Differential Effects on ERP Post-Adoption Stages across Scandinavian and Iberian SMEs

Abstract

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) post-adoption stages (use and value) and small and medium enterprises (SME) are of high interest among both academics and practitioners. Grounded in the diffusion of innovation theory to explain ERP use and resource-based view theory to explain ERP value the authors postulate that use is an important link to value. The authors propose and test a model using a unique dataset of 883 SMEs from Scandinavia and Iberia. Whereas for both regions, competitive pressure, efficiency, and best-practices are important factors to use ERP, analytics and collaboration are important factors for ERP value. Whereas complexity and training are not relevant for ERP use among Scandinavian SMEs, they are facilitators for Iberian firms. This is an empirical theoretically grounded research studying ERP use and value among SMEs across two distinct European regions, thus adding an international dimension to the IS literature, as well moving beyond dichotomous “adoption versus non-adoption”.