Analysing the relationship between business and information system decisions
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Authors
Pretorius, Petrus Johannes Jacobus
Issue Date
1998-02
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Information systems , Information technology , Business strategy , Strategic alignment , Competitive strategy , Competitive advantage , Information system decision , Business decisions , Information system strategy , Information system structure
Alternative Title
Abstract
Organisations do not know how to effectively employ information systems to their
benefit because business and information system(IS) decisions are not aligned and due
to a lack of understanding of the different types of IS decisions. The objectives of the
study were stated as follows:
• To confirm the existence of a relationship between business and information system
decisions. A review of the literature supported the notion that IS decisions need to
be aligned with business decisions.
• To clarify the link between IS strategy and structural decisions. The study
introduced a framework that suggested that to facilitate the link between business
and IS decisions the respective strategy components need to be linked and that IS
structural components will primarily be determined by IS strategy components.
Information systems have become a strategic resource for all organisations and, not only
is it perceived a very important competitive factor, but the importance will increase in
the years to come. Organisations spend large amounts of money on information
"':> systems. There is also the expectation that IS should CQ!ltribute_ to the achieve,£1:enμi,
business goals and the overall financial performance of the company. Most senior
executives believe that the amount of money invested in information systems and
technology cannot be justified based on it's perceived contribution to the achievement
of organisational objectives! Considerable effort was made to identify the relevant business strategy, IS strategy, and
IS structural components. The business strategy components identified were selected
specifically for their competitive focus. The population selected included the top companies in South Africa based on financial performance. The basis for the decision
was that successful companies would link business and IS decisions and they would
understand the intrinsic differences between IS strategy and structure components.
Description
Citation
Pretorius, Petrus Johannes Jacobus (1998) Analysing the relationship between business and information system decisions, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15818>