The use of information systems in small and medium-sized firms. Operational tools or instruments for management control and strategy development?

Information and its management are critical variables for any type of organization. Since their characteristics change according to the decisional level they are designed to support, this paper aims to understand which type of Information Systems (IS) are currently in use among small and medium enterprises when passing from operational to strategic level. In details, this paper confronts IS adoption between micro, small, medium and large organizations, as well as companies’ beliefs regarding IS functions and benefits. Data have been collected using a web based questionnaire sent to about 500 Italian companies. Results reveal that a smaller size is related to a lower rate of IS adoption in general and to a lower presence of managerial and strategic information systems in particular. The study also contributes to highlight the different role assigned to IS in supporting activities of strategic relevance. Thus it confirms small firms’ scarce use of IS in key decision making processes although the decreasing cost of ICTs.