Evaluating the factors affecting DSS usage by senior managers in local authorities in Egypt

The study of factors influencing the adoption and use of information systems in less-developed countries is an important area to address since differences in culture, social structure, and business approaches may have significant effects on the benefits derive from importing Western-influenced IT technology, concepts, and management approaches. This study examines the usage of a decision support system (DSS) in Egyptian local authorities using an adapted Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The centrally-developed DSS had been rolled out to 27 governorates in Egypt for use by chief executive officers. The results demonstrated that TAM could be applied to a specific system within a developing country. Both perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU) had a significant direct effect on DSS usage. PEU dominated over PU whose effect on DSS usage was negative.