Why Study Strategic IT? Technology is no longer an afterthought in forming business strategy, but the actual cause and driver. IT can change the way businesses compete.
Strategic View of Information Systems Information systems are vital competitive networks. Information systems are a means of organizational renewal. IS are a necessary investment in technologies that help a company adopt strategies and business processes that enable it to reengineer or reinvent itself in order to survive and succeed in today’s dynamic business environment.
Strategic Information Systems Definition: Any kind of information system that uses information technology to help an organization gain a competitive advantage, reduce a competitive disadvantage, or meet other strategic enterprise objectives.
Competitive Forces and Strategies
Competitive Forces Definition: Shape the structure of competition in its industry.
Porter’s Competitive Forces Model To survive and succeed, a business must develop and implement strategies to effectively counter the: Rivalry of competitors within its industry Threat of new entrants into an industry and its markets Threat posed by substitute products which might capture market share Bargaining power of customers Bargaining power of suppliers
Competitive Strategies Cost Leadership Differentiation Innovation Growth Alliance
Cost Leadership Strategy Becoming a low-cost producer of products and services Finding ways to help suppliers and customers reduce their costs Increase costs of competitors
Differentiation Strategy Developing ways to differentiate a firm’s products and services from its competitors’ Reduce the differentiation advantages of competitors
Innovation Strategy Development of unique products and services Entry into unique markets or market niches Making radical changes to the business processes for producing or distributing products and services that are so different from the way a business has been conducted that they alter the fundamental structure of an industry
Growth Strategy Significantly expanding a company’s capacity to produce goods and services Expanding into global markets Diversifying into new products and services Integrating into related products and services
Alliance Strategy Establishing new business linkages and alliances with customers, suppliers, competitors, consultants, and other companies