An Integrated Case Study of the Concepts and Applications of SAP ERP HCM

Organizations use ERP systems to support a wide range of corporate activities. Since students of IS and related disciplines are expected to be familiar with these systems, universities provide classes focusing on ERP systems, often adopting the case study approach. However, no case study has been published for teaching human resource management with an ERP orientation so far. In this paper we develop a case study that provides an overview of the relevant HR concepts and links them to their implementation with SAP ERP HCM. We used the HCM case study twice in classes with MA students of HR, who were asked both times to evaluate it. The use of the study allowed us to achieve our teaching goals of both imparting SAP and modeling knowledge. Interestingly, both courses were inhomogeneous, which was reflected in the learning outcomes: some students had a steep while others had a flat learning curve.