Introduction Enterprise Resource Planning $($ERP$)$ systems are enterprise software systems that

allow companies to automate business processes, share data and practices across the enterprise,

and produce and access real$-$time information. The main objective of ERP systems is to integrate

all departments, and functional information flows across an enterprise into a single computer

system that serves all the company's needs. ERP systems are widely used by organisations of all

sizes and in many industries because their potential benefits are too significant to disregard. The

Banner system at the $U$ of $M$ is an example of an ERP. It is a collection of software modules $-$ each

module supports a different functional area of the organisation, such as accounting, human

resources, supply chain management, scheduling, and facilities management.

All modules can access one centralised, integrated database. Companies implementing ERP

solutions can choose which modules they want to install, and the modularity of the system allows

them the opportunity to acquire additional modules as needed. SAP and Oracle are major

providers of ERP systems that provide solutions for organisations of all sizes. When rolling out an

ERP system, companies can choose to install a module as "off$-$the$-$shelf" software, or they can

have it customised by asking the software developer to modify the program so that it aligns with

their current business processes. Customising a module is very expensive and time$-$consuming;

however, in most cases, a company will change its business process to fit the software rather than

change the software to fit the business process.

The problem that often occurs when implementing an ERP system "off the shelf" is that the end$-$

users resent having to change the way they do their jobs. Workers get comfortable with their

current ways of conducting their jobs and may feel threatened when they are required to

abandon their old ways of doing things and are required to learn new ways. The resistance to

change has been identified as an important reason for the failure of information systems

implementations, and therefore, it is an issue that needs to be understood and managed. The