A Contribution to Theory Building for the Successful Implementation of ERP and BPR -- An Application of the Method of Stylized Facts

This paper contributes to theory building for successful Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations with special focus on the role of Business Process Reengineering (BPR). To achieve this objective, the method of stylized facts is transferred to Information Systems Research. The theoretical background of the method will be provided and its application on the subject will be demonstrated. Furthermore, it will be observed, if stylized facts can support to validate two established economic theories, the Resource-Based View of the Firm (RBV) and the Market-Based View of the Firm (MBV) by applying stylized facts for ERP and BPR. In this paper, it is verified that the method of stylized facts delivers relevant results for ERP implementation success. This includes recommendations for actions, the right use of BPR and the proper consideration and integration of critical success factors. Furthermore, stylized facts support to link RBV, MBV, ERP, and BPR into an integrated concept.