The Organization of Electronic Information in Selected Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa

摘要

This article reports on an empirical investigation into the information needs and information organization practices of small business enterprises in South Africa. The purpose of the investigation was to determine what information should be taken into account when designing systems for organizing information in such businesses, and how these businesses actually organize their electronic documents. The investigation of the systems in use also presented the opportunity to gather business concepts that were used to construct a generic classification scheme for the purpose of information organization in small enterprises. Data were gathered from 24 small businesses located in three different provinces by means of personal interviews with owners/managers, guided by a questionnaire, and through on-site observation of the information organization systems used. The results of the survey show what information is regarded as critically important in small businesses, and give insight into the current situation with regard to information organization in the businesses. Recommendations are made for improving information organization in small businesses.