Fully integrated business software and its impact on German universities

Abstract

The German higher education & research (HE&R) -sector has been changing very fast over the past years. This dynamic came quite unexpected as the universities were seen as a kind of static institutions, unable to move to modern structures and administration, as they had demonstrated the decades before. Now, the implementation of fully integrated ERP (Enterprise Recourse Planning) systems is spreading among universities very often pushed by the government and reorganisation, new it-based information systems and decentralised budget responsibility have contributed significantly to an improved management capability of German universities.