INFORMATION-SYSTEMS SUCCESS FACTORS IN SMALL BUSINESS

This paper presents the findings of an empirical study of key factors associated with computer-based information system (CBIS) success in small businesses. A descriptive model relating the key factors to CBIS success is developed. User information satisfaction is used as a surrogate measure for CBIS success. Eight hypotheses are derived from the model and tested using data from a questionnaire survey of 96 small businesses. The main findings are (1) CBIS success is positively associated with consultant effectiveness, level of vendor support, length of the small business's CBIS experience, sufficiency of financial resources, level of CEO support, and level of user participation, and (2) CBIS success is not associated with the number of administrative applications nor the presence of a programmer/systems analyst. These findings are compared with those of similar studies and their implications are discussed.