An information technologies and information systems industry-based classification in small and medium-sized enterprises: An institutional view

IT/IS assimilation in organizations has been analyzed mainly by large companies, where its greatest adoption is observed. However, studies that analyze the effects IT/IS have on SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) have also begun to appear. The institutional theory offers an approach to understanding IT/IS diffusion and the adoption process caused by isomorphismwithin the institutional environment, mainly industry. One of itsmain postulates is the institutionalization of organizations can be an answer to the pressures that organizations receive to be similar. With the purpose of analyzing this postulate, we have identified an IT/IS adoption typology through a sample of organizations coming from main industries, using multivariant analysis. This typology has allowed us to evaluate IT/IS institutionalization in SMEs, and to analyze the explanatory potential of the institutional theory in order to evaluate IT/IS assimilation in organizations. 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.