Assessing Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Implementation Challenges in Namibian Industries: A Survey

Abstract

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation has garnered wide spread recognition amongst ERP researchers in recent times, yet the question that arises is that, is this process an illusion or reality? More so, not many research papers if any are written based on ERP implementation in Namibia. This is because ERP implementation is still in its infancy stage despite it having played a big role in technology evolution. ERP implementation is a cycle that consists of various activities that are conducted over different phases of implementation. The main focus will be directed towards the challenges that many industries face during implementation in a small country like Namibia where arguably technology still lacks and some people do not value its existence. Thus, it is important to address these challenges such that ERP implementation does not become burdensome to the selected organisations. Therefore, the study Assessing Enterprise Resource Planning Challenges in Namibian Industries: A review, was carried out. The purpose of the study was to review the challenges that are faced in the implementation of ERP systems. The study reviewed a sample of 37 different papers from IEEE, Emerald, Scopus, science direct, research gate, Elsevier and google scholar, Taylor and Francis to obtain data using a qualitative research approach. These databases were selected because they provide good research sources from reputable researchers. The other reason for this selection is that the researchers could view all available databases due to time constraints. This data was analyzed using the thematic data analysis. The output of this research is significant as it clearly outlines the different challenges that are normally experienced when implementing ERP systems in different industries. The study also yielded a positive result because, the challenges that these industries face were highlighted.