integrating Business strategy

One of the challenges for Information Technology professionals working in a business setting is to align their activities with the business strategy of the organization. Because so many elements of an organization depend upon technology, its resources and assets have direct impacts. A field of management has evolved which specifically addresses the alignment of business strategy and Information Technology, and is known as Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP).

Integrating business strategy and SISP requires preparation and decision making. There are numerous models of business strategy as well as several SISP process models. One way to engage in both is to apply traditional business strategy models in an Information Technology setting.

Refer to the reading, “E-Business Strategy: How to Benefit From a Hype” and review its alignment between such models as SWOT and Five Forces and the e-business that it uses as a model. In your posting, address the following questions:

• What insights do traditional business strategy analyses offer to an Information Technology or Information Systems professional?
• How might these analyses promote or empower effective SISP?
• Are there shortcomings to these strategies? For example, what intrinsic Information Technology realities might transcend the limitations of these analyses?
• How might you apply the model developed in the article to your organization or an organization with which you are familiar?

Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and any additional sources. Before posting, please review the “Discussion posting guidelines” under Course Assignments in the Syllabus.

To participate in the Discussion, respond to the Discussion prompt by Day 4. Then, read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.

Respond by Day 7 to two or more of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

• Ask a probing question.
• Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Validate an idea with your own experience.
• Make a suggestion.
• Expand on your colleague’s posting.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.