Massey Documents by Type

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/294

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Item
    A model to assess cloud enterprise resource planning adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Systems, School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until 31 July 2027.
    (Massey University, 2025-07-28) Tongsuksai, Sunchai
    In the current digital era, cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have evolved taking precedence over the on-premise ERP due to the convenience of software deployment and operation managed by third parties or cloud service providers (CSPs). This is specifically helpful to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), who usually are limited in resources. The cloud ERP is an innovative technology, and its application can play a crucial role for SMEs to compete in the global market. There is a lack of research that looks at the benefits, characteristics, critical success factors (CSFs), and challenges of cloud ERP adoption in SMEs, specifically in the New Zealand (NZ) context. Thus, the objectives of this study are (1) to identify the benefits of adopting cloud ERP systems in New Zealand SMEs, (2) to examine the influential characteristics for the adoption decision of these systems, and (3) to evaluate the CSFs and the challenges that impact their adoption in SMEs. This study develops and uses a conceptual model, which combines technology, organisation, and environment (TOE) and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) frameworks, to examine the influential characteristics of the technological, organisational, environmental and individual dimensions for cloud ERP adoption in NZ SMEs. A qualitative research design is deployed which is conducted in two phases in this study. In the initial preliminary study phase, semi-structured interviews are conducted with ERP vendors, who are experts and critical players in cloud ERP deployment, to gather in-depth knowledge on the current practices of cloud ERP adoption in NZ SMEs. In the second main study phase, two SMEs from NZ are interviewed to collect data from practitioners and company managers who are involved in the adoption of cloud ERP in their companies. The data collected from these case studies are evaluated through cross-case analyses and compared with the preliminary study findings and extant literature to arrive at the study results. A revised and extended empirical model is developed based on the study findings. The findings of this study highlight the benefits of adopting cloud ERP systems in New Zealand SMEs. The key benefits include cost reduction, system and data accessibility, scalability, and effortless integration with other applications. This study further highlights the characteristics that influence cloud ERP adoption decisions in NZ SMEs, as well as identifies novel characteristics that affect this adoption decision, such as system quality (technological dimension), organisational culture (organisational dimension), government funding support (environmental dimension) and personal innovation (individual dimension). Furthermore, the CSFs and challenges associated with adopting cloud ERP systems in NZ SMEs are discussed. The key CSFs include education and training for users, having knowledge of cloud ERP, and clear understanding requirements of cloud ERP adoption. The key challenges include lack of awareness and knowledge, incorrect migration process, and ineffective project management. These insights enhance the understanding of academics and practitioners regarding the benefits, characteristics, CSFs, and challenges of adopting these systems in SMEs.
  • Item
    Wisdom of the crowds : developing a social media platform for socially responsible research : a thesis by publication. EMBARGOED to 6 September 2025.
    (Massey University, 2023) Yu, Ji
    The recent proliferation of social media and the underlying technical applications have provided important opportunities for researchers to obtain wisdom-of-the-crowds (WoC)-type data to address their research questions for the benefit of society. In particular, complex or wicked social problems, e.g., COVID-19-like issues, may need more attention from researchers. As the contemporary world is filled with uncertainty and highly unpredictable, such kinds of problems are increasingly emerging, which require appropriate attention from researchers as well as new ways to tackle them. However, most currently available social media applications have not been designed with researchers as their primary audience, and issues, such as ethical concerns and data acquisition restrictions, are also of concern with current applications. To better fulfil the needs of researchers, and address the challenges, this study designed and developed an experimental and research-oriented social media platform, Wisenet, for socially responsible research (SRR), which refers to studies that are conducted with consideration for the benefit of society at large. Wisenet is positioned as a specialized platform for researchers, enabling them to generate, collect, and analyze WoC-type data in a research-oriented environment. The mission of the platform is to provide valuable, accessible, ethically sourced data and analysis for researchers and to facilitate participants’ interest, interaction, and cognitive skills while maintaining the values of ethical principles and social responsibility. Wisenet reaches and engages target participants – people over 50 – to obtain their perspectives on current significant social problems. People over 50 have been selected as the target group because their relatively high level of accumulated life experience makes them more likely to be able to provide meaningful insights on current social issues. Further, offering such insights may require them to use, reflect on, and synthesize their wisdom, knowledge, and experience, and these can be a pathway to develop or maintain their cognitive capabilities. Therefore, participating in Wisenet can be beneficial for both people over 50 and researchers. A design science research methodology (DSRM) approach is employed, which includes six stages: problem identification and motivation, defining the objectives of a solution, design and development, demonstration, evaluation, and communication. Socio-technical theory and WoC provide the main theoretical underpinnings of this study, and along with SRR principles, guide both the purpose of the study and the design and development of the platform. Both qualitative and quantitative data can be generated and collected from the platform, and advanced data analytics methods (e.g., sentiment analysis and topic modelling) are employed to analyse data for WoC. The demonstration and evaluation phases provide evidence of the efficacy, effectiveness, usefulness and ease of use of this newly developed platform. For the contributions, this study mainly provides an artefactual contribution, i.e., Wisenet. It is a comprehensive information system artefact, integrating the technology, social, and information artefacts. Additionally, this study contributes to theoretical understanding by applying design principles (i.e., interaction, understanding, trust and ethics, and simplicity) in the design and development of the artefact. While some of these principles may be found discussed in design literature, this study takes a comprehensive approach by integrating them to guide the design and development of the platform, and they can be used to design similar artefacts in the future. For the research implications, Wisenet can be generalized as a class of artefact, which is a type of online platform focusing on generating WoC-type data for various purposes. Future research may develop a corresponding design theory to create this class of artefact. As for practical implications, this study mainly demonstrates a proof-of-concept, which shows the functional feasibility of Wisenet, and partially demonstrates the proof-of-value level implication, in which stakeholders (i.e., researchers) can use Wisenet to create value. In addition, Wisenet could also have important applications for both business and government; for example, in the development of policies and processes that affect people over 50. Wisenet also has practical implications for commercial social media providers. It emphasizes the idea that instead of concentrating solely on profits, providers may also consider promoting ethical, trustworthy, and socially responsible online environments for the benefit of society and their companies.