Evaluating the impact of ERP systems in higher education

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impacts of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems on user performance (UP) in higher education institutions with a view to better understanding the ERP phenomenon in these institutions, and to determine whether or not these systems work well in such a complex environment. Design/methodology/approach - A quantitative methodology was used in this study and data were collected by means of a written questionnaire. Measurement items used in the operationalization of the study instrument were adopted from relevant prior research. Findings - The findings indicated that system quality, task technology fit and information quality are the most important factors that lead to better end UP. The provides evidence of the appropriateness of extending IS models as a useful way to give more powerful insights into user aspects and system impact. Research limitations/implications - Although the study factors explained a large portion of the variance in UP, there is a part of the variance that still remains unexplained. Practical implications - Vendors and designers must consider user needs and concerns in the design of ERP packages. Understanding user characteristics and their interaction will lead to better benefits. For example, if ERP users are predominantly individuals with little computer experience, the system designers should invest more in making the systems easier to use to facilitate more system impacts and benefits. Originality/value - There has been a general lack of awareness about the importance of evaluating ERP systems from a user perspective. Rather, the main focus of previous studies was either on critical factors and implementation issues and/or on user acceptance and satisfaction. This study underscores the importance of this issue and presents some insights into the benefits of ERP systems in higher education by taking lessons from IS theory in general.