Enterprise resource planning: a review and a STOPE view

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are becoming of increasing importance as integrated parts of business networks. They support ‘ebusiness implementation’ for better enterprise performance, ‘integrate activities’ for higher enterprise efficiency, and enjoy a ‘modular architecture’, for future extensions and further benefits. The aim of this review is to introduce ERP systems and explore their current state and future potentials. Using recent literature, the review provides a comprehensive understanding of ERP systems, including illustrating their main components and clarifying their basic and extended features. In addition, the review highlights the main producers of ERP systems, together with their partners and customers. Based on previous investigations, the review also addresses ERP selection criteria and critical implementation factors. Finally, recent views of ERP systems and their future development, including their enhanced intelligence, expansion, and management, are given. The views also include a STOPE view (strategy, technology, organization–enterprise, people, environment), which illustrates the integration of ERP systems with the overall enterprise network. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.