PurposeThe purpose of this article is to examine how Keo and Carlsberg (Cyprus), the two main companies operating in the Cypriot brewing industry, have recently introduced enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in their effort to obtain competitive advantage and to increase their market share.Design/methodology/approachThe paper was based on primary data collected through personal interviews with senior managers of the two companies.FindingsBoth companies have been among the first organisations in Cyprus to implement ERP systems, which have provided the two companies with a single interface for managing all their operations – from entering sales orders to coordinating shipping and after‐sales customer service. The new system has offered considerable benefits to the two companies, both in their production and in other operational functions.Practical implicationsA number of suggestions are made for other Cypriot companies considering the implementation of ERP systems, so that they can achieve maximum benefit from the adoption of such systems.Originality/valueThis paper has examined, for the first time, how the two main Cypriot breweries have implemented ERP systems, the similarities and differences between the two implementations, and the benefits that such systems have brought to the two companies.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical discussion of the development of systems thinking and systems methodologies and explain how such approaches can deal with issues of problem complexity and the variety of views, agendas and political positions that the people involved and affected by the problem situation may have. Design/methodology/approach -The paper examines the different ontological and epistemological assumptions that the various social paradigms are based on and uses social theory in order to explain the development of systems thinking and systems methodologies. Findings -As there is a plethora of relevant systems methodologies, managers will need to understand the philosophical assumptions of different systems approaches, their strengths and weaknesses and how to use them creatively in combination. Viewing the problem situation from a holistic perspective and treating alternative systems approaches as complementary rather than in competition will help managers deal creatively with the complex problems that organisations face. Originality/value -This paper will shed some light on the philosophical assumptions that the various strands of systems thinking are based on and will help managers appreciate the importance of creative holism and the benefits that holistic thinking can bring to their organisation.

No abstract

No abstract

This case study development has benefited by the use of clear on-screen logic which has facilitated useful discussions between the analyst and end-users. The screen displays enable a realistic depiction of a system to be developed. A simple first model was gradually made more realistic in a step-by-step process involving both analyst and end-users. The investigation is continuing and the model is being further refined. Data collection is underway, and system data will be used to provide the model's input parameters of arrival and service rates. Times and lengths of queues of patients and total time in the system will be compared with their model equivalents. The resulting model is likely to be acceptable to the end-users because of their involvement in its development. This involvement has been facilitated by a simulation environment which enables on-screen iconic representations of system components to be created by analyst and end-user together.