Organizational Characteristics and MIS Success in the Context of Small Business

TLDR

Information systems research has long emphasized organizational context factors, yet evidence from large organizations may not apply to small businesses. The study investigates how organizational characteristics influence MIS success in small manufacturing firms. The authors tested multiple hypotheses with data from 464 Quebec small manufacturing firms. Findings indicate that various computer‑usage characteristics, especially the duration of a firm’s EDP experience, are significantly linked to MIS success.

Abstract

Information systems research on implementation success has always posited the importance of organizational context factors. This implies that previous results, obtained almost exclusively from studies of large organizations, cannot necessarily be generalized to small organizations. This article presents an empirical investigation designed to study the relationship between organizational characteristics and the success of MIS in the context of small business. Several hypotheses were tested using data collected from 464 small manufacturing firms in the province of Quebec. The results show that several organizational computer-usage characteristics are significantly associated to MIS success. It was also found that most of these characteristics are related to the length of a firm's EDP experience.