Abstract
Our awareness of the competitive power of information systems (IS) has increased considerably over the past decade (from Ives & Learmonth, 1984, to Venkatraman, 1994); an expensive burden if inappropriate but a key competitive lever if appropriately used and exploited. The pattern of IS resource allocations (the IS strategy) represents expensive IS actions and, potentially even more expensive, the exclusion of IS actions. Since IS may enhance or detract from the competitive health of the organisation there has emerged a focus on planning the systems strategy (Ward, 1988; Earl, 1989; Galliers, 1991; Silk, 1991; Ciborra & Jelassi, 1994). This paper forms part of the literature on how to predict the competitive health impact of IS and so manage the competitive risks inherent in IS use (Vitale, 1986; Kemerer & Sosa, 1991; Economist, 1992; Computer Weekly, 1994; Kettinger et al, 1994).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Baets, W., 1992, Aligning information systems with business strategy, Journal of Strategic Information Systems. 1:4, pp 205–213.
Bergeron, F., Buteau, C., and Raymond, L., 1991, Identification of strategic information systems opportunities: applying and comparing two methodologies, MIS Quarterly. March.
Ciborra, C. U., and Jelassi, T., 1994. “Strategic Information Systems: A European Perspective”, John Wiley & Sons.
Computer Weekly, US Bureau., 1994, Greyhound going to the dogs after $7m fiasco, Computer Weekly. 27 Oct, pp 10.
Das, S. R., Zahra, S. A. and Warkentin, M. E., 1991, Integrating the content and process of strategic MIS planning with competitive strategy, Decision Sciences. Vol. 22, pp 953–984.
Earl, M. J., 1989, “Management Strategies for Information Technology”, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs.
Economist., 1992, Banks and technology: cure-all or snake-oil?, 3 October.
Economist., 1993, Good guru guide: take me to your leader, 25 December.
Galliers, R. D., 1991, Strategic information systems planning: myths, reality and guidelines for successful implementation, European Journal of Information Systems. 1:1, pp 55–64.
Galliers, R. D., 1993, Towards a flexible information architecture: integrating business strategies, information systems strategies and business process redesign, Journal of Information Systems, Vol. 3, pp 199–213.
Goldsmith, N., 1991, Linking IT planning to business strategy, Long Range Planning. 24:6, pp 61–77.
Ives, B., and Learmonth, G., 1984, The information system as a competitive weapon, Communications of the ACM, 27:12, pp 1193–1201.
Jackson, M.C., 1993, “Beyond the Fads: Systems Thinking for Managers”, Inaugural Lecture October 1993, University of Hull, Hull.
Kemerer, C. F., and Sosa, G. L., 1991, Systems development risks in strategic information systems, Information and Software Technology, 33:3, pp 212–223.
Kettinger, W. J., Grover, V., Guha, S., and Segars, A.H., 1994, Strategic information systems revisited: a study in sustainability and performance, MIS Quarterly. March, pp 31-58.
Lederer, A.L., and Mendelow, A.L., 1989, Co-ordination of information systems plans with business plans, Journal of Management Information Systems. 6:2, pp 5–19.
McFarlan, F.W., McKenney, J.L. and Pyburn, P., 1983, The information archipelago — plotting a course. HBR, Jan–Feb, pp 145-156.
Nolan, R.L., 1979, Managing the crisis in data processing, HBR, March/April, pp 115-126.
O’Brien, B., 1992, “Demands & Decisions: Briefing on Issues in Information Technology Strategy”, Prentice Hall, Hemel Hempstead.
Parsons, G.L., 1983, “Fitting information systems technology to the corporate needs: the linking strategy: Teaching Notes 9-183-176”, Harvard Business School, Boston.
Porter, M.E., 1980, “Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors”, Free Press, New York.
Robson, W.D., 1994(a), “Strategic Management and Information Systems: An Integrated Approach”, Pitman, London.
Robson, W.D., 1994(b), “Six Steps to Establishing Business Consistent Management of IT”, Unpublished Working Paper Series, University of Humberside, Hull.
Silk, D.J., 1991, “Planning It: Creating an Information Management Strategy”, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
Sinclair, S.W., 1986, The three domains of information systems planning, Journal of Information Systems Management. Vol. 3, pp 8–16.
Sullivan, Jr. C.H., 1985, Systems planning in the information age, Sloan Management Review, Winter, pp 3-12.
Venkatraman, N., 1994, IT-enabled business transformation: from automation to business scope redefinition, Sloan Management Review. Winter, pp 73-87.
Vitale, M.R., 1986, The growing risks of information systems success, MIS Quarterly, Dec, pp 327-334.
Ward, J., 1987, Integrating information systems and business strategies, Long Range Planning, June.
Ward, J.M., 1988, Information planning for strategic advantage, Journal of Information Technology. Sept, pp 169-177.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Robson, W. (1995). The Sixth Step. In: Ellis, K., Gregory, A., Mears-Young, B.R., Ragsdell, G. (eds) Critical Issues in Systems Theory and Practice. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9883-8_51
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9883-8_51
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9885-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9883-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive