> Please find the attachment for the first three papers (methodology, literature review, proposal-iteration1)
Running head: ORACLE ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (EBS)
ORACLE ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (EBS) 8
Please go through entire paper and correct all errors and comments.
Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (EBS)
Nagaraj Parvatha
IST 8101
Wilmington University
Table of contents Comment by Dr. Singh: Remove Before and After 6pts spacing.
Methodology 5
References 8
Introduction Comment by Dr. Singh: Add title above Introduction and center it. Do not Bold the title.
In the modern business world, there is an increased tendency towards the adoption of various technologies that improve the efficiency of the businesses. The businesses are operating in an era where technology is core to a business. Information has been a critical resource for the business success, and technology has chipped in to help organizations better manage information. Among the most important IT systems in a business is the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), which is a business process management software that helps the business to manage and automate various office functions often related to technology, human resources, and services (Beal, 2016). An enterprise resource planning is a system comprising of various modules each for the various organizational functions like finance, accounting, human resources, procurement, etc.
There are various ERP vendors worldwide, and among the most popular ones is Oracle. Oracle is among the world’s leading business software companies. It has managed to build a sophisticated portfolio of business software applications that have complemented the company’s traditional strength in both database systems and infrastructure systems. Oracle can boast of a huge number of customers since their customer base comprises of more than 65000 customers. This has been possible because of the fact that the company offers software applications for almost all industries and companies of all sizes, as well as addresses business challenges of any kind. The enterprise resource planning is one of the company’s core applications, alongside the customer relationship management, human capital management, financial management, transportation management, and supply chain management (Software advice, 2016). In the line of ERP products, the company offers Oracle E-business suite, oracle fusion applications, Edwards enterprise one, and PeopleSoft.
In essence, a business would want to have an ERP system because of various benefits that can be derived from such a system. The ERP systems often help a business increase its productivity because the operations get streamlined by using the ERP system. The transactions are often auditable and the level of reporting becomes high for the corporate reviews. However, there are some cases that the ERP systems do not deliver the anticipated benefits because of various reasons. In this action research, the focus will be examining the Oracle e-business suit to determine of it has the features required for an effective ERP system, deficiencies therein identified and solutions proposed (Oracle, 2015).
Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) version 12 will be the focus of this action research. The system is internet Internet enabled and is often managed from one site. A business can run a single data centre with a single database, just like the other ERP systems (Murray, 2016). The EBS was launched in the year 2007 and it has several product lines which the customers can implement for their enterprises. The e-business suite comprises of the ERP and other Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application. This is quite a unique product owing to the fact that most vendors offer these packages as a stand-alone product. Installation of this suite will mean that an organization will not have to purchase other products for the supply chain management and for the customer relationship management.
There is also another version of the oracle, 12.1, that provides the organization of any size and of any industry and region with a global foundation of business that have has features that reduce the costs at the same time increasing increase the productivity (Oracle, 2015). This package consists of quite a good number of products, and these include such as revenue management extensions, cost management extensions, depot repair extensions, warehouse management extensions, etc. This makes the E-business suite 12.1 among the most integrated systems offered in the market today.
The deficiencies with the E-business suite include the inability to allow utmost flexibility thereby forcing the customers to change their business processes in order for them to fit the ERP system model. Re-engineering is often required, and considering that the companies need to minimize the costs, this objectives has largely been made impossible. The system often obligatesrequires the organization to undertake various organizational changes, and there are also compatibility problems that need to be addressed in order to make them the best option for the customers. Due to the compatibility problems, the customer would be forced to purchase various other products from Oracle even though other offers would have been better. In other words, the customer is barred from purchasing other products from other vendors that would have fitted the business requirements (Somekh, 2012). Comment by Dr. Singh: Fix this part of the sentence.
Methodology
The methodology that will be applied in this research will be action research. The choice of this methodology was based on the fact that it is the best for the achievement of the research objectives. In other words, the action research has various features that make the best option. This research is simply an inquiry into a situation or a particular problem in order to gain an understanding of the problem with the aim of coming up with solutions for the problem. This nature of the research becomes compatible with action research, whose description is given here in (Somekh, 2012).
Action research is a methodology that tends to integrate the components of action and research often in a series of cycle that are quite flexible. These cycles involve holistic rather than separate steps. These steps are the collection of data, analysis and interpretation of the data, planning action strategies and changes, and evaluating the changes by collecting further data (Somekh, 2012). According to Hine (Hine, 2013), the action research entails a systematic inquiry seeking to improve a particular social issue that affects the lives of the community. In other words, the aim of action research is to inquire about a situation that has some social impact on the lies lives of the various stakeholders, and the solution or change suggested after gaining insight into the situation will also have the effect of benefiting the lives of the stakeholders involved. Action research is never conducted with the aim of benefiting the individual researcher or a small groups of people, rather it is the entire community that benefits from the changes or solutions offered to the particular problem.
Another definition of action research given by Glanz is that action research if a form of disciplined inquiry often popular as a way of engaging the practitioners to better understand their work (Glanz, 1999). More so, it is simply a way of raising some questions about some practice or some scenario and then collecting some information that will help answer the question. There are, however, very complex forms of action research that will apply some statistical tools and concepts, and these are often experimental in nature. According to Reason and Bradbury have described the participatory nature of action research where they call it a democratic process of action research whose aim is to: “bring together action and reflection, theory and practice, in participation with others, in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern to people, and more generally the flourishing of individual persons and their communities” (Reason & Bradbury , 2001, p. 9-10).
The history of action research is not clearly given in literature because its origins are not properly documented. In that case, it has not been made certain who first came up with the idea of action research. However, most people tend to attribute it to the works of Kurt Lewin who is deemed to have been the first to publish a work using the work action research. Even though, there are beliefs that he might have come across the term in Germany in a performance held in Vienna in the year 1913. There are also other suggestions about the origin of action research, and they include one by Delshler and Ewart who belief the first person to use it was John Collier (Delshler and Ewart, 1995). John Collier used it to improve the relations among the races at the community level when he held the position of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs.
Action research has various characteristics. It requires commitment on the part of both the researcher and other participants, owing to the fact that it takes time. It is collaborative in nature, and this will require the researcher to collaborate with other people to accomplish the action research. The various stakeholders have to realize the power of relations in the action research and make due contributions into the action research. The other characteristic is consideration, and this is because of the reflective practice that is a mindful of the actions of the research and the participants. Reflection often requires the researcher or the participants to make careful considerations as they seek the patters and relationships that will have the effect of generating meaning with the inquiry or investigation. Lastly, the action research has a characteristic of change, and this is because of the fact that it is human nature to grow and develop. Action research has the effect of bringing about change that will aid in the growth and development of the various aspects of the community involved (Action Research, n.d.).
Conducting an action research will entail identifying the topic or issue to be explored, collecting the data pertaining to the topic, analyzing the data, and deriving the various lessons to be learnt from the whole process. The action research cycle described by Hine has four components (Hine, 2013). The first one is the plan, and this is designing the plan of action and other prior things to be done before action commences. The other components are the description of the impacts of the action, and evaluation of the outcomes.
As has been mentioned above, action research will be appropriate for this research because of its various features that include investigation into a topic and suggesting solutions that will benefit the various stakeholders (community). The aim of this research is to explore the deficiencies in the EBS package offered by Oracle, and to suggest solutions to these problems. The research will also involve various people like the users and the management and employees of the company, making it adopt the action research approach.
References Action Research. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.wou.edu/~girodm/library/ch9.pdf Beal, V. (2016). ERP - enterprise resource planning. Retrieved from webopedia.com: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/E/ERP.html Deshler, D., & Ewart, M. (1995). Participatory action research: Traditions and major assumptions. Retrieved from Parnet.org: http://www.partnet.org/tools/tools. Glanz, J. (1999). Action Research . National Staff Development Council , 22-23. Hine, G. (2013). The importance of action research in teacher education programs. Issues in Educational Research, 151-153. Murray, M. (2016, July 22). Introduction to Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS). Retrieved from The balance.com: https://www.thebalance.com/introduction-to-oracle-e-business-suite-ebs-2221359 Oracle. (2015). Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1. Retrieved from Oracle.com: http://www.oracle.com/us/products/applications/036047.htm Reason, P., & Bradbury, H. (2001). Handbook of Action Research:Participative Inquiry and Practice. London: Sage. Software advice. (2016). Oracle ERP Software. Retrieved from softwareadvice.com: http://www.softwareadvice.com/erp/oracle-software-brand/ Somekh, B. (2012). Action Research: a Methodology for Change and Development. Open University Press: Maidenhead, Berkshire.