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Chapter 1
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8524-6.ch001
ABSTRACT
Strategic planning of information systems is vital in the business environment and this is still an open
issue in the management information systems research. Through planning, organisations develop ef-
fective long-term use of information systems and subsequently ensuring the support of organisational
objectives. This chapter develops a contingency model for measuring the success of strategic information
systems planning in the context of medium enterprises. The contingency theory, as an analytical lens,
advocates that organisational success can be achieved by matching organisational characteristics to
the contextual factors. Drawing from this notion, this chapter postulates that the strategic information
systems planning process, as a phase, may lead to successful planning. This relationship is moderated
by contingency variables characterised by the presence of environmental uncertainty, organisational
structure, government and policies, business strategy orientation and information systems maturity.
This chapter studies the moderating role of contingency variables and identifes the infuential factors
and their efect.
1. INTRODUCTION
Information systems use in medium enterprises tends to primarily be for administrative and operational
tasks. The most frequent applications in medium enterprises are transactional in nature. Beckinsale, Ram
and Theodorakopoulos (2011) have recently stated that the failure to plan the introduction and exploitation
of information systems and technologies in medium enterprises is due to the top management limita-
tions. These include management having insufficient time to spend on future business developments and
Towards A Contingency
Model for Assessing Strategic
Information Systems Planning
Success in Medium Enterprises
Ray M Kekwaletswe
University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa