ABSTRACT:

Information Systems (IS) planning has been identified to be a critical IS management issue for the 1980s by both practitioners and researchers alike. Different contextual variables such as IS planning styles and complexity of the IS organization have been found to affect various aspects of IS planning. The effect of an important variable, that is, top management support, (which has been identified to affect other facets of organizational effectiveness), has not, however, been studied in an empirical setting. The purpose of this research is to study the impact of top management support on IS planning activities. Data for the study were collected from 178 organizations through questionnaire responses. Results indicate that top management support and involvement significantly affect the emphasis placed on IS planning activities.