Help requested from developers, implementers, and end users....

Firstly let me say that I hope that this is not considered an  
intrusive approach.  Please feel free to contact me at: survey at  
trentend dot com  if you wish to discuss any aspect of this with me.

I am undertaking academic research into the application of open source  
ERP systems into the small and medium enterprise.  The intention is to  
consider the suitability of such systems, and compare them with  
similar proprietary systems.  I am a proponent of Open Source business  
systems in general, and ERP in particular.  I believe it has a  
substantial, and increasing, role to play in the enterprise, and I  
wish to explore and promote that view.

I have prepared a short survey, which will hopefully provide a  
valuable insight into the perception and preparedness for Open Source  
systems to take on the more established proprietary systems.

It would be of significant assistance to me, if as many people as  
possible would be able to take the very short time required to fill in  
this anonymous survey.  Ultimately it is hoped the research will  
benefit the community, in return, by increased profile and increased  
formal recognition.


The survey can be found at:  
[url]http://trentend.com/phpESP/public/survey.php?name=OSERP[/url]

or via the tiny url of: [url]http://tinyurl.com/3dptnp[/url]

The tiny url can be previewed at:

     [url]http://preview.tinyurl.com/3dptnp[/url]


Please feel free to circulate this request to anyone who may have an  
involvement with ERP systems, and who would be prepared to fill out  
the survey.  The more respondents, the more valuable the information  
which can be drawn from it.  The survey will run for approximately one  
week from this posting.


Background
-------------

Currently the author is involved in academic research, as part of a  
higher degree in Business Management, into the use of Open Source ERP  
systems in the enterprise. He is responsible for implementation and  
maintenance of a proprietary Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP)  
system, which is licensed on a monthly cycle.  It is the intention to  
replace this system with an Open Source Enterprise Resource Planning  
(ERP) system in the mid to long term.    The author is a proponent of  
Open Source in general, and Open Source ERP systems in particular.  It  
is hoped that this research will provide some insight into the  
position of Open Source ERP's in the market place, and the perception  
of it's suitability.  It is also hoped to raise the formal profile of  
ERP systems as serious tools in the Enterprise.

This research can be made available to interested members of the  
community, as a .pdf file, after publication.  Please apply to the  
author at survey at trentend dot com, and your email address will be  
retained, and a link to the completed paper distributed to those  
interested parties.  This is the only purpose for which such email  
addresses would be used. The survey itself is anonymous, and does not  
require email validation.  There is no need to provide any such  
details, if you prefer not to.

Completing this survey will take you little time - it's seven simple  
questions, does not require you to write anything (the required  
elements are check box, or radio button, questions) - genuinely no  
more than five minutes of your time.  It will be of an enormous  
assistance to me, and ultimately will ensure that your views are  
represented in the completed research.  I hope you will consider this  
valuable contribution, an insignificant hardship.

In the meantime, keep up the good work.  Open Source business systems  
are held in very high regard, and are extremely valuable to those of  
us who believe organisations (particularly the small and medium sized  
enterprise) should remain free from limitations imposed by proprietary  
licensing.

By completing this survey, you may help a wider audience consider the  
value of this approach on a wider scale.

Thanks again,

Paul Chambers