Future Research

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Because of the non-random sample used in this investigation, generalization of its findings to other Egyptian companies and beyond can only be cautiously made. Replication of this study that includes, measures, and investigates cultural variables—i.e., power distance (Hofstede, 1980), uncertainty avoidance distance (Hofstede, 1980), time perspective (Trompenaars, 1993), activity orientation (Kluckholn & Strodbeck, 1961)--relational orientation (Kluckholn et al., 1961) in Egypt and in other countries is needed. This is particularly important in order to provide a culturally based confirmation to the aforementioned results and to verify the universality of the variables that influence systems effectiveness.

Replication of this research could also be useful, particularly if researchers attempt to investigate the hypothesized relationships by collecting and analyzing data across functional areas, systems types, managerial levels, end users vs. IS staff, and end users vs. users' managers. Such replications would allow comparisons within and among groups as well as across the public and private sectors in Egypt and in other similar settings.

Future research models could also focus on the question of whether there are constructs, or variables, other than those studied here that affect systems effectiveness in developing countries like Egypt. The three organizational variables of this study cumulatively explained only 35% of the variance in user information satisfaction and 22% of the variance in systems use in improving decision making. Additional variables that may influence systems effectiveness should be identified, measured, and investigated in order to explain more variance in systems effectiveness in Egypt and other countries.

Also, a logical extension of this study is to focus on specific types of user involvement to determine which types and under what conditions they have the greatest influence on systems effectiveness, especially in developing countries. A contingency approach could be very useful in understanding the true nature of user involvement and systems effectiveness in Egypt and in other similar settings.

Effectiveness of e-commerce systems was not part of this study because e-commerce systems in Egypt were rather primitive and limited in scope at the time of this investigation. Since an increasing number of Egyptian companies, especially in the private and investment sectors, started to invest in Internet applications and e-commerce systems, future research may use research models similar to the one used in this study (e.g., Molla & Licker, 2001) in order to explore the possible impact of environmental, organizational, psychological, technical, and other contingency variables on the effectiveness of these Internet-based systems.

Finally, as Ein-Dor et al. (1993, p. 40) suggest, "[i]t would be necessary to make thorough comparison of findings from single country studies together with data on cultural variables and to calibrate the findings by cross-cultural studies involving several countries, including those in which the single culture studies were performed." Additional studies of systems effectiveness and its determinants in different cultures and countries are indispensable. The accumulation of such studies enables IS researchers to make comparisons and to integrate findings into existing or new frameworks that enhance our understanding of global information systems effectiveness.

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