An analysis on the macroscopic growth process and stage of information systems development in Chinese enterprises

After thirty plus years of reform and opening up its markets to the global economy, China has sustained a rapid economic growth for many years, which provides an opportunity for the development of various industrial and social dimensions. In this process, the growth of information systems development in Chinese enterprises seems showing special characteristics which are different from the classical model proposed by Nolan. This paper discusses the macroscopic growth process of information systems development in Chinese enterprises. Based on the classical study by Nolan, the historical data for information systems development in 294 Chinese enterprises was collected for the period of 1982 through 2009. Using the annual expenditures on information systems as an index, the analysis shows that the information systems growth process in Chinese enterprises can be represented by five stages. A detailed discussion of the characteristics of each stage is provided in this paper which illustrates a macroscopic growth process of information systems development in Chinese enterprises.