Mobile Cloud Based Enterprise Resource Planning Systems for Small Medium and Micro Enterprises: A Systematic Literature Review

Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are significant contributors to economic growth and employment and therefore playing a vital role in wealth creation and human welfare. Yet despite their critical importance, SMMEs are yet to realize their full potential due to numerous challenges presented by the nature of operations in a global market, including the emergent hyper digital contexts as presented by COVID-19. Mobile Cloud Based Enterprise Resource Planning (MCB-ERP) systems present opportunities such as on-demand use, low upfront capital expenditure, security and stability, easy upgrade, and low operational and maintenance costs for SMMEs operating in these global markets. This paper reports on a systematic review of 35 peer reviewed journals and conference papers to identify MCB-ERP research that has been undertaken and to identify opportunities, gaps, and challenges in relation to SMMEs. The key findings suggest that researchers have mainly focused on Cloud-Based ERP adoption and implementation factors; the use, benefits, and impact for SMMEs received limited attention; and that SMME readiness for adoption is impacted by a lack of MCB-ERP vendor presence, awareness, and experience. Moreover, most of the research is not contextualized and treats SMMEs as homogenous entities operating in sectors with similar environments and preconditions. Future context specific research investigating MCB-ERPs in specific contexts, and non-ICT based sectors such as agriculture for SMMEs is recommended.