In addition to knowledge, an owner/manager’s commitment also plays a critical role in the effectiveness of information system implementation in SMEs (Thong & Yap 1995; Igbaria et al. 1997; Lertwongsatien & Wongpinunwatana 2003; Seyal & Abdul Rahman 2003). Due to their dominant roles, an owners/managers’
commitment can bring IT into alignment with the firm’s objectives and strategies (Jarvenpaa & Ives 1991).
Owner/manager commitment in the form of participation in computerisation projects would also encourage users
to develop positive attitudes towards the IT project, and thus is more likely to result in the SME achieving alignment. More importantly, the owner/manager has the authority to ensure sufficient allocation of resources for the IT project (de Guinea et al. 2005). Therefore, it is expected that in organisations where owner/manager commitment is prevalent, there will be a higher degree of AIS alignment (Hypothesis 3).