Discussion and Conclusion

Abstract

Numerous and diverse user organisations, dynamic and constantly changing markets, strong competition and rapidly changing technology characterise the market in which Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system (enterprise software systems, supporting a wide-ranging variety of organisational functionalities) vendors act. Responding to these challenges is crucial for the organisations’ survival and therefore, requires careful management of the product and the product life-cycle respectively. This is a study about a vendor producing ERP systems, carried out in the traditions of Science and Technology Studies and, more specifically the Social Shaping of Technology perspective, highlighting some of the dynamics and complexity which these ERP vendor organisations face, as well as the reaction to the challenges.