Objective/course outline
This course addresses the following research question: Can enterprise systems increase the effectiveness of business and management processes - if so, in which ways and under which conditions? This question is essential. Each year huge amounts are invested in enterprise systems. Some of these systems are complete failures, while others are great successes. Obviously, there is a need to enhance economic actors' understanding of the potential of such systems to increase effectiveness.
The purpose of the course is to enhance the participants' understanding of relevant theories for improvement of business and management processes, including improvement of decentralised decision processes. An essential aim is also to help the participants solve methodological problems related to the study of business and management processes, including measurement of effects of ICT-enabled redesign. Furthermore, we will assist the participants in developing a set of skills useful for mapping and diagnosis of current processes - and for design and implementation of new processes enabled by enterprise systems.
A fundamental assumption is that increases in organisational effectiveness, particularly in ever-changing environments, mainly occur through the actors' enhanced understanding of cause-effect relationships (organisational learning).
During the course, the participants will be introduced to an enterprise system. Possibilities and limitations of enterprise systems will be illustrated using this example system.