ERP System Deployments: China vs. North America Compared
This paper examines the critical success factors for deploying enterprise IT systems — particularly Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications — and compares implementation challenges between China and North America. Drawing on peer-reviewed research, the paper argues that while core success factors such as senior management support, change management, and system integration apply universally, their execution is significantly more complex in China due to linguistic diversity, uneven infrastructure, highly customized training requirements, and the need to navigate relationships with government authorities. The paper highlights how these compounding challenges make ERP deployments in China considerably more resource-intensive than comparable rollouts in North America.
- Introduction: Universal IT success factors and ERP context
- Key Success Factors for IT System Deployments: Change management, training, and infrastructure complexity
- China-Specific Challenges in ERP Implementation: Dialects, localization, and regional process variation
- Government Relations and Distributed Systems in China: Financial data transparency and government scrutiny risks
- Conclusion: Senior management support as overarching success factor
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds its comparative argument in specific, peer-reviewed sources, lending credibility to claims about regional differences in ERP implementation complexity.
- Uses a concrete real-world example (Wal-Mart's distributed supply chain experience in China) to illustrate the abstract risk of government scrutiny over financial data systems.
- Maintains a clear, focused scope — rather than surveying all IT systems broadly, it narrows to ERP as the most instructive case for cross-regional comparison.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates comparative analytical framing: it establishes a shared baseline (universal IT success factors) and then systematically identifies where and why China deviates from the North American norm. This structure — common framework, then contextual divergence — is an effective technique for comparative essays in business and information systems disciplines.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief introduction establishing universal IT success factors, then dedicates the main body to two analytical threads: the heightened complexity of change management and training in China, and the unique challenge of government relations for distributed financial systems. A short conclusion synthesizes the key takeaways. The structure is lean and direct, suited to a focused analytical essay at the undergraduate level.
Introduction
The key success factors for any Information Technology (IT) deployment center on change management and the many supporting aspects of getting those employees most affected by the system to adopt and use it. This process typically involves change management programs that include top management support, project team definition, execution of strategies, in-depth process change, and pervasive education (Woo, 2007). These key success factors are critical for any IT system, yet when evaluating the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, these factors become even more pronounced when comparing deployments between China and North America.
References
Chao, G. (2009). Identification and assessment of risks associated with ERP post-implementation in China. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 22(5), 587–614.
Ge, L., & Voss, S. (2009). ERP application in China: An overview. International Journal of Production Economics, 122(1), 501.
Woo, H. S. (2007). Critical success factors for implementing ERP: The case of a Chinese electronics manufacturer. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 18(4), 431–442.
Xue, Y., Liang, H., Boulton, W. R., & Snyder, C. A. (2005). ERP implementation failures in China: Case studies with implications for ERP vendors. International Journal of Production Economics, 97(3), 279–295.
Zhang, Z., Lee, M. K. O., Huang, P., Zhang, L., & Huang, X. (2005). A framework of ERP systems implementation success in China: An empirical study. International Journal of Production Economics, 98(1), 56–80.
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