Validation of a computer user satisfaction questionnaire to measure IS success in small business

The determination of factors that influence success in small business information systems (IS) is of obvious importance to the individuals running those businesses and to the regional economies where the businesses are located. The first step in this process is to develop models of interacting factors that contribute to success. Considerable progress has already been made in this area. DeLone and McLean (1992), for example, identified six inter-related factors that help to account for success. Their model has served as a platform for other researchers in this area (e.g. Seddon and Kiew, 1996). A second important step in this process is the development of well-validated instruments that can be used to measure the constructs making up the models. Without such instruments, it is not possible to go beyond mere speculation about possible contributors to small business IS success. The present study reports on the factorial validation of an instrument that can be used to assess core constructs identified by previous researchers as predictors of success. The instrument also contains a two-item measure of user satisfaction, a variable that is commonly accepted as a surrogate measure of IS success.