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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:
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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
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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).
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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. The amewo k
p oposed by (Awa and Ojiabo, 2016), al hough ele an o he
li e a u e, is subjec o a ia ions in he esul s ha can be
minimized by u he s udies in ol ing bo h quan i a i e and
quali a i e app oaches, especially i o he cons uc s o
a iables we e used.
Ou esul s can suppo u he s udies in he pu sui o
comp ehend he ole o ERP in o ma ion sys ems in he e a o
Indus y 4.0 and digi al ans o ma ion, and how o combine
new echnological ools wi h o ganiza ional needs a
in o ma ion le el.
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