Tacit Knowledge Elicitation Process for Industry 4.0

Manufacturers migrate their processes to Industry 4.0 that includes new technologies for improving productivity and efficiency of operations. One of the issues is capturing, recreating, and documenting the tacit knowledge of the aging workers. However, there are no systematic procedures to incorporate this knowledge into Enterprise Resource Planning systems for maintaining a competitive advantage. This paper describes a solution proposal for a tacit knowledge elici-tation process for capturing operational best practices of experienced workers in industrial domains for on-site training. We use Concept Maps mining and domain ontologies to discover and integrate information into a Knowledge Graph in a role game played by human and virtual agents. Ethical and societal concerns are discussed as well.

Do cloud-based enterprise resource planning systems affect the productivity of human resources in the COVID-19 era?

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of skills and knowledge of employees, economic situations of the company, current IT infrastructure, payment fashion, cloud availability, and cloud privacy and security on the productivity of the human resources in the COVID-19 era.Design/methodology/approachOver the past few years, the advent of cloud-assisted technologies has dramatically advanced the Information Technology (IT)-based industries by providing everything as a service. Cloud computing is recognized as a growing technology among companies around the world. One of the most critical cloud applications is deploying systems and organizational resources, especially systems whose deployment costs are high. Manpower is one of the basic and vital resources of the organization, and organizations need an efficient workforce to achieve their goals. But, in the COVID-19 era, human resources' productivity can be reduced due to stress, high labor force, reduced organizational performance and profits, unfavorable organizational conditions, inability to manage and lack of training. Therefore, this study tries to investigate the productivity of human resources in the COVID-19 era. Data were collected from the medium-sized companies through a questionnaire. Distributed questionnaires were conducted on the Likert scale. The model is assessed using the structural equation modeling technique to examine its reliability and validity. The study is a library method and literature review. A case study was conducted through a questionnaire and statistical analysis by SPSS 25 and SMART-PLS.FindingsBased on the findings, the skills and knowledge of employees, the economic situations of the company, payment fashion, cloud availability and the current IT infrastructures of the company have a positive impact on human resource efficiency in the COVID-19 era. But cloud privacy and security have a negative effect on the productivity of human resources. The findings can be the basis for companies and organizations in the COVID-19 era.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some restrictions that need to be considered in evaluating the obtained results. First, due to the prevalence of Coronavirus, access to information from the companies under study was limited. Second, this research may have overlooked other variables that affect human resource productivity in the COVID-19 era. Prospective researchers can examine the impact of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) on the human resource's productivity in the COVID-19 era.Practical implicationsThe results of this research are applicable for all companies, their departments and human resources in the COVID-19 era.Originality/valueIn this paper, human resources' productivity in the COVID-19 era is pointed out. The presented new model provides a complete framework for investigating cloud-based enterprise resource planning systems affect the productivity of human resources in the COVID-19 era.

Factors of Success in Implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems

Implementing complex and yet sound and effective accounting information systems known as enterprise resource planning systems, is an enormous project for the firms that want to streamline their information flow and increase their value. As the effects of these systems on the performance of the entities are both financial and non-financial, their success is of crucial importance. This study is an exploratory factorial analysis to identify the factors of successful implementation of ERP systems in the medium and big companies in Albania. We use in depth surveys and interviews with firms that have implemented enterprise resource planning systems and include twenty initial variables in the survey. Later these variables are combined in three factors that have the biggest impact on the success rate of ERP implementation: the overall quality and end-user satisfaction with the ERP system; the cost-benefit ratio of the ERP and the support from the ERP provider and ERP implementing consultant. This study contributes not only theoretically to the empirical literature, but also practically because it helps businesses of the region that are considering implementing ERPs in the future to pay attention to the most critical factors of success with ERPs.

Challenges Facing Electronic Supply Chains in the New E-Commerce Landscape

As organizations are all moving into the e-commerce platform to gain market shares, they realize that electronic supply chain management (e-SCM) powered by enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs) are the new norms and no business organization can operate without both in the new world of e-commerce. Because business via the internet requires different fulfillment approaches, traditional drivers of regular supply chains are no longer adequate for explaining how e-SCM performance is driven. Little attention has been devoted to e-SCM dynamic with ERP and the challenges they pose to organizations. In the e-commerce environment, e-SCM is among the most important factors to organizational success. Effective e-SCM can enhance competitiveness and increase market share leading a higher profitability. Nevertheless, the new e-SCM professionals and other actors must understand the factors that undergird e-SCM performance, their drivers, and the necessity of fully functional ERPs for an effective e-SCM.

Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in Iran

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software packages have been widely implemented in the developed world since they first appeared on the market in the late 1970s. In the developing world, however, the lack of the human and financial resources needed for such projects, and the non-availability of sales and support offices for western-based ERP vendors, has limited the uptake of ERP software. However, in Iran, there has been significant recent growth in the development of homegrown ERP software solutions. These products are usually more customizable than western-based ERP products and can thus be adapted more readily to specific user requirements. Using a case study approach, this article examines the origins and development of one of these companies – the Behko software company, and assesses its main product, and how it has been implemented in a typical end-user company. The article concludes that the homegrown ERP sector in Iran is making a significant contribution to the provision of information systems in the country, and is competing successfully with western-based alternatives.