Assessing the Business Value and Critical Success Factors of Cloud ERP Systems: A Meta-Analysis

This research systematically investigates the business value derived from Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (CERP) systems through a meta-analysis of existing empirical studies. Despite the widespread adoption of cloud-based ERP in recent years, many organizations continue to report modest or negligible business benefits. After quantitatively synthesizing existing empirical evidence, this research confirms that although cloud ERP generally yields positive outcomes, the overall magnitude of these benefits remains rather modest. The strength of the relationship between Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and CERP implementation success is also assessed. Results show that collectively CSFs have a moderate effect on CERP implementation success. Additionally, technological factors—technology readiness, compatibility, and infrastructure robustness—exert stronger influence on successful implementation than do traditionally emphasized organizational and human factors. These findings provide strategic insights for managers prioritizing technological preparedness to maximize CERP benefits. The research highlights areas for future investigation, including the effect of individual CSFs and their interactions and broader performance metrics beyond financial performance to better capture the full range of cloud ERP's impacts.