Enterprise system lifecycles in transition and less developed economies within the European Union. Issue 2 (3rd April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: da Cunha, Paulo Rupino; Soja, Piotr; Themistocleous, Marinos; Mira da Silva, Miguel
• Is Part Of: Information technology for development. Volume 23:Issue 2(2017)
• Page Start: 336
• Page End: 366
• Publication Date: 2017-04-03
• Subjects: Enterprise systems -- transition economies -- less developed economies -- lifecycle phases -- activities -- key players; Information technology -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; Electronic data processing -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; 004
• DOI: 10.1080/02681102.2016.1233857
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0268-1102

Abstract

ABSTRACT: We analyze the lifecycle of enterprise systems (ES) in one transition (Poland) and two less developed economies (Greece and Portugal), all of them members of the European Union (EU). This study, involving practitioners with an accumulated experience of more than 280 projects, enables the comprehension of the approach to phases, activities, and the relevance of key players throughout the lifecycle. We found differences and similarities across these parameters that suggest that the traditional partition into "developed" and "transition" economies may be too simplistic, as the level of development of the economy should be taken into account. The main findings suggest that practitioners from less developed economies attach significant importance to technical issues, and adopters in transition economies strongly depend on external help. Although not directly transferrable, our results point to issues that should be taken into consideration when adopting or studying ES in countries with similar traits, such as Ukraine and Belarus in Central and Eastern Europe, or more recent EU member states, such as Croatia, Bulgaria, or Romania.