e is ics o a la ge business, has decen alized managemen , high le el o wo k specializa ion, explici and long- e m s a egy, complex and o mal in e nal and ex e nal in o ma ion sys ems and, o he mos pa , ope a e in wo ld ma ke s (To ès and Julien, 2005). Table 5 p esen he iden i ica ion o he i m, sec o , and size. Among he i ms desc ibed, only Ze a ope a es in e na ionally, he o he s na ionwide. Al a has been in he ma ke o mo e han 20 yea s, specializes in cleaning and conse a ion, ou sou cing o labo , u ban pes con ol, se ices wi h a ious ucks and equipmen en al. The Be a i m ope a es since 1996 p o iding indus ial echnical cleaning se ice, mechanized sweeping, highway main enance, hype acuum and equipmen leasing. In he ma ke o 15 yea s, Gama ope a es in he p oduc i e sec o o na u al asse s, h ough he ex ac ion o essen ial oils om wood. Fo mo e han 30 yea s in he ma ke , Del a ope a es in he p oduc ion sec o o popsicle and ice c eam. And he ze a i m, ope a es in he impo o cosme ic aw ma e ial o mo e han 2 yea s. Da a we e collec ed be ween Oc obe and No embe 2020. Pa o he in e iews we e conduc ed ia ideocon e encing so wa e (3), and pa in pe son (2). Table 6 highligh s he socio- demog aphic da a o he in e iewees, and o he 5 companies (Del a i m had wo in e iewees). All in e iewees ha e a leas comple e highe educa ion. Fou o he in e iewees a e emale and wo a e male. The p edominan posi ion among he in e iewees is adminis a i e manage (5) and only one IT manage . Analysis was ini ia ed by he Technology cons uc acco ding TOE axonomy. We obse ed ha he a iables "IT In as uc u e" and "Technical knowledge in IT" a e a iables o suppo he adop ion o an ERP and a e no de e mining ac o s, acco ding o he in e iewees’ s a emen s: "The in as uc u e is obus and suppo ed he adop ion. Bu i was no decisi e" (E5) and "We s a om he p emise ha all employees o ou i m ha e echnical knowledge, so his did no a ec he choice o ERP." (E1). The a iables "Value added" and "Compa ibili y" we e ci ed in mos esponses as de e mining ac o s. The a iable "Added alue" had 100% (6) o he esponden s' answe s ini ia ed by a i ma ion wo ds. The esponses demons a e he bene i s gained om he adop ion o ERP in o ma ion sys em, acco ding o he s a emen s: "Wi h he ERP, he in o ma ion is mo e eliable, as and o ganized, and also con ibu ed o he educ ion o ope a ing cos s." (E1); "[…] mo e planning, eal- ime in o ma ion, con ol and agili y in in o ma ion" (E2); "[…] op imiza ion o ime, sa e y, g ea e con ol" (E3); "[…] agili y in in o ma ion o aid decision-making" (E4); "[…] cos educ ion, elimina ion o ewo k and in eg a ion o in o ma ion" (E5) and "[…] ensu es beyond he inely uned con ol o cos s, eliabili y o in o ma ion and compila ion o esul s mo e e icien ly and in li le ime." (E6). The a iable "Compa ibili y" was ci ed as a F oge i R.F. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15819 6 / 10 de e mining ac o in ou o he six possible esponses mo i a ed, o example, by he need o in eg a ion wi h legacy so wa e, as epo ed: "Yes, he i m has legacy so wa e and he in eg a ion wi h his so wa e was essen ial." (E5). All in e iewees (6) a i med he impo ance o he a iable "Secu i y", acco ding o he s a emen s: "Yes, o in o ma ion secu i y" (E4); "[…] is a secu i y o he i m." (E5). Howe e , only h ee in e iewees conside ed ha he supposed secu i y o in o ma ion ha an ERP in o ma ion sys em can p o ide is a de e mining ac o o i s adop ion, acco ding o he s a emen s: "Yes, o su e! This was a de e mining ac o o he adop ion o ERP" (E1); "Yes, we belie e i was a de e mining ac o as well." (E3) and "Yes, no doub , secu i y and ease o sha ing in o ma ion as a whole." (E6). To comple e he analysis o he echnology cons uc , lexical analysis was applied o he ex ual co pus o he s a emen s (Figu e 2). Wo d cloud analysis p esen s a p edominance o he wo d "Yes - Sim" ( equency equal o 16), "de e minan - de e minan e" (12), and "ERP" (11), sugges ing ha he Technology cons uc is a de e mining ac o o he adop ion o an ERP. The analysis o simili ude allowed iden i ying he ela ionship be ween hese wo ds and e idenced he e m "de e minan - de e minan e" as cen al, suppo ing he analysis by wo d cloud and a i ying he cons uc "Technology" as a de e mining elemen in he adop ion o an ERP. Howe e , we obse ed in he analyses o his cons uc ha only he a iables "Value added" and "Compa ibili y" had se e al ci a ions abo e he mean alue (see Table 7). Thus, he analyses sugges ha he a iables "Value added" and "Compa ibili y" a e he mos ele an wi hin he Technology cons uc , ag eeing wi h he esul s o (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016). Howe e , he a iables "IT In as uc u e" and "Technical Knowledge" we e no obse ed as a de e mining ac o o he adop ion o an ERP in an SME, con adic ing he esul s p esen ed by (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016). (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016) sugges as an explana ion o he a iables "IT In as uc u e" and "Technical knowledge" as ele an o he adop ion o an ERP he ollowing a gumen s: "(...) Nige ia, when compa ed o o he economies (including Sou h A ica, India and e en Ghana), mode n echnologies ha e no ye eached a ela i ely high le el o adop ion - ew SME employees/owne s own compu e s and in eg a e online ope a ions" (Awa & Ojiabo, 2016, p. 917). Figu e 2. Wo d cloud analysis and simili ude o he Technology cons uc 1 Table 7. Con en analysis o he Technology cons uc Va iable De e mining ac o Added Value Compa ibili y 6 quo es 4 quo es Compa ibili y 4 quo es Sa e y 3 quo es Technical knowledge 1 quo e IT In as uc u e No quo e The a gumen s o (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016) a e mo e suppo ed when obse ing he s udy by (P emkuma and Robe s, 1999) and (Thong, 1999) whe e he a iable "IT In as uc u e" is no obse ed as a p edic o o he adop ion o an In o ma ion Sys em. SMEs wi h owne s wi h inno a i e cha ac e is ics and g ea e knowledge in In o ma ion Technology a e a de e mining ac o o he adop ion o an IS (Thong, 1999) while companies ha a e in mo e compe i i e ma ke s and su e om ex e nal p essu es end o al eady ha e an IT in as uc u e, and his is no a ele an ac o o 1 Da a we e analyzed in b azilian po uguese language. adop an IS (P emkuma and Robe s, 1999). The analysis o he O ganiza ion cons uc p esen ed he a iables "Fi m size" and "Composi ion o he s ee ing body" as de e mining ac o s o he adop ion o an ERP in o ma ion sys em. Among he in e iewees, ou highligh ed he a iable " i m Size", acco ding o he s a emen s: "Ou i m ope a es a he na ional le el, and i s g ow h was a de e mining ac o o he adop ion o ERP." (E1); and "[...] om a ce ain size he i m needs an ERP o suppo he ope a ion." (E5). The a iable "Composi ion o he s ee ing body" was also men ioned ou 7 / 10 F oge i R.F. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15819 imes as a de e mining ac o , acco ding o epo s: "Yes, he di ec ion o he i m was a de e mining ac o o he implemen a ion o he ERP." (E1); and "The s a ing decision o he boa d is c ucial o he unde s anding o adop ion by he es o he i m." (E5). We obse ed ha he a iables "Scope o business ope a ions" and "Subjec i e no ms" a e no de e mining ac o s o he adop ion o an ERP in o ma ion sys em, acco ding o he s a emen s: "[…] he b anch o he i m may ha e delayed adop ion, due o high seasonali y ha does no allow well- de ined scena ios o implemen a ion" (E5) and "[…] inno a ion is some hing always discussed bu did no in luence adop ion" (E4). To comple e he analysis o he O ganiza ion cons uc , he lexical analysis was applied o he ex ual co pus o he s a emen s (Figu e 3). Figu e 3. Wo d cloud analysis and simili ude o he O ganiza ion cons uc 2 Table 8. Con en analysis o he Technology cons uc Va iable De e mining ac o Fi m Size 4 quo es Composi ion o he s ee ing body 4 quo es Subjec i e no ms 2 quo es Scope o business ope a ions 1 quo e Table 9. Con en analysis o he En i onmen cons uc . Va iable De e mining ac o Comme cial pa ne ships Ex e nal Suppo 2 Quo es 1 quo e Compe i i eness No quo e Comme cial pa ne ships 2 Quo es Wo d cloud analysis p esen s a p edominance o he wo d " i m - emp esa" (14), "ERP" (12), "no - não" (11) and "yes - sim" (10), sugges ing ha his cons uc was o med wi h de e minan a iables and o he a iables no de e minan o e p adop ion. The analysis o simili ude allowed o iden i y his di ision. The e o e, i con i ms wha is obse ed in he s a emen s o his cons uc , since he a iable "Fi m size" and "Compa ibili y" had ci a ions o de e mining ac o s and on he o he hand he a iables "Scope o business ope a ions" and "Subjec i e no ms" we e no men ioned in mos s a emen s as a de e mining ac o . Table 8 p esen s, in summa y, he analysis o each a iable belonging o he O ganiza ion cons uc . ´ The analyses p esen ed in Table 8 ha e close alignmen wi h he esul s ound by (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016). The a iables "Subjec i e no ms" and "Scope o ope a ion" we e also obse ed by (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016) wi h low explana o y powe o he adop ion o an ERP in SMEs, unlike he a iable 2Da a we e analyzed in b azilian po uguese language. "Fi m size" which p esen ed a s ong posi i e in luence and "Composi ion o he s ee ing body" wi h a mode a e in luence (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016). The las cons uc analyzed was he En i onmen . Among he eigh een answe s o he in e iewees o he cons uc a iables, i een con ained he wo d "No - Não", acco ding o he analyses pe o med. The a iables ha p esen ed a ce ain highligh we e only "Comme cial pa ne ships" (2) and "Ex e nal suppo " (1), bu he e we e no s a emen s ha sugges ed hese a iables as de e minan s o he adop ion o an ERP (see Table 9): The esul s abou he cons uc "En i onmen " a e, in i s en i e y, aligned wi h hose obse ed by (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016) when obse ing Nige ian SMEs. The h ee a iables o he cons uc "En i onmen ", al hough in luen ial in he phenomenon, do no p o ide explana ion o he adop ion o an ERP. The analyses sugges ha he model o adop ion o an ERP, F oge i R.F. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15819 8 / 10 p esen ed by (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016), should be e hough o a con ex o B azilians small and medium-sized i ms, as shown in Figu e 4. The model p esen ed in Figu e 4 sugges s ha he Technological and O ganiza ional cons uc s a e mo e ele an han he En i onmen al cons uc o he adop ion o an ERP in o ma ion sys em in an SME. I is sugges ed he emo al o he a iable "IT In as uc u e" om he Technology cons uc , since i was no ele an in he analyses pe o med. The analyses sugges ha he adop ion o an ERP does no conside he a iable "IT In as uc u e" as a de e mining ac o , sugges ing ha his analysis will occu a a ime a e he adop ion decision. Mo eo e , he a iable "Compe i i eness" o he En i onmen cons uc was also obse ed as non- de e mining o he adop ion o an ERP. The dashed line in Figu e 4 sugges s he li le in luence o he En i onmen cons uc o he adop ion o an ERP in he con ex o an SME. Al hough p esen in he in e iewees' s a emen s, he a iables "Ex e nal Suppo " and "Comme cial Pa ne ships" we e no lis ed as de e minan s in he adop ion o an ERP. Figu e 4. Adop ion mode o ERP in o ma ion sys ems in B azilians SMEs CONCLUSION A his momen , i is oppo une o esume he esea ch ques ion ha led he s udy - ac o s associa ed wi h Technology, he O ganiza ion i sel and he en i onmen o which he o ganiza ion is subjec in luence he adop ion o ERP sys ems in SMEs? The esul s o he s udy showed ha he adop ion o ERP in o ma ion sys ems in B azilians SMEs is mo e in luenced by echnological and o ganiza ional cons uc s han by en i onmen al ac o s. In one hand, he a iables belonging o he En i onmen cons uc , such as Comme cial Pa ne ships, Ex e nal Suppo and Compe i i eness we e no obse ed as de e minan s o he adop ion o an ERP. On he o he hand, he a iables "Added alue" and "Compa ibili y" we e obse ed as he mos ele an wi hin he Technology cons uc , while he a iables "IT In as uc u e" and "Technical knowledge" we e no ele an o in luence he adop ion o an ERP in B azilians SMEs. These esul s we e di e gen wi h some li e a u e and con e gen wi h o he ones. We belie ed ha his di e gence may be associa ed wi h he le el o ma u i y ha companies ha e in he use o Technologies. O ganiza ions ope a ing in mo e dynamic and compe i i e ma ke s end o ha e le els o ma u i y in he use o highe In o ma ion Technologies in ela ion o i ms ha ope a e in ma ke s ha a e no dynamic and less compe i i e and may in luence he ac o s ha mos con ibu e o he adop ion o an ERP. Fo he O ganiza ion cons uc , he a iables "Subjec i e No m" and "Scope o business ope a ions" p o ed o be non- de e mining o he adop ion o an ERP in SMEs, unlike he a iables " i m size" and "Composi ion o he s ee ing body" we e obse ed as de e minan s. We belie ed ha he a iable "Composi ion o he s ee ing body" e lec s he o ganiza ional s uc u e ound in small and medium-sized i ms, whe e hie a chical le els a e lowe as ega ds o la ge companies, hus p omo ing di ec in luence o di ec o s and decision make s. The a iable " i m size" can be obse ed in wo pe spec i es. Following ecommenda ions om (To ès and Julien, 2005), a small i m is no necessa ily a small business. The e o e, he a iable " i m size" as an in luencing ac o in he adop ion o an ERP can be aided by o he a iables such as ype o managemen (cen alized o decen alized), le el o specializa ion o wo k (high o low), explici and long- e m s a egy, use complex and o mal in e nal/ex e nal in o ma ion sys ems, and ma ke ope a ion (local, egional, na ional, o global). We belie ed ha he p esen s udy con ibu es o he academy and, especially, o he SMEs i ms and p o essionals who a e in ol ed wi h he adop ion o ERP in o ma ion sys em. Fo he academy, he s udy expands he discussions abou he uni o analysis " ac o s ha in luence he adop ion o ERP in o ma ion sys em in SMEs". In he o ganiza ional and p o essional ield, he s udy discusses s uc u al and social cha ac e is ics ha can in luence he adop ion o an ERP in SME i ms. E en hough me hodological p inciples equi ed by a scien i ic s udy ha e been adop ed, limi a ions should be conside ed. The di e si y o cha ac e is ics in ol ing an SME can be conside ed a limi ing ac o o gene aliza ions o be es ablished in he li e a u e. In his sense, we ied o selec o ganiza ions wi h cha ac e is ics ha ep esen a well-de ined s a um o SMEs, bu ha may no ep esen he majo i y o his g oup o i ms. In addi ion, we obse ed he phenomenon only he pe spec i e o he main decision make s o he i m. Howe e , i is known ha he adop ion o an ERP in ol es no only he s a egic le el, bu also employees o ope a ional le els, and hese can awaken ac o s ha g ea ly in luence he adop ion o an ERP - e.g., cul u e, esis ance o he adop ion (F oge i e al., 2020b). 9 / 10 F oge i R.F. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15819 F om a social pe spec i e, some s udies sugges ha he cul u e o he o ganiza ion o e en he cul u al ai s o a people can in luence in di e en ways in he adop ion o an in o ma ion sys em (F oge i e al., 2020a), which may be a phenomenon obse ed in u u e s udies. 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