As for the conceptual findings, the results of this
study emphasise the importance of perceived top
management support for the effectiveness of IA. The
regression analysis (see Table 2) shows a very strong
effect of this variable on the three dimensions of IA
effectiveness. This effect was so strong that it reduced
the effect of the other independent variables that
were significant in the correlation analysis. Moreover,
bringing in the conceptual variables – including top
management support – eliminated the effect of ‘sector’,
which was significant in step 1 in the regressions. These
findings indicate that the effect of top management
support is strong and consistent regardless of whether
the organisation is private or public. It should be noted
that Albrecht et al. (1988) also found that management
support was important to the success of IA in the
organisations they examined.