Beyond ERP Implementation - Enterprise Information Systems Design, Implementation and Management: Organizational Applications - page 241

Vendor support were proud of the high level of loyalty of their

employees, especially the IT/ERP team of Com-
pany A, which they attributed to the “family-like”
ambiance that prevailed in the company and the
“good” wages compared to other companies in
the industry.

With the rapid technological development of
ERPs and the desire of companies to extend and
enhance their systems, continuous investments
are required (upgrades, new modules, etc.). Main-
taining a strategic relationship with the vendor is
therefore believed to be vital for the ERP adopting
firm (Wang et al., 2008; Somers & Nelson, 2004;
Chang, 2004).Given that the original vendors
are knowledgeable about their customers' busi-
nesses, processes, and requirements, they are
well-equipped to serve the firms' needs. Therefore,
vendor support, which can include technical assis-
tance, software updates, emergency maintenance,
user training, and other support services, is judged
to be very important for the ERP's success and
efficient deployment (Wang et al., 2008; Chang,
2004; Somers & Nelson, 2004).
None of the three companies A, B and C main-
tained a strategic relationship with the original
vendor. In the case of the subsidiary Company
D, there was no direct contact with the vendor
because the system was implemented by an internal
team of the multinational group, who assisted the
subsidiaries in installing the system.

institutional pressures

DiMaggio and Powell (1983) argue that due to
the companies' need to legitimize themselves in
their external environment, mimetic, coercive,
and normative pressures influence organizations
to become more and more similar to each other,
or to a phenomenon called institutional isomor-
phism. In the context of ERP systems, Liang et al.
(2007) concluded that these forces, mediated by
top management, have an important influence on
ERP assimilation during the post-implementation
stage.
In all the companies studied, the desire to
improve internal efficiency and performance and
to preserve a leading position in the market was
among the main drivers towards better deployment
of the system. There were, however, other exter-
nal pressures that pushed some firms to use the
system effectively. After most of its competitors
adopted ERP systems, Company A felt a strong
need to surpass its competitors not only by further
deploying the system's functionalities, but also by
innovating with the system. At Company D, the
requirements of the firm's headquarters to master
the system and to comply with the work norms of
other regions' divisions for further global integra-
tion represented a major pressure driving the firm
to use the system efficiently. It was mentioned
by several members of the ERP teams/units that
taking part in ERP conferences, on-line forums,
and training sessions motivated them to improve
their system deployment. This is in fact a form
of normative pressures.

consultant effectiveness

Consultant effectiveness designates the compe-
tence and expertise of consultants in providing
various types of assistance to firms, such as
knowledge, training, maintenance, technical sup-
port, and any other type of help the organization
needs (Wang et al., 2008). Although the use of
consultants has been commonly considered as
essential for the ERP implementation stage, it has
been found that this factor is of great importance
for the post-implementation stage as well (Nah
& Delgado, 2006).
Companies A, B, and D needed external ex-
pertise intervention when implementing a new
module. Respondents from Company A stressed
the “ extreme importance ” of the high expertise