Purpose -Business Process Management systems (BPMSs)

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the critical success factors of ERP implementations in Belgian SMEs and to identify those success factors that are specific to a SME environment. Design/methodology/approach -The authors survey the literature to discover and classify critical success factors that are potentially applicable to small and medium-sized enterprises. Through a survey and a multiple case study within four Belgian companies, the authors investigate which of these critical success factors apply to SMEs. Findings -The results show that most of the success factors found in the literature apply to SMEs. Nevertheless, distinct differences were found as well. Some factors, such as a clear scope definition and a standardised infrastructure, are not regarded as critical success factors for SMEs. Moreover, SMEs tend to rely relatively heavily on the input of consultants, who they use as a source of knowledge and experience. Moreover, SMEs need to be able to adjust their businesses quickly to be able to exploit their niche to the fullest extent.Research limitations/implications -The research is limited to Belgian enterprises. Originality/value -For SMEs, it is particularly important to recognise the elements for a successful ERP implementation. This paper examines the critical success factors of ERP implementations in small and medium-sized enterprises, while the existing literature on critical success factors of ERP implementations focuses on large enterprises.

The occurrence of complete wound dehiscence is analyzed in a group of 4538 patients treated with abdominal surgery. All possible measures for the prevention of wound dehiscence should be taken at the time of operation, especially when two or more of the following predisposing factors are present: male, more than 64-years-old, complicated neoplastic and inflammatory diseases, as well as bleeding and noncomplicated inflammatory diseases (except appendicitis), as well as emergency interventions. The use of Ventrofil plates for the prevention of wound dehiscence is recommended in these cases. It is demonstrated that the incidence of complete wound dehiscence in cases with predisposing factors in significantly decreased when extrapreventive measures are taken at the time of wound closure, what results in a decrease of the frequency by which wound dehiscence after gastrointestinal operations occurs.

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