Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Garys@yorku Ca
Garys@yorku Ca
Garys@yorku Ca
by
Gary Spraakman
School of Administrative Studies
York University
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada
416 736 2100, extension 22155
416 736 5963 (fax)
garys@yorku.ca
and
Cristobal Sanchez-Rodriguez
School of Administrative Studies
York University
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada
416 736 2100, extension 22983
416 736 5963 (fax)
sanchezc@yorku.ca
December 2010
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to study the impact of enterprise resource planning
(ERP) systems at large, profitable Canadian firms. Of the respondents, only 56.8% said
their firms had ERP systems. Only 12% of those firms were deemed by respondents to
have fully integrated ERP systems. There was general support for the hypotheses.
Management accounting techniques such as budgetary control, cost control, profit
analysis, sales analysis and variance analysis use ERP systems. Those same management
accounting techniques plus budgeting have been required to change due to ERP systems.
The work of management accountants has changed: less involvement in data entry
activities, more involvement in design of business processes, and the need to be more IT
savvy. ERP systems have contributed to the work of management accountants: more
effective, more efficient, better decisions, more responsive to accounting problems, more
accuracy of forecasts, and better understanding of cost behaviour.
Introduction
Information technology (IT) has taken over the firm’s financial ledgers and
and Mouritsen, 2003, p. 78). However, the relationship between IT and management
accounting has been studied insufficiently and more empirical research is needed
enterprise resource planning (ERP). The researchers were told by some Canadian
controllers that ERP systems are “setting the standard,” which must be achieved for
survival (Cooper and Kaplan, 1998). Relatedly, an argument can be made with
transaction cost economics that inventions like the telephone, telegraph, and, possibly,
ERP systems reduce transaction costs, and as management improves they increase the
effectiveness and size of firms. The possible corollary is that firms that do not adopt the
ERP systems are technological changes, and if prevalent, they could change the
complementarity, it can be hypothesized, briefly, that the prospering and surviving firms,
with ERP systems will develop new management accounting measures and practices.
Existing research will be examined for answers to this working hypothesis that
literature review. Section three puts forth the hypotheses that were developed from the
literature review. The sample and method are discussed in the fourth section, which is
followed by the findings from testing the hypotheses. The discussion and conclusion are
Literature Review
There is a lack of agreement that ERP systems are essential for a firm’s success
and survival. Conventional best of breed (BoB) or standalone system components are
often used successfully to integrate operations (Booth et al., 2000; Davenport, 2000;
Light et al., 2001; Scapens et al., 1998). These BoB systems need to be considered as
that ERP systems evolved from BoBs via inventory ordering in four stages (Umble et al.,
2003, pp. 242-244). First, in the 1960s firms could afford to carry relatively large
amounts of inventory. Economic order quantity (EOQ) was used to minimize ordering
and carrying costs. Second, firms in the 1970s could no longer afford as much inventory.
This led to materials requirement planning (MRP) systems, which were computer
simulations that also answered additional questions such as what, how many, and when
In the third stage, in the 1980s increased power and affordability of IT led to
This fully integrated system planned production jobs using the usual MRP method, and
also calculated resource needs such as labour and machine hours in addition to inventory.
4
Fourth, the 1990s saw continuing improvements in IT which allowed MRP II to
be expanded to incorporate resource planning for the entire enterprise. Thus, the term
enterprise resource planning was coined. Subsequently, ERP systems were offered to
It needs to be recognized that there are a number of stages with IT to reach the
continuum, rather than a question of “yes” or “no” (Hyvonen, 2003, p. 157). ERP
systems are complex with substantial implementation costs. Firms may not always
implement, even with time, all modules available to their ERP systems.
and Society, European Accounting Review, and Management Accounting Review – have
been the most involved with publishing research on this topic. Some of the relevant
In an earlier study by Granlund and Malmi (2001, pp. 302, 305) data were
gathered from10 European firms with an exploratory field method. The purpose was to
understand how ERP systems change (1) management accounting and control system
characteristics, and (2) management accountants. They found (pp. 312-313) that ERP
systems had little effect on management accounting and control systems. This was
from ERP systems. In addition, the work of management accountants started to de-
emphasis the more routine tasks such as data entry in favour of analyses.
5
Scapens and Jazayeri’s (2003, pp. 224-229) longitudinal study of an ERP
In this case, although there were no fundamental changes in the nature of the
management accounting information used following the implementation of SAP,
there were changes in the role of management accountants – in particular: (i) the
elimination of routine jobs; (ii) line managers with accounting knowledge; (iii)
more forward looking information; and (iv) a wider role for the management
accountants. However, it is not claimed that SAP was the driver of these changes;
rather it is argued that the characteristics of SAP (specifically, its integration,
standardization, routinization and centralization) opened up certain opportunities
and facilitated changes which were already taking place within the firm.
server at a distance from operations) and decentralizing accounting analytical work, both
caused by ERP systems, Quattrone and Hopper (2001, p. 421) say there is a transition
controller. With ERP, everyone has access to information and the opportunity to exert
control.
integrated accounting and cost management system. They were particularly interested in
the impact on the role of management accountants. Their findings are stated verbatim:
6
- Some accountants will become (information) systems administrators.
- There is a greater scope for change to open up new opportunities for
managing cost management and other systems in an integrated business
system environment than in the financial accounting ... (pp. 114-115).
From a case study using structuralation, Caglio (2003) was able to study the
for integration and interfunctional collaboration; and a more prominent role of the
accounting department in the management of the new IT system” (pp. 140-141). The
effect on accountants was the creation of hybrid positions (p. 146), i.e.,
Hybridization between professional groups is a trend that has been widely cited in
the accounting literature, yet without analyzing both its causes and direction.
Drawing on the findings of our case study, we can try to explain the hybridization
process of accountants’ positions and expertise referring to the fact that before the
implementation of the ERP system, practices and their related outcomes were
strongly linked to specific organizational positions. With the new ERP, certain
forms of mutual knowledge, i.e., technical accomplishment and, to a lesser extent,
professional expertise, have become increasingly disembedded, being lifted out of
positions, incorporated into the IT system and re-articulated across all the
position-practice incumbents who can draw upon the ERP in the accomplishment
of their day-to-day activities. In this sense, our study has shown that the
emergence of hybrid accountants is linked to the mobility and transferability of
tools and techniques between them and other groups of experts (Miller, 1998;
Hopwood, 1992).
Dechow and Mouritsen (2005) used actor-network theory to understand how two
firms pursued the integration of management and control through ERP systems. They
found that ERP systems assisted both firms with increasing the precision and timeliness
of financial accounting, and improved inventory control at one of the firms (pp. 700,
717). They also noted techno-logic attributes of ERP systems, which integrated
accounting information with non-financial information (pp. 703, 723). With these firms,
the ERP systems led to information use shifting from accounting to non-accounting (pp,
7
706, 724-725). The authors say control in an ERP setting is not limited to accounting;
ERP systems enabled non-accounting information to be more dominantly used for control
(p. 727). Specifically, they say, “control cannot be studied apart from technology [i.e.,
ERP systems] and context because one will never get to understand the underlying
‘infrastructure’ – the meeting point of many technologies and many types of controls (p.
691).
Quattrone and Hopper (2005) examined two firms for, in this case, the impact of ERP
systems on distance and management control. They started with the premise that ERP
systems eliminated distances because they are integrated and real-time (p. 738) and that
management control systems are maps that guide managers. They found that ERP
systems reduced distances but did not always centralize control (p. 761), i.e.,
There have been numerous literature reviews that provide understanding of the
impact of IT on management accounting. Granlund (2007, pp. 7-9) found that IT has
systems are replicated and installed in subsidiaries and new acquisitions. IT is the main
and disseminated in an organization.” IT was the most important driver of recent changes
to management accounting.
One of the authors examined the impact of the ERP system on the management
accounting practices of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The firm had the typical
8
management accounting techniques of planning, capital budgeting, budgeting, operating
statements, and internal audit, which have not changed to any significant extent since the
1970s. However, since 2000 inventory recording changed, and significantly, for the first
time in more than a century. Instead of inventory being tracked in financial terms,
inventory is now tracked in real physical terms because of the implementation of an ERP
system. Inventory requirements can be ordered and tracked in physical terms from
monetary terms, thus qualitative attributes can be preserved with the Retek ERP system.
Retek has a very detailed chart of accounts for operating the merchandising or
inventory systems. The information on physical inventory is joined to the financial chart
of accounts through the Firm’s Oracle financial ERP system. The Oracle ERP system has
a specialized retail accounting module, an HR module, etc. These two ERP systems
operate as one ERP system allowing the financial chart of accounts to be part of a supply
chain. In effect, HBC is competing with its supply chain, using an extended chart of
accounts that tracks physical inventory with barcodes. The chart of accounts is no longer
Norreklit (2000, pp.68-71) has argued that the relationship between non-financial
measures and financial measures is one of logic rather than cause-and-effect or empirical.
In contrast, the Hudson’s Bay Company’s ERP system explicitly transfers actual physical
inventory items into financial numbers. There is complete coupling. There are logical
relations between plans, capital budgets, budgets, financial statements, and, previously,
inventory records. However, now the relationship between physical inventory items and
the corresponding financial transactions on the balance sheet and income statement
9
demonstrate a causal relationship.
Visibility improved with the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Retek ERP system. By
tracking actual inventories, the ERP system incorporated signs that reflect physical
ensured that the firm increased its efficiency and effectiveness through the physical
management of inventory. The Hudson’s Bay Company’s ERP system was a means for
integrating and thereby improving calculation (Dechow & Mouritsen, 2005, p. 693). It
integrated the financial and the physical or non-financial, not just logically as with the
Moreover, the Firm’s Retek ERP system shrunk distances, particularly in making
centralized or shared services possible (Quattrone & Hopper, 2005, pp. 737-738).
Hypotheses
Recent research suggests that ERP systems have led to some changes in the work
systems and other parts of the organization, because increasingly they are business
systems analysts. They are more likely to work on systems than to input data and their
expertise is being shared throughout the organization. These findings are summarized as:
The literature is less clear on whether ERP systems are crucial for success and
survival. There is evidence to indicate that alternative systems – best of breed – may have
10
For the first hypothesis, the literature is clear about the power of IT and ERP
systems to provide for the integration of sub-systems. Of course ERP systems lead to a
reports are quickly produced. The result is that a firm’s operations are more transparent
or visible. For example, from a survey of 349 Danish firms, Rom and Rohde (2006, pp.
Rom and Rohde further reported that respondents were more satisfied with their ERP and
integrated information systems when there were strategic enterprise management systems
Gradlund (2007, p. 27) has concluded from the literature that ERP systems:
H1: Higher level of ERP integration is positively associated with usage of ERP
in management accounting techniques.
The management accounting techniques include: activity-based costing, budgeting,
capital budgeting, budgetary control, cost control, profit analysis, sales analysis, and
variance analysis.
11
H2: Higher level of ERP integration is positively associated with changes in
accounting techniques.
As with the first hypothesis, the management accounting techniques include: activity-
based costing, budgeting, capital budgeting, budgetary control, cost control, profit
responses from Finnish controllers and chief financial officers. They found that ERP
systems affect financial performance but not directly. ERP systems positively affect
performance, which then positively affect financial performance. The impact of ERP
There have been numerous predictions that ERP systems change the work of
management accountants. For example, a number of studies have indicated that ERP
systems have changed the work of management accountants from “bean counters” to
“business analysts” (Caglio, 2003; Scapens and Jazayeri, 2003). Granlund (2007, p. 13)
from a survey of literature concluded that firms tend to select software rather than
develop their own systems, which he said would mean management accountants would
integration rather than technical system design. Granlund (2007, pp. 20, 22, 23) also
surmised from the literature that with the prevalence of IT, management accountants
12
From a review of the literature on management accounting and IT, Berry et al.
(2009, pp. 12-13) found that management accountants increased “their responsibilities
and legitimized competencies”. At the same time, they found that non-accountants
complex relationship between IT/ERP and management accounting, which requires more
research.
The literature suggestions the following changes to the work of management accountants:
less involved in data entry; more involved in design and improvement of business
processes; more involved in selection of software vendors; more knowledge of IT; and
Granlund (2007, p. 28) concluded from a survey of the literature that financial and
non-financial information from ERP systems will be much more consistent among units.
Chapman and Kihn (2009) examined the impact of information system integration (ISI)
from a common database, which is an integral attribute of ERP systems. They built this
research on the common claim for ISI that it “enables more flexible forms of analysis
leading to enhanced performance” (p. 153). Findings from a mail survey of 300 business
unit managers in 86 firms (p. 157) revealed a direct association between ISI and
perceived system success, but not between ISI and the other aspects of performance such
as repair (refers to the breakdown of control processes, providing capabilities for fixing
them), local transparency (understanding the working of local processes), and global
13
transparency (refers to the understanding of where and how local processes fit into the
Greater performance is measured by: job effectiveness; job efficiency; decision making;
reduce inventory costs; reduced production costs; improved customer service; and
These interviews took between 60 and 90 minutes each. The interviews assisted with the
questionnaire that required them to estimate from their experience the stage of
development of ERP systems at the initial 200 Canadian firms being proposed for the
survey. Based on the consultants, the sample was reduced to the largest independent 190
firms. Large, profitable firms were chosen because they are more likely to have ERP
systems. Theses firms were was obtained from The Globe & Mail’s 2008 Report on
Business magazine. The target respondents of the questionnaire were the chief financial
officers (CFOs).
Of the sample of 190, 18 firms had to be eliminated because they had been or
were being merged, they had been detected to be subsidiaries, they moved their corporate
office to a foreign firm, and the questionnaires were returned with no availability of
14
The questionnaire response was 44 firms with a response rate of 25.6%, which
was acceptable. Three mail requests were made in April, July and August of 2009;
telephone reminders were used to increase the anonymous responses. 1 The questionnaire
could be completed in paper form or on-line. With the demanding economic conditions of
Respondents came from a variety of industries (see Table 1). Among all the
industries, energy oil and gas, manufacturing, and financial services account for over
50% of respondents in the total sample. Overall firms had an average size of 5,919
employees.
Table 2 specified that CFO was the most frequently mentioned among the
respondents’ titles, with 27.2% followed by different vice president (VP) positions (14
firms : 31%), controller representatives (9.0%) and a number of other positions (38.8%).
With respect to number of years that had passed since accountants graduated, 51% of
respondents had graduated between 20 to 29 years ago. A second group of almost 25% of
respondents indicated that they had graduated between 10 and 14 years ago. The average
number of years since graduation was 20 years (standard deviation = 7.5 years) as shown
in Table 2.
Findings
1. The survey was for testing the hypotheses. To start respondents were asked to
indicate whether they had implemented an ERP system in accounting or not. For
1
Our University’s ethics committee required that the respondents be anonymous.
15
those firms with ERP system, we also asked them to indicate the level of ERP
As seen in Table 3, 19 firms (43.2%) had no ERP systems in accounting and 25 firms
(56.8%) had ERP systems in their accounting department. Of the latter group, most firms
had implemented several ERP modules, although in some cases only a few ERP modules
were fully functional (10 firms; 22.7%) and in other cases most of them were fully
functional (12 firms; 27.3%). See Table 3. On average, firms had had their ERP systems
The next few tables provides context for understanding the results from
hypotheses testing, which are shown in the last four tables. For a context, Table 4 reports
the names of the ERP software vendors. As it can be seen the large software vendors
products were the most frequently cited by respondents; Oracle was the most common
ERP system among the firms in the sample followed by PeopleSoft (owned by Oracle),
implemented their ERP system across all business units or in some business units. When
the results are broken down by level of ERP integration we can see that firms with fully
integrated ERP systems or that have adopted several modules, most of them fully
functional, tend to implement their ERP systems across all business units. In contrast,
firms that had implemented several modules with limited functionality tend to implement
them only in some business units. These results are in line with what would be expected
16
since full ERP integration is achieved when the system is adopted across all business
units.
Respondents in ERP firms were also asked four questions related to their level of
agreed that the implementation of the ERP system was initiated by the accounting
department. The level of agreement increases with the level of ERP integration.
Respondents also indicated that the implementation of the ERP system was a joint effort
of the accounting department and IT department and that all accountants received training
in the new system. However, it is interesting to note that software vendor of the ERP
system was not always the one to provide the training, which was likely to have been
Table 7 reports the use of other systems by both non-ERP firms and ERP firms.
Both groups of firms tend to use spreadsheets applications with the most frequency
(daily) and digital dashboards with the least (a few times a year). In contrast, ERP firms
also tend to use supply chain management systems, customer relationship management
systems, and business intelligence applications with more frequency than non-ERP
firms. However, these differences cannot be assessed statistically due to the limited
sample size.
Table 7 also reveals that as the level of ERP integration increases so does the
frequency of use of other systems among ERP firms; this is true in the case of supply
17
chain management, customer relationship management, and digital dashboards where
firms with fully integrated ERP systems tend to use these systems with more frequency
than ERP firms with several ERP modules that were not all fully functional.
with no ERP systems indicated that these systems are not viewed as cost effective, there
are more pressing business problems, and they are not viewed as relevant for their kind of
business (see Table 8). On the other hand, respondents in firms with ERP systems
identified the lack of familiarity and being faced with more pressing business problems as
the existence of factors specific to firms with high levels of ERP integration such as lack
of familiarity, insufficient training, and software difficult to use. Due to the limited
sample sizes we could not conduct analysis to evaluate if the differences among groups of
The more integrated is the ERP system (i.e., adoption of many ERP modules and
integrated) the greater the efforts to make ERP systems used across the firm including
accounting. The level of ERP usage in management accounting was measured using a
five point scale (1= never; 2= a few times a year; 3= once a month; 4= weekly; 5= daily)
and by asking respondents to indicate to what extent ERP was used in conducting the
budgeting, capital budgeting, budgetary control, cost control, profit analysis, sales
18
A first look at Table 9 shows that ERP systems are not used with activity-based
costing, and only a few times a year in the case of capital budgeting and budgeting. The
other managerial accounting activities showed values over the threshold value of “3”
indicating that ERP systems are used with a monthly average frequency (sometimes
weekly). ERP is most frequently used in cost control activities, but also with budgetary
A quick comparison between the different ERP integration groups for each
management accounting activity reveals that as ERP systems become more integrated,
more frequent is the use of ERP in three managerial accounting activities: budgetary
control, profit analysis, and sales analysis. If one only compares those firms with several
modules implemented, the results indicate that more ERP integration is accompanied
with more frequent use of ERP systems in all activities except for Capital budgeting,
The more integrated is the ERP system (i.e., adoption of many ERP modules and
integrated) the larger the number of business processes that would affected by the
changes and the more profound those changes would be including accounting business
that two managerial activities were below the threshold value of “3” suggesting that the
introduction of ERP systems did not lead to any changes in activity-based costing and
capital budgeting. On the other hand, respondents agree that the introduction of an ERP
19
system has driven changes to variance analysis, cost control, profit analysis, budgetary
A quick comparison between the different ERP integration groups for each
management accounting activity in Table 10 reveals that budgeting and sales analysis
were the only two activities where a more integrated ERP system is accompanied with
accounting activities seem to happen when the firm moves from having several modules
with only some fully functional to having several modules but most of them fully
functional.
implementation of ERP systems. Overall, respondents agreed (values above the “3”
threshold value) that ERP implementation leads to management accountants being more
and less involved in data entry activities. In contrast, respondents did not consider that the
use of ERP systems in management accounting led to accountants being involved in the
measures.
However, when we compare the means among firms with different levels of ERP
integration, it can be seen that as the level of ERP integration increases, the role of
averages. Specifically, as the adoption of ERP systems aims toward a more fully
20
integrated system, accountants need to be more IT savvy, less involved in data entry
activities, and rely more on non-financial performance measures to manage the business.
In contrast, as the level of integration increases, the level of involvement in design and
improvement of business processes decreases, although the overall value is still above the
threshold value of “3” for all ERP firms. The use of non-financial performance indicators
is only relevant for firms with fully integrated systems. Respondents in firms in their
early stages of ERP implementation consider being involved in the selection of software
system effectiveness. Overall, respondents agreed (mean values greater than 3) that the
introduction of ERP in accounting contributed to greater job efficiency (taking less time
to do the same task), better decision making, job effectiveness (do the job when expected
respondents show greater level of agreement as their level of integration increases (see
Table 12). For example, when we consider firms with ERP systems “with several
modules but only some fully functional,” the survey reveals that only two benefits receive
efficiency. In contrast, ERP firms with “several modules most of them fully functional”
show seven benefits with average values above 3 – job efficiency, decision making, job
21
understanding of cost behavior, and reduced production costs. Firms with “fully
integrated” ERP systems show the same benefits as the previous group of ERP firms plus
reducing inventory costs. Therefore, the evidence seems to suggest a positive relationship
Discussion
The response rate was an acceptable 44 firms or 25.6%. Of the responding firms,
25 of the 44 had ERP systems. However, of those firms with ERP systems, only three had
fully integrated systems. As firms added more ERP modules, they tended to increasingly
implement them across business units. Management accountants were active with ERP
implementations, and firms with ERP systems tended to be computerized with supply
There was general support for H1, higher level of ERP integration is positively
that for ERP firms ERP systems are used with (i.e., above the “3” threshold) budgetary
control, cost control, profit analysis, sales analysis, and variance analysis. Activity-based
costing, budgeting, and capital budgeting were not affected by ERP systems. Although
there was general support, the small sample of firms with fully integrated ERP systems
There was even stronger general support for H2, higher level of ERP integration
control, cost control, profit analysis, sales analysis, and variance analysis were found to
have been changed by ERP systems. In addition, Table 10 also showed budgeting was
changed. Only activity-based costing and capital budgeting remained unchanged by ERP
22
systems. Once again there was general support, but the small sample of firms with fully
There was general support from Table 11 for H3, higher level of ERP integration
is positively associated with changes in the job of management accountants. ERP systems
data entry, more involvement in design and improvement of business processes, and need
to be more IT savvy. Although there was general support, the small sample of firms with
fully integrated ERP systems made it impossible to statistically support the hypothesis.
The general support was even stronger for H4, higher level of ERP integration is
positively associated with greater performance. Table 12 showed that ERP systems
forecasts, and better understanding of cost behavoiur. Again, the small sample of fully
integrated firms (i.e., three firms) made it difficult to statistically confirm that more
Conclusion
With the hypotheses, we were seeking to demonstrate the impact of ERP systems
prove that that as a firm’s ERP implementation went from a few partly functional
accounting.
occurred when, as shown in Table 1, only 56.8% of the respondents had ERP systems.
23
We had expected a higher percent of the respondents to have had ERP systems. The
second shortcoming was when only three or 12% of the firms with ERP systems had fully
integrated ERP systems. See Table 3. The scale was also problematic that none of the
firms was classified with “few modules, but not fully functional.” Consequently, we were
not able to statistically show that as ERP systems intensified, so did the impact on
accounting.
ERP systems are a new technology that many, but not all, Canadian firms have
implemented. They ensure that systems and information are integrated. To fit in this
changed context, we expected that management accounting would also need to change.
General support for the hypotheses explained that management accounting does change
with ERP systems. Management accounting techniques such as budgetary control, cost
control, profit analysis, sales analysis and variance analysis use ERP systems. Those
same management accounting techniques plus budgeting have been required to change
because of ERP systems, i.e., less involvement in data entry activities, more involvement
in design and improvement of business processes, and the need to be more IT savvy.
ERP systems have contributed to the work of management accountants, i.e., more
effective, more efficient, better decisions, more responsive to accounting problems, more
24
Table 1 Respondents’ industry and size.
Number of Percentage of
Industry
respondents respondents
Energy – Distribution 2 4.5
Energy – Mining 3 6.8
Energy - Oil and Gas 8 18.2
Energy – Pipelines 1 2.3
Manufacturing 8 18.2
Services – Financial 8 18.2
Services - Real Estate 4 9.1
Services – Retail 3 6.8
Services – Technology 5 11.4
Services – Transportation 2 4.5
Total 44 100.0
Number of employees Number of firms Percentage
0-99 3 7.1
100-499 6 14.3
500-999 4 9.3
1000-1999 6 14.3
2000-2999 9 21.4
3000- 9999 7 16.7
10000-59999 7 16.7
Total 43 100%
25
Table 2. Respondents’ title and years since graduation
Respondent’s title Number of firms Percentage
Chief financial officer (CFO) 12 27.2
Vice president (VP) Finance & CFO 3 6.8
Controller 2 4.5
Corporate Controller 2 4.5
VP Finance & Controller 2 4.5
Finance Manager 2 4.5
VP Financial Reporting 2 4.5
VP Controller 2 4.5
Other * 17 38.6
Total 44 99.7
Years since graduation Number of firms Percentage
5-9 3 7.3
10-14 10 24.4
15-19 3 7.3
20-24 11 26.8
25-29 10 24.4
30-34 3 7.3
35-39 1 2.4
Total 41 99.9%
* The following titles were included under category “Other”: VP, VP & CIO, VP
Corporate Reporting, VP CTR Info Systems & Risk Mgmt, VP Finance, SAP BW
Analyst, Accounting Manager Secretary, Senior Financial Analyst, Cost Accountant
Planning & Analytics, Director of Special Projects Finance, Director of Information
Systems, Director Financial Analysis & Planning, Director Financial Reporting, Manager
Control Services, Manager Financial Planning & Analysis, Manager JD Edwards
Application Team, Finance, Manager
26
Table 3. ERP level of integration and years since implementation.
Years since
implementation
Frequency Percent Mean SD*
No ERP 19 43.2 - -
Few modules, but not fully functional 0 0 - -
Several ERP modules, some fully
10 22.7 7.30 2.87
functional
Several ERP modules, most of them
12 27.3 8.58 4.94
fully functional
Fully integrated ERP system 3 6.8 5.33 2.08
Total 44 100 4.92 4.89
* Standard deviation
27
Table 4. ERP system vendor and level of ERP integration
N=25
Name of ERP vendor Frequency %
Oracle 9 26.5
PeopleSoft 6 17.6
SAP 5 14.7
Microsoft Dynamics GP 4 11.8
JD Edwards 2 5.9
Sun 2 5.9
Others: Sage, Epicor, Dynamics AX, Lawson,
6 17.6
Visibility Visual, Scala
Total* 34 100
* Some firms reported using more than one ERP system that is the reason why the total
number of ERP systems implemented is greater than the number of ERP firms.
28
Table 5. Level of ERP integration and reach of ERP system implementation
Breakdown by level of ERP integration
Several
Several Fully
Total ERP modules: most
modules: some integrated
firms fully
fully functional ERP
functional
N=25 N=10 N=12 N=3
Reach of
Mean* SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
implementation:
Across all business
3.36 1.55 2.90 1.52 3.50 1.68 4.33 0.58
units
Only at office
1.44 1.12 1.70 1.25 1.33 1.15 1.00 0
headquarters
Some business
3.20 1.83 4.10 1.29 2.42 1.93 3.33 2.08
units
* Note: 1 = totally disagree; 5 = totally agree
29
Table 6. Accounting department involvement in the ERP implementation
Breakdown by level of ERP integration
Several Several
modules: modules: Fully
ERP firms
some fully most fully integrated
functional functional
Management accounting N = 24 N=9 N= 12 N=3
activities Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
Accounting department
initiated the
4.04* 1.08 3.89 0.78 4.00 1.35 4.67 0.58
implementation in
accounting
The implementation of
the ERP system in
accounting was a joint 4.38 0.88 4.33 0.50 4.25 1.14 5.00 0.00
effort between accounting
and the IT department
All accountants received
4.13 1.12 3.78 1.20 4.17 1.12 5.00 0.00
training
The software vendor of
the ERP system provided 2.83 1.20 2.67 1.00 2.83 1.47 3.33 0.58
the training
* Note: 1 = totally disagree; 5 = totally agree
30
Table 7. Other information systems
Breakdown by level of ERP integration
Several Several
modules: modules: Fully
No ERP ERP firms
some fully most fully integrated;
functional functional
N=16 N=23 N= 8 N=12 N=3
Other information Mean
SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
systems *
Supply chain 1.7
1.81 1.5 3.09 1.8 2.63 2.92 1.9 5.00 0.0
Management (SCM) 6
Customer
1.3
Relationship 2.81 1.8 3.00 1.7 2.25 3.33 1.8 3.67 2.3
8
Management (CRM)
1.5
Business Intelligence 3.38 1.7 4.00 1.5 4.00 4.08 1.5 3.67 2.3
1
1.4
Digital dashboards 2.13 1.5 2.17 1.5 1.87 2.08 1.4 3.33 2.1
5
0.0
Spreadsheets 4.75 0.6 5.00 0.0 5.00 5.00 0.00 5.00 0.0
0
Note: 1= never; 2= a few times a year; 3= once a
month; 4= weekly; 5= daily
31
Table 8. Obstacles to ERP implementation
Breakdown by level of ERP integration
Several Several
modules: modules: Fully
No ERP ERP firms
some fully most fully integrated
functional functional
N=12 N=23 N=10 N=10 N=3
Obstacles Mean* SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
Faced with
more pressing
3.33 1.23 3.30 0.97 3.20 0.92 3.20 1.03 4.00 1.00
business
problems
Not viewed as
3.67 1.43 3.00 1.17 2.80 1.03 3.10 1.10 3.33 2.08
cost effective
Lack of
2.83 1.64 3.39 1.20 2.80 1.32 4.00 0.67 3.33 1.53
familiarity
Lack of top
management 2.67 1.30 2.17 0.98 1.80 0.79 2.40 0.97 2.67 1.53
support
Not viewed as
relevant for
3.33 1.67 1.87 0.92 1.70 0.82 2.00 0.82 2.00 1.73
our kind of
business
Lack of
2.33 1.30 2.39 0.99 2.40 1.07 2.20 0.92 3.00 1.00
funding
Insufficient
2.25 1.36 2.87 1.22 2.30 1.16 3.30 1.06 3.33 1.53
training
Software
difficult to 1.92 1.31 2.78 1.20 2.30 1.06 3.30 0.95 2.67 2.08
use
Analyses too
complex to 2.00 1.35 2.30 1.02 2.10 0.88 2.50 0.71 2.33 2.31
learn and use
* Note: 1 = totally disagree; 5 = totally agree
32
Table 9. Use of ERP in management accounting activities and level of ERP integration
Breakdown by level of ERP integration
Several Several
modules: modules: Fully
ERP firms
some fully most fully integrated
functional functional
Management accounting N = 24 N=10 N= 11 N=3
activities Mean* SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
Activity-based costing 1.71 1.16 1.70 1.49 1.82 0.98 1.33 0.58
Budgeting 2.46 1.10 2.40 1.08 2.27 1.01 3.33 1.53
Capital budgeting 2.00 1.10 2.30 0.95 1.45 0.69 3.00 2.00
Budgetary control 3.38 1.17 3.20 1.03 3.45 1.29 3.67 1.53
Cost control 3.58 1.02 3.70 0.82 3.45 1.21 3.67 1.16
Profit analysis 3.25 0.94 2.90 0.74 3.45 1.04 3.67 1.16
Sales analysis 3.17 1.09 2.80 1.03 3.36 1.03 3.67 1.53
Variance analysis 3.21 1.14 3.10 0.99 3.36 1.12 3.00 2.00
* Note: 1= never; 2= a few times a year; 3= once a month; 4= weekly; 5= daily
33
Table 10. Changes to management accounting activities and level of ERP integration
Breakdown by level of ERP integration
Several Several
All ERP modules: modules: Fully
firms some fully most fully integrated
functional functional
Management accounting N = 23 N=10 N= 10 N=3
activities Mean* SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
Activity-based costing 1.87 1.33 1.80 1.40 2.10 1.45 1.33 0.58
Budgeting 3.09 1.44 2.90 1.37 3.20 1.62 3.33 1.53
Capital budgeting 2.52 1.34 2.50 1.43 2.30 1.25 3.33 1.53
Budgetary control 3.35 1.27 3.00 1.41 3.70 1.06 3.33 1.53
Cost control 3.43 1.24 3.30 1.34 3.70 1.06 3.00 1.73
Profit analysis 3.39 1.34 3.00 1.49 3.80 1.14 3.33 1.53
Sales analysis 3.22 1.35 2.90 1.45 3.40 1.27 3.67 1.53
Variance analysis 3.52 1.41 3.30 1.34 3.80 1.55 3.33 1.53
* Note: 1 = totally disagree; 5 = totally agree
34
Table 11. Changes to management accountants’ job and level of ERP integration
Breakdown by level of ERP integration
Several Several
All ERP modules: modules: Fully
firms some fully most fully integrated
functional functional
N = 24 N=9 N= 12 N=3
Changes to management
accountants’ job Mean
SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
*
Less involved in data entry
activities
3.25 1.29 3.00 1.23 3.25 1.42 4.00 1.00
More involved in design and
improvement of business 3.92 0.83 4.11 0.33 3.83 0.94 3.67 1.53
processes
More involved in the selection
of software vendors
2.79 1.38 3.33 1.12 2.42 1.38 2.67 2.08
Need to be more IT savvy 3.67 1.01 3.33 0.71 3.75 1.14 4.33 1.16
Use non-financial performance
measures more intensively
2.50 1.22 2.11 1.17 2.67 1.30 3.00 1.00
Rely more on non-financial
performance measures to 2.50 1.18 2.11 1.05 2.67 1.30 3.00 1.00
manage the business
* Note: 1 = totally disagree; 5 = totally agree
35
Table 12. ERP performance outcomes in accounting and levels of ERP integration
Breakdown by level of ERP integration
Several Several
All ERP modules: modules: Fully
firms some fully most fully integrated
functional functional
N = 21 N=8 N= 10 N=3
Performance outcomes:
Mean* SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
Job effectiveness 3.67 0.91 3.00 0.93 4.20 0.63 3.67 0.58
Job efficiency 3.90 0.70 3.38 0.74 4.30 0.48 4.00 0.00
Decision making 3.76 0.89 3.00 0.54 4.30 0.68 4.00 1.00
Reduce inventory costs 2.48 1.29 2.13 1.25 2.20 1.03 4.33 0.58
Reduce production costs 2.95 1.28 2.38 1.06 3.30 1.49 3.33 0.58
Customer service 2.57 1.25 2.00 1.07 2.90 1.37 3.00 1.00
Responsiveness to accounting
problems
3.67 0.86 3.50 0.76 3.80 0.92 3.67 1.16
Accuracy of forecasts 3.62 1.20 2.75 1.28 4.10 0.74 4.33 1.16
New market opportunities 1.71 0.78 1.38 0.52 1.90 0.88 2.00 1.00
Better understanding of cost
behavior
3.29 0.85 3.00 0.54 3.40 0.97 3.67 1.16
* Note: 1 = totally disagree; 5 = totally agree
36
References
Berry, A.J., Coad, A.F., Harris, E.P., Otley, D.T., and Stringer, C., Emerging themes in
management control: a review of recent literature, British Accounting Review, pp. 2-20.
Booth, P., Matolcsy, Z., and Wielder, B., (2000), Integrated information systems (ERP-
systems) and accounting practice – the Australian experience, Third European
Conference on Accounting Information System, Munich, Germany, March 27-28. Cited
in Hyvonen, (2003).
Caglio, A., (2003), Enterprise resource planning systems and accountants: towards
hybridization? European Accounting Review, 12(1), pp. 123-153.
Chapman, C.S., Kihn, L.-A., (2009), Information system integration, enabling control,
and performance, Accounting, Organizations and Society, 34, pp. 151-169.
Cooper, R., and Kaplan, R.S., (1998), The promise – and peril – of integrated cost
systems, Harvard Business Review, pp. 109-119.
Davenport, T.H., (2000), Mission Critical: Realizing the Promise of Enterprise Systems,
Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Dechow, N., and Mouritsen, J., (2005). Enterprise resource planning systems,
management control and the quest for integration. Accounting, Organizations & Society,
30, 691-733.
Granlund, M., (2007), On the interface between management accounting and modern IT
– a literature review and some empirical evidence, working paper, Turku School of
Economics.
Granlund, M., and Malmi, T., (2002), Moderate impact of ERPS on management
accounting: a lag or permanent outcome? Management Accounting Research, 13(3), pp.
299-321.
Granlund, M., and Mouritsen, J., (2003), Problematizing the relationship between
management control and IT, European Accounting Review, (12)1), pp. 77-83.
Hopwood, A.G., (1992), Accounting, calculation and the shifting sphere of the economic,
European Accounting Review, 1, pp. 125-143.
Hyvonen, T., (2003), Management accounting and information systems: ERP versus
BoB, European Accounting Review, 12, 155-173.
Kallunki, J.-P., Laitinen, E.K., and Silvola, H., (forthcoming), Impact of enterprise
resource planning systems on management control systems and firm performance,
International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, pp. 1-20.
37
Light, B., Holland, C.P. and Wills, K., (2001), ERP and best of breed: a comparative
analysis, Business Process Management Journal, 7(3), pp. 216-224.
Lodh, S.C., and Gaffikin, M.J.R., (2003), Implementation of an integrated accounting and
cost management system using the SAP system: a field study, European Accounting
Review, 12(1), pp. 85-121.
Miller, P., (1998), The margins of accounting, European Accounting Review, 7, pp. 605-
662.
Norreklit, H. (2000). The balance on the balanced scorecard – a critical analysis of some
of its assumptions, Management Accounting Research, 11, pp. 65-88.
Norreklit, H. (2003). The Balanced Scorecard: what is the score? A rhetorical analysis of
the balanced scorecard, Accounting, Organizations and Society, 28, pp. 591-619.
Quattrone, P. and Hopper, T., (2001), What does organizational change mean?
Speculations on a Taken for Granted Category, Management Accounting Research, 12,
pp. 403-435.
Roberts, J., (2004), The Modern Firm, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Rom, A., and Rohde, C., (2006), Enterprise resource planning systems, strategic
enterprise management systems and management accounting: a Danish study, Journal of
Enterprise Information Management, No. 1, pp. 50-66.
Scapens, R.W., and Jazayeri, M., (2003), ERP systems and management accounting
change: opportunities or impact? A research note, European Accounting Review, 12, pp.
201-233.
Scapens, R., Jazayeri, M., and Scapens, J., (1998), SAP: integrated information systems
and the implications for management accountants, Management Accounting (UK), 78
(September), pp. 46-48.
Umble, E.J., Half, R.R., and Umble, M.M., (2003), Enterprise resource planning:
implementation procedures and critical success factors, European Journal of
Operational Research, 146, pp. 241-257.
38