Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-138).This study investigated the factors influencing the success of business-IT alignment in South African firms while taking into consideration the coverage of the requisite dimensions and paradigms of business-IT alignment. The impacts of the South African business operating environment and the industry sector of firms on the success factors for business-IT alignment were also examined. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 10 CIOs of major firms in five industry sectors - major retail, food and beverages, higher education, governmental organisation, and financial services