Miracle or mirage? an exploration of the pervasive ERP system phenomenon informed by the notion of conflicting memories

This dissertation explores the phenomenon of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. This type of complex information systems, focusing on the support of a wide variety of administrative, logistic, and managerial business processes, has been heavily introduced in organizations around the world, particularly since the mid-nineties. The introduction of ERP systems in an organization will purposely and inadvertently bring about changes in the ways in which people interpret and enact processes. ERP systems ¿ through the prescription and proscription of practices ¿ bring with them new ways of working and also new representations and understandings of these work processes that are to a certain extent unforeseen and even unseen.