Why ERP? A Primer on SAP Implementation [Paperback]

F. Robert Jacobs (Author), David Clay Whybark (Author), D. Clay Whybark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0072400897 | ISBN-13: 978-0072400892 | Edition: 1

What is Enterprise Resource Planning and why does it matter? Like The Goal, Why ERP? is a short novel about a manager in a furniture manufacturing business who is charged with learning about and implementing a new ERP system, SAP R/3. The story tells of his experience and provides a non-technical, non-programming introduction to the basic concepts and architecture of ERP systems.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

F. Robert Jacobs is currently department chairman at Indiana University. He has a Ph.D from Ohio State and is past Vice President of the Decision Sciences Institute, Information Technology Coordinator for Decision Sciences Institute for 1997, as well as Associate Editor on the board of the Journal of Operations Management. David Clay Whybark (Chapel Hill, NC) is on the faculty of the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Irwin; 1 edition (January 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072400897
• ISBN-13: 978-0072400892
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #745,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

F. Robert Jacobs
Professor and Chase Faculty Fellow, Kelly School of Business, Indiana University

Professor Jacobs is the author of three textbooks for McGraw-Hill including Operations and Supply Chain Management, Operations and Supply Management-The Core, and Manufacturing Planning and Control for Supply Chain Management. His PhD is from The Ohio State University and he has been at Indiana University for over 28 years. He has taught in the PhD, MBA and undergraduate programs at the school. He currently teaches the Operations and Supply Chain Core Honors course and an On-Line MBA Operations Core course.

He is past president of the Decision Sciences Institute and has served on the Board of Directors of APICS - The Association for Operations Management. Over the years he has won many awards for innovation and teaching excellence. His personal interests include fishing and flying airplanes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly written, poorly edited, very light on content, March 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Why ERP? A Primer on SAP Implementation (Paperback)

I was excited to find this book, an introduction to ERP in one slim volume.

Unfortunately, the authors do not use their pages well. The book meanders (even more than one might expect from a "novel"), the writing includes a definite Southeastern U.S. regional tone, and the editing is very poor (I spotted a number of grammatical errors and several instances where a sentence had been cut in editing and not repaired).

Overall, this is a sloppy piece of work. One might expect better from a major publisher, but...

I cannot recommend this book to anyone.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful introductory tutorial disguised as a novel, March 1, 2000

By 

Alex Stewart (Lubbock, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why ERP? A Primer on SAP Implementation (Paperback)

This book is presented as the ERP version of "The Goal", and it is true that it takes the form of a novel. However, it is not clear that the weakly developed fictional elements add or detract from the message. The case study, however, is useful, and overall this is a palatable way to get an introduction to the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning. Like most writing on ERP, it focuses on one software product, in this case, SAP R/3. However, it is not a disguised advertisement and should be useful for managers contemplating adopting any such system in their companies.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Common Sense Look at ERP, May 9, 2000

By 

Lori Duncan (Bloomington, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why ERP? A Primer on SAP Implementation (Paperback)

What steps an organization needs to consider and take before moving into an ERP environment is given so simply in this book. Jacobs and Whybark present the facts in such a way that anyone in an organization understands that ERP is not a magical cure for their ills. Yes, this book is written very much like "The Goal," yet one knows this from the start. Where is it written that such a book must be full of theories, processes and analogies that makes it boring and undigestable. I applaud Jacobs and Whybark for giving the business world an easy to understand and follow guideline for ERP.