Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) adoption in a hybrid service and manufacturing Small and Medium￾sized Enterprise (SME): an action case study Chinedu Anthony OFOEGBU Salford Business School University of Salford, Salford, UK Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, January 2016 i Dedication It is with great pleasure, that I dedicate this thesis to my wife, Lilian Kudzie Kumire-Ofoegbu, my five years old daughter, Uchechukwu Ruvarashe Audrey Ofoegbu and son Daniel Chinedu Kudzaishe Ofoegbu who throughout the course of this study patiently supported me. My little girl, as I call my daughter, always understood that ‘Daddy was doing his research’. Finally, I also dedicate this thesis to my lovely late mother, Augustina Uchechukwu Ofoegbu, who would have been very proud to read this work. ii Table of Contents Dedication…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. i Table of Contents.........................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................................ix Declaration ..................................................................................................................................................x Abbreviations..............................................................................................................................................xi Definitions …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. xii Abstract ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1 Chapter One: Introduction to the research problem ..................................................................................3 1.1 Introduction................................................................................................................................3 1.2 SME and hybrid service and manufacturing management........................................................3 1.3 Research motivation, context and constraints ..........................................................................4 1.4 Background and role of the researcher and the KTP .................................................................7 1.5 Business process analysis in an SME ..........................................................................................8 1.5.1 Organisational Information Processing Theory..........................................................................9 1.6 Research problem, questions, objectives and contributions to knowledge............................10 1.6.1 Research problem: Specialist hybrid service and manufacturing industry..............................11 1.6.2 Research problem: Business process analysis in an SME.........................................................12 1.6.3 Research aim and questions ....................................................................................................13 1.6.4 Research Objectives................................................................................................................15 1.6.5 Original contribution to knowledge .........................................................................................15 1.7 Thesis structure........................................................................................................................17 Chapter Two: Literature Review................................................................................................................19 2 Introduction..............................................................................................................................19 2.1 Information Processing ...........................................................................................................19 2.1.0.1 Technology Acceptance Model (TAM): ...................................................