The use of ERP systems via mobile/wireless devices is a subject rarely studied in academic research. The aim of this paper is to explore the following research question: what are the consequences of mobile ERP use for organizations? The research method adopted was the multiple case studies in three companies located in the South of Brazil. The research results show that, in the analyzed companies, the use of mobile ERP had "positive" consequences such as increases in productivity, efficiency and effectiveness, and improvements for the users´ quality of life. However, the use also had "negative" consequences such as increased surveillance and control over employees.
Keyword: Enterprise Mobility; ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning); Consequences of mobile ERP systems use
INTRODUCTIONThe widespread adoption of mobile/wireless technology is providing a new platform for business through some benefits of mobility (Scornavacca & Barnes, 2008). With the increasing availability and use of mobile technologies, companies today are beginning to understand the consequences of enterprise mobility, which stands for the application of mobile and wireless information technologies in business processes (Kalakota & Robinson, 2002;Sorensen, 2011).Quick access to information anywhere can be beneficial in many business situations. Consequently, essential information systems such as ERP also need to be accessed via mobile devices, such as cell phones, smartphones or tablets (Kurbel et al., 2003).Although the concept of enterprise mobility has been addressed in the literature, its consequences are not yet completely understood (Basole, 2008; Dabkowski and Jankowska, 2003;Al Bar et al., 2011) and not the business value or organizational changes and consequences related to the use of mobile ERP. There seems to be a knowledge gap in this subject.The aim of this paper is to explore the following research question: what are the consequences of mobile ERP use for organizations? The term "consequences" is used instead of the term "impact", because we want to consider both "positive" and "negative" or unanticipated consequences of technology use, considering the duality of technology when it is applied to a specific context (Orlikowski, 1992). We present a set of propositions of possible consequences of mobile ERP use in organizations and we test them via multiple case studies, in three companies located in the South of Brazil.Next, sections 2 and 3 present the research theoretical basis, leading to the propositions of this study. Section 4 explains the research method adopted; section 5 shows the research results and, finally, section 6 shows final remarks and suggestions for future research.
-THE CONSEQUENCES OF ERP USEERP are information systems that integrate a company through a single database with transaction processing in real time (Davenport, 2002). In general, ERP are modular commercial software packages or software services, aiming to support the majority of business processes (procurement, manufacturing, financial, HR, etc.)....