Beyond ERP Implementation - Enterprise Information Systems Design, Implementation and Management: Organizational Applications - page 250

improvements in their assimilation process could
update the developed framework and enhance our
understanding of these systems.
As a result, another rewarding research would
be to investigate ERP assimilation success factors
and to carry out cross-case studies in other national
contexts, either in other countries in the studied
regions or in totally different regions. Similarly,
prior research indicated that several national/en-
vironmental characteristics impact ERP practices.
That is what future research could consider factors
which we did not consider in our research. This is
true, for example, of a country's economic status,
language, political environment, and its govern-
ment's efforts to promote the IT infrastructure,
etc. The findings of these two research avenues
could certainly validate our findings and could
result in a framework that is adapted specifically
to some particular regions.
Another important remark is the fact that in
spite of the pervasiveness of these systems, firms
are still reluctant to be open to share information.
Furthermore, several areas of ERP research still
need to be explored. This means that case study
research methodology will unquestionably remain
one of the most important methodologies of choice
for the investigation of unexplored areas of ERP
research.

Chatterjee, D., Grewal, R., & Sambamurthy, V.
(2002). Shaping up for ecommerce: Institutional
enablers of the organizational assimilation of Web
Technologies. Management Information Systems
Quarterly , 26 (2), 65-89. doi:10.2307/4132321

Cohen, W., & Levinthal, D. (1990). Absorptive
Capacity: A new perspective on learning and in-
novation. Administrative Science Quarterly , 35 (1),
128-152. doi:10.2307/2393553

Cooper, R. B., & Zmud, R. W. (1990). Information
Technology Implementation Research: A Techno-
logical Diffusion Approach. Management Science ,
36 (2), 123-139. doi:10.1287/mnsc.36.2.123

DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The Iron
Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and
Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields.
American Sociological Review , 48 (2), 147-160.
doi:10.2307/2095101

FIPA-Tunisia (The Foreign Investment Promo-
tion Agency). (2007). Key figures: Economic
Data: GNP/GDP. Retrieved October, 16, 2008,
from http://www.investintunisia.tn/site/en/article.
php?id_article=846

Hsieh, J. J. P., & Wang, W. (2007). Explaining
Employees' Extended Use of Complex Informa-
tion Systems. European Journal of Information
Systems , 16 (3), 216-227. doi:10.1057/palgrave.
ejis.3000663

references

Huang, Z., & Palvia, P. (2001). ERP implementa-
tion issues in advanced and developing countries.
Business Process Management , 7 (3), 276-284.
doi:10.1108/14637150110392773

Botta-Genoulaz, V., & Millet, P. A. (2005). A
Classification for Better Use of ERP Systems.
Computers in Industry , 56 (6), 537-587.

Chang, S. (2004). ERP life cycle implementa-
tion, management and support: implications for
practice and research. In Proceedings of the 37 th
Annual Hawaii International Conference on
System Sciences (HICCS 04) , Big Island, Hawaii
(pp. 80227-80237).

Ifinedo, P. (2007). Interactions between organi-
zational size, culture, and structure and some IT
factors in the context of ERP success assessment:
an exploration investigation. Journal of Computer
Information Systems , 27 (4), 28-44.