Impact of shared beliefs on 'perceived usefulness' and 'ease of use' in the implementation of an enterprise resource planning system

摘要

Purpose - This article seeks to examine the impact of shared beliefs concerning the benefits of enterprise resource planning (ESP) among executives and engineers in the northern region of Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach - Respondents comprise managers in the departments of production control, production, materials, engineering and information technology, and executives within the organization, who are cognizant of the ERP implementation. A questionnaire was sent to managers in 113 manufacturing organizations. A total of 69 responses was received, all of which were used in the analysis. Findings - The findings support the notion that systems or technologies, which are perceived to be easy to use and understand, will be viewed as more useful from the end-user's perspective. In addition, perceived ease of use (PEU) was found to mediate partially the effects of shared beliefs concerning the usefulness of the ERP system. Practical implications - This study provides evidence that the level of managerial support, in terms of shared beliefs about the benefits of ERP, is critical in increasing the level of PEU and perceived usefulness. Originality/value - There is a gap in the literature concerning what influences these two salient beliefs. Thus, this paper examines the impact of shared beliefs on the perceived usefulness and ease of use of an ERP system in a developing country.