Sampling

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This investigation focused on manufacturing companies as the primary population. Public and private manufacturing companies play a significant role in the Egyptian economy. The privatization and reform of the public sector in Egypt in 1991 has resulted in increased competition in the Egyptian market. Effective implementation of information systems should improve organizational productivity, since better information use is expected to lead to better decision making.

A preliminary investigation of manufacturing companies in Alexandria was conducted to gather information on the overall status of computer-based applications in these populations. The findings of the preliminary investigation indicated that most computer-based information systems applications were management information systems (MIS) that included transaction processing systems (TPS) and information reporting systems (IRS) capabilities. PC-based applications and Internet-based applications were sparsely used with different levels of coverage and sophistication across functional areas and companies and, therefore, were excluded from this investigation.

To achieve homogeneity in the sample, the systems under investigation had to be multi-user systems that were fully operational for at least two years. The sampling frame included all manufacturing companies in the public and private sectors located in the greater areas of Cairo and Alexandria. Companies included in the sampling frame consisted of textile, chemical, and electronic industries.

Selected respondents had to hold managerial positions for a minimum of two years to ensure they had enough experience with the systems that were evaluated. Departments included in the study represent a wide range of functional areas (e.g., finance, accounting, marketing, production, human resources). The sample contained data from 42 companies, and 214 user managers participated in the study. Table 1 presents the distribution of the sample according to manufacturing sector and ownership type.

Table 1: Distribution of the Sampled Companies According to Industry Type and Ownership Type.

Manufacturing sector	Public sector		Private sector		Total
	No. of firms	%	No. of firms	%	No. of firms	%
Textiles	9	39.13	7	36.84	16	38.10
Chemicals	8	34.78	5	26.32	13	30.95
Electronics	6	26.09	7	36.84	13	30.95
Total	23	100	19	100	42	100

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