Running head: CENTENNIAL COLLEGE CASE SCENARIO

Advanced Accounting Information Systems (ACCT 757)

Group Project

Centennial College Case Scenario

Maria Cariza Canete-301109573

Honey May Dumandan- 301117450

Irene Guintu- 301047636

Hanica Peart- 30111263

Kela Sappleton- 301103560

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Table of Contents

Case Scenario.......................................................................................................................3

Issues Currently Facing by Students as well as Employees................................................4

Overcome the Issues............................................................................................................4

Resistance and Objections...................................................................................................5

Cost Benefit Analysis..........................................................................................................7

Feedbacks/ Recommendations.............................................................................................8

References..........................................................................................................................10
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Case Scenario

Imagine that you are the new IS manager for Centennial College. Surprisingly, the college still

operates with a hodgepodge of transaction processing systems. Some are software packages from various

vendors and some systems are developed in-house. Use a graphics package (such as 10 PowerPoint

slides) to prepare a presentation you will make to the vice president and president of Centennial College

to convince them that it's time to implement a comprehensive ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning

system.
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Issues Currently Facing by Students as well as Employees

The current system is a mixture of several software packages which do not link together to form a

coherent and simplified unit for the college. Students’ records have to be entered manually which is time

consuming and costly. All departments are using different software, as such no real time update of

information from Admissions to the other departments in the college. Student files are sometimes

misplaced in different departments. School fees online or off campus aren’t updated in a timely manner

thus affecting their enrollment process. Lectures and students have to access different systems in order to

access assignment and student services information. Students can only print to the nearest computer as the

network does not enable the use of cloud storage to print at different printers in the system. Access to

transcript and progress reports are not real time as different systems have to be used to update the same.

Everyone in the accounts department has access to personal documents, wherein there is a need for a

security code that only top management has access to various files and there is also the need for regular

maintenance.

Overcome the Issues

We would overcome these issues by implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

system. ERP uses a centralized database to reduce manual labor and to simplify business workflows. The

implementation of ERP in the college will allow all departments and functions to integrate into one

computer system, thus simplifying and optimizing the needs of the organization. Finance, Payroll, Student

Services, IS department and Admissions will now be able to link and communicate effectively to provide

useful information to its users.

Currently all the departments are using different systems, as such, it takes time for them to get the

updated information for staff and students. With an ERP system, once students and administrators update

their information online, all the departments will be updated with the real time information hence there is

no delay in the update of student records.

Admission process is usually long and time consuming, with an ERP system the processes will be

simplified thus allowing all parties involved to get a quicker turnaround of the accreditation process.
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Payment and collection of school fees is a critical and essential process of all colleges wherein students

and staff prefer a hassle free and less time-consuming process. With an ERP system, school fees can be

automated, thus allowing segregation of the fees collected to their respective categories. Students and

parents will also be able to get alerts when school fee is due and confirmation of payment received by the

college. The college will now benefit from cost saving as manual tasks are reduced thus saving time and

money in various administrative processes. Data management can be centralized which will integrate the

different schools (School of Business, School of Hospitality etc.) on campus. This will allow teachers,

lectures and students to share stored information thus allowing for efficient and effective communication

among all parties. Another area of improvement in the college will be seen in the management and

optimization of resources. Management can now track resources real time and as such allocate unused

resources to areas of needs through its continuous monitoring of the systems. Students will be able to

benefit from quicker and improve management processes, as seen where they are now able to have easier

and quicker access to their timetables examinations, admissions, fees, reporting, and so forth. Changes

and improvement in technology also comes with potential cyber hackers and theft of data. The

implementation of an ERP system will allow administrators to store information on all pass and current

students and staff in a safe and secure location for continuous or future use and reference.

Resistance and Objections

The only thing that is constant is change and yet humans resist change, as it disrupts the normal

flow of their daily routine. The college however has to change its current system if it wants to be more

competitive than other institutions. There are numerous factors that the management will refuse to accept

the changes to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System. First, it is costly and time consuming to

implement and complete the system installation for the whole college. It is a big investment for the

Centennial College to change the system. Management will argue if the cost outweighs the benefits before

deciding to upgrade the system from “Hodgepodge” system to ERP. Everyone needs time to learn and

become comfortable with ERP. Thus, employees will complain about the extra effort and time they need

to spend to become familiar with the system. In-depth training or seminars will involve major employees
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and students of Centennial College in system selection and implementation. From the beginning, most of

them cannot catch out about the new technology and they may be intimidated by it like some instances

that the management needs to reorganize the workflow to include new procedures aligned with ERP

system.

In addition, change as one of the crucial considerations can be difficult in all areas of

management. It will have a big impact in their daily routine so when we are asked to adapt to a new

process, students or even employees can sometimes be opposed to it. Willingness relates to an individual's

or organization's ability or desire to accept change. While new technology can be utilized to help

businesses run more efficiently and productively, employers may find that their employees are not

initially willing to accept new technologies in the workplace. It could initially disrupt the workplace as a

whole. Thus, they want to know how it will directly impact and transform their working lives once the

changes were implemented.

Another issue is the dissatisfaction from the introduction of an information system (IS) that can

result from threats to equity in reward systems, productivity and workflow. Unfamiliarity with the system

leads to other factors like job stress, a lack of a work-life balance, and fear of coping with new changes.

Dissatisfaction with productivity and workflows due to implementation of new systems is likely to cause

resistance to change.

On the other hand, a sense of job insecurity because of the new changes either in the College or

introduction to ERP system leads to workforce reduction. There is a possibility that employee downsizing

may happen since ERP is more complex than Hodgepodge. Centennial College will only need less

personnel and more automation will be implemented using ERP. Organizations will resist because they

need a plan to reconcile the goals of structural and systematic changes in order to introduce greater job

flexibility.

Centennial College needs to work on a graphical representation of how an increase in learning

comes from greater experience or how employees perform the task, the better they get which they called
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as a learning curve. The difficulty of adoption and learning curve involved varies from person to person,

depending on their relative experience, interest and familiarity with technology.

Cost Benefit Analysis

Cost benefit analysis is a helpful tool to decide on whether or not to go ahead with a new project

or system. This will prevent the school from acquiring a system that they will lose money rather than

achieving economies of scale. Although cost plays a vital role in decision making, it should not be the

only determining factor to go ahead with the new system. The benefits of the new systems to meet the

needs of the school should play an equal role in the decision making. Two of the deciding factors to think

of are when implementing the ERP system is whether the college should outsource or buy an ERP system.

Obtaining a new system will generate additional expense for the college, whether in initial stage

or ongoing through the life of the system. The college will have to ascertain the cost of acquisition,

upgrade and customization of the system in order to ensure that they are getting value for their money and

the needs of the college are being met by the new system. The current hodgepodge system does not have

enough memory and workstation to support the current users, as such additional money will be spent to

upgrade the system. A new system also comes with a new operating system; hence conversion of files is a

must to have continuous workflow from old systems. Training cost will also be incurred, as staff and

students will have to be trained on how to use the new system. There is also unforeseen expenditure that

management would have to retain in the budget to ensure smooth running of the system for years to come.

The major benefit is competitive advantage and economies of scale. All organizations want to be

ahead of their competitor whilst remaining efficient and effective in its operation. Acquiring an ERP

system will reduce administrative, labor and rework costs. Management and students will now have

access to real time information which will be more relevant and reliable in their decision-making process.

The college will be able to respond quickly to business requirements, hence reduction in rework and

discrepancy in information. The college can spend time on its core competency and capture new

significant revenue opportunities.

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Overall, it can be concluded that the benefits will outweigh the initial cost to upgrade and acquire

the system in the long run, once the best ERP system is implemented by the college.

Feedbacks/ Recommendations

As humans we stick to what we know, we resist and dread changes, however as an organization,

to remain competitive, change is a must. Technology is forever evolving, we cannot stay lagging behind,

as such, it is time for us to move forward and upgrade our old hodgepodge system. They are effective

now, but for how long? Do we want to remain stuck in the past?

Millennials and generation Z use technology in their everyday activities, we have to adapt the

college to their needs if we want to attract them to our college. We have to start from the website to the

Admissions to the student records all other departments in the college. Lectures and other employees tend

to work for organizations that information is readily available for them to complete their daily functions

and duties, all things being equal. Do you want to attract and retain the best of the best? Or do you want

the last in line?

Our recommendation is that you upgrade to an ERP system, remain competitive whilst achieving

economies of scale. The system will modernize the college, upgrade the processes and procedures, and

whilst managing the related functions of student enrollment, lecture sessions, career path, clubs, customer

service, library and so forth

Based on the assumptions and the content of the cost-benefit analysis data, upgrading to ERP

system is beneficial to the college. ERP system would provide solutions that cater to the current needs of

the college. More importantly it will provide customer satisfaction among the users of the system

particularly the students which consist majority of the population of the college who also provides the

main source of income. It will also greatly contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of administrative

tasks such as real-time/timely reporting and information, accuracy of payroll and financial data, needed in

the normal operation and day to day activities of the college.

In line with this, IS department highly recommends and finds it necessary to acquire and

implement an upgrade of the current system to ERP system. Centennial College must be able to level up
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and adapt with the fast-changing times of today. Advancement of technology is deemed necessary to fully

equip the faculty, administrative personnel, students and the institution itself to reach the height of success

during this digital age. As per in depth research, the most qualified supplier of ERP system, Banner by

Ellucian has been regarded as more appropriate and more cost-efficient service provider for the proposed

system.

Using high technology and system upgrades is a necessity to gain a competitive advantage.

Clearly advantages outweigh the disadvantages/objections/skepticism raised by the management

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References

Advantages of Implementing ERP at Educational Institutions. (2020). Retrieved from Focus:

https://www.focussoftnet.com/erp-systems/blogs/advantage-of-implementing-erp-at-

educational-institutions

Eras, I. C. (2017, July 13). Important Features of a Good College ERP System. Retrieved from

Medium: https://medium.com/@ifnoss/important-features-of-a-good-college-erp-system-

35a2b6527cf5

How to conduct a cost-benefit analysis for an ERP system. (2011, July 09). Retrieved from

Software Shortlist: http://www.softwareshortlist.com/erp/articles/erp-selection/how-to-

conduct-a-cost-benefit-analysis-for-an-erp-system/

How to Improve Legacy Systems. (2020). Retrieved from Architech:

https://www.architech.ca/how-to-improve-legacy-systems/

Kelker, P. (2018, March 29). How to deal with legacy systems, the Achilles’ Heel of digital

transformation. Retrieved from CIO Daily Newsletter:

https://www.cio.com/article/3267464/how-to-deal-with-legacy-systems-the-achilles-heel-

of-digital-transformation.html

Legacy System Modernization: How to Transform the Enterprise for Digital Future. (2020).

Retrieved from altexsoft: https://www.altexsoft.com/whitepapers/legacy-system-

modernization-how-to-transform-the-enterprise-for-digital-future/

Putra, L. (2018). COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS Of ERP Implementation. Retrieved from

Accounting Financial & Tax: http://accounting-financial-tax.com/2008/09/costbenefit-

analysis-of-erp-implementation/
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Putra, L. (2018). Cost/Benefit Analysis Of ERP Implementation – Example. Retrieved from

Accounting Financial & Tax: http://accounting-financial-tax.com/2008/10/costbenefit-

analysis-of-erp-implementation-example/

Sluyter, J. (2020). Why you lose out with homegrown systems. Retrieved from Upchain:

https://www.upchain.com/blog/homegrown-systems-lose-out/