Teaching ERP Systems: A Multi-Perspective View on the ERP System Market

1. MOTIVATION Today, standardised enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are used in a majority of enterprises. For example, more than 92 percent of all German industrial enterprises use ERP systems (Konradin, 2009). Due to this strong demand, there are many ERP systems with different technologies and philosophies available on the market. Therefore, the ERP market is strongly fragmented, especially when focusing on systems targeting small and medium-sized enterprises (SM Winkelmann, Knackstedt and Vering, 2007). This multitude of software manufacturers and systems makes it more difficult for enterprises that use or want to use ERP systems to find the "right" software and to hire the appropriate specialists for the selected system. Also for future investment decisions concerning the adoption, upgrade, or alteration of ERP systems it is important to possess the appropriate specialized knowledge and skills in the enterprise (Winkelmann and Matzner, 2009). This is essential since errors during the selection, implementation, or maintenance of ERP systems can cause financial disadvantages or disasters, leading to insolvencies of the affected enterprises. Examples of such negative scenarios can be found in the literature (e.g., Barker and Frolick, 2003; Hsu, Sylvestre and Sayed, 2006). In order to prevent this, the necessity arises for universities to transfer the specialized knowledge to their students and graduates, in particular through study courses in the field of information systems (Venkatesh, 2008). The possibilities and, above all, the need for providing this knowledge by using ERP systems in study courses are frequently discussed in literature (e.g., Antonucci et al., 2004; Boyle and Strong, 2006; Fedorowicz et al., 2004; Hawking, McCarthy and Stein, 2004; Peslak, 2005; Stewart, Rosemann and Hawking, 2000). This clearly states that ERP systems are or should be an important component of the curricula of universities in information system-referred subjects and courses. However, this is not a trivial task as Noguera and Watson (1999) discuss in their study. One of the goals of using ERP systems in courses is to prepare students for their career by obtaining at least a first insight in ERP systems. A further goal is promoted by ERP manufacturers (especially by making their systems available for university courses)--students shall learn their products as early as possible, since they, as the later graduates, will work with these systems or will hold positions in the enterprises with an influence on ERP investment decisions. Therefore, it is necessary for universities to offer the appropriate systems, processes, and suitable courses for their students (Brehm, Haak and Peters, 2009; Fedorowicz et al., 2004). However, there is no standardised approach. The choice of systems and their number as well as the structure and number of ERP courses differ from university to university (Seethamraju, 2007). In contrast, the variety of systems and software manufacturers represented at universities is quite small in spite of the heterogeneous ERP market. Above all, a few large manufacturers dominate courses at universities. In particular, software vendor SAP is represented in numerous universities through its University Alliance program. With more than 400 partner universities participating in this program, SAP is probably the most widely used system in study courses (Hawking, McCarthy and Stein, 2004; Pellerin and Hadaya, 2008). It is reasonable for students to learn this system at least basically, because it is probable that they will be working with SAP systems in their professional life due to SAP's high market shares. To underline the SAP market shares, figure 1 shows as example an overview of the ERP-market in the manufacturing sector of Germany. However, a more diversified integration of ERP systems into education is advisable, especially from the viewpoint of S&MEs. …