Does IT Matter?

This chapter centers around the idea of the strategic value that information systems can bring to an organization. Pay attention to the arguments around the idea of competitive advantage. After you read, reflect upon the arguments presented about the impact that information technology has on competitive advantage.

Introduction

For over fifty years, computing technology has been a part of business. Organizations have spent trillions of dollars on information technologies. But has all this investment in IT made a difference? Have we seen increases in productivity? Are companies that invest in IT more competitive? In this chapter, we will look at the value IT can bring to an organization and try to answer these questions. We will begin by highlighting two important works from the past two decades.