Introduction

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Evaluation of information systems effectiveness continues to be a major concern for both IS researchers and practitioners. Over the last 30 years, many factor and process studies have attempted to predict and explain the adoption and use of information technology (IT). Guided by a number of proposed models and frameworks, relevant research has focused on defining and measuring systems effectiveness and their major determinants, including individual, psychological, organizational, sociological, environmental, information-structural, managerial, and technical (e.g., Mason & Mitroff, 1973; Lucas, 1978; Ein-Dor & Segev, 1978; Mawhinney & Lederer, 1990; Raymond, 1990; Li, 1997; Khalil & Elkordy, 1999, 1997). Also, research findings show the primacy of the managerial and organizational issues, compared to the technological issues as major barriers to the effective implementation and use of systems (e.g., Lucas, 1975; Robey & Zeller, 1978; Cerveny & Clark, 1981; Markus & Robey 1983; Leifer, 1988; Mawhinney & Lederer, 1990).

However, consistent relationships between these managerial and organizational variables and systems effectiveness have yet to emerge. Further, most of IS effectiveness research has centered on data gathered in the Western culture. Yet, research findings obtained from organizations operating in a Western environment cannot be necessarily generalizable to other environments without further verification of their external validity (e.g., Dasgupta et al., 1999; Khalil & Elkordy, 1999, 1997; Aharoni & Burton, 1994). IS related problems are perhaps country-specific and are related to the country's unique political, legal, economic, cultural, and technological environments (e.g., Aharoni & Burton, 1994; Rosenzweig, 1994; Deans et al., 1991; Ein-Dor et al., 1993).

The investigation of IS issues in particular areas of the world emphasizes the possible impact of cultural differences on such issues (e.g., Straub et al., 2002; Dasgupta et al., 1999; Watson et al., 1997; Al-Khaldi & Wallace, 1999; Hassan, 1994; Wetherbe, Vitalari, & Milner, 1994). There is a need for IS research to broaden the focus beyond ethnocentric and regional studies in order to build a general theory of trans-national global information systems (GIS) (Palvia, 1993). More specifically, both country specific and cross-cultural research is imperative in order to strengthen the generalizability of the Western based evidence on the organizational determinants of systems effectiveness. In addition, effective management of systems in a particular culture requires identifying the issues that might be unique to that culture (e.g., Jain, 1997; Deans & Ricks, 1991; Palvia & Saraswat, 1992).

The purpose of this chapter is to report on the results of a study that used a contingency approach to investigate the relationships of three organizational variables-namely, top management support, user involvement, and IS maturity-to systems effectiveness in an Egyptian context. This single country investigation, which follows a series of IS related research in Egypt (e.g., Khalil & Elkordy, 1999, 1997; Noshy, 1984), attempts to fill a gap in the existing knowledge of systems effectiveness in developing countries in general and in Egypt in particular. Comparison of findings from single country studies, together with data on cultural variables and the calibration of the findings by cross-cultural studies, should enhance our understanding of global information systems (GISs) effectiveness (Ein-Dor et al., 1993). Besides, evidence on what may or may not affect systems effectiveness in the Egyptian companies, which are under pressure from global economic competitiveness and face problems of low productivity, should be of enormous interest to the Egyptian policy makers.

The chapter is organized accordingly. Systems effectiveness is discussed first, followed by the research model and hypotheses, research method, data analysis, discussion of results, conclusions and implications, and suggestions for future research.

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