Alignment of IT Strategy and Business Strategy- Case

Alignment of IT Strategy and Business Strategy

Information Technology strategy development and implementation will take practice, but this is a journey. A firm’s IT strategy will evolve over time and improve over time. The CIO must draw from diverse sources to develop new ideas, tactics, and projects.

Begin with business practice articles such as those in the Wall Street Journal, which covers business generally, but also has a good section for technology executives and Chief Information Officers. Medium.com and Forbes have writing that often includes technology topics that you might find interesting. In terms of books on strategy, Michael Porter is a must. His original text is on competitive strategy, but he has a variety of other books to consider. A book more centered on the governance aspect of implementing strategy is Data Governance by Ladley (available in your readings). You should follow leading thinkers in the world of technology, from venture capitalists and technology executives to those who write primarily for a CIO audience.

Case Assignment

Look at the business–IT alignment at Amazon. Compare the business–IT alignment of the Amazon business line that sells products to customers with the Amazon business that sells IT cloud services to organizations. Look for articles in Forbes and Business Week that discuss the organization and strategy of Amazon and specifically address the issue of alignment. In a 4- to 5-page paper, discuss the synergy across these lines of business for Amazon. Provide specifics in your discussion to enable a comparative analysis.

Background Readings:

Chen, H., Schütz, R., Kazman, R., & Matthes, F. (2017). How Lufthansa capitalized on big data for business model renovation. MIS Quarterly Executive, 16(1), 19-34.

Chereau, P. and Meschi, Pierre-Xavier (2018). Read Chapter 7 in:  Strategic consulting: Tools and methods for successful strategy missions. Palgrave Mamillan.  Available in the Trident Online Library.

Greenaway, K. E., & Chan, Y. E. (2013). Designing a customer information privacy program aligned with organizational priorities. MIS Quarterly Executive, 12(3), 37-150.

Ladley, J. (2012). Data governance: How to design, deploy and sustain an effective data governance program. Waltham, MA: Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN 9780123978486. Chapters 1-14. Available in the Trident Online Library.

Mandviwalla, M., & Watson, R. (2014). Generating capital from social media, MIS Quarterly Executive, 13(2), 97-113.

Singh, A. & Hess, T. (2017). How Chief Digital Officers promote the digital transformation of their companies. MIS Quarterly Executive, 16(1), 1-17.

Steelman, Z. R., Lacity, M., & Sabherwal, R. (2016). Charting your organization’s bring-your-own-device voyage. MIS Quarterly Executive, 15(2), 85-104.

Tamm, T., Seddon, P. B., Shanks, G., Reynolds, P., & Frampton, K. M. (2015). How an Australian retailer enabled business transformation through enterprise architecture. MIS Quarterly Executive, 14(4), 181-193.

Toppenberg, G., Henningsson, S., & Shanks, G. (2015). How Cisco systems used enterprise architecture capability to sustain acquisition-based growth. MIS Quarterly Executive, 14(4),151-168.

Wahlstrom, G. (2013, December 10). Implementing strategic plans for successful operations [Video file]. Retrieved from  https://youtu.be/PSbMV1ToYdg

Stern Speakers. (2015, February 4). Michael Porter: Aligning strategy & project management [Video file]. Retrieved from  https://youtu.be/CKcSzH1SvCk