Strategic Management Theory And Practice 4th Edition John A. Parnell - Solutions

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Understand the role of CMs in adding value to the firm.
Evaluate the CM as an investment in the future.
Understand the nature of the economic life span of a CM.
Be capable of conducting an analysis of current and future CMs.
Have an appreciation of the challenge of limited resources when many investments in CMs are needed.
Understand how investments in CMs affect the market value of the firm.
Consider the author’s classification of technology into the basic characteristics of data storage, transmission, and processing capacity, and properties of communication and decision aiding. Would you add anything to this classification?
Consider your experience with electronic mail and compare this to the propositions. Does email increase participation? If yes, what are the results of such increased participation? Does email enable ‘communication that otherwise would be unlikely to occur’. Does email increase ‘information
The author suggests that decision-aiding technologies will lead to greater centralization in companies that are decentralized and greater decentralization in centralized companies. Discuss how the opposite might occur. What have your experiences been?
The author states ‘because the technologies facilitate the vertical distribution of information and knowledge, there is more commonality of information and knowledge across organizational levels’. What are some barriers to this?
The author considers the influence of IT on certain organization processes, what are some other organizational factors, beyond the scope of the current chapter, that IT has shaped?
If the propositions in the chapter are correct, what are the implications, if any, for organizational performance?
Do you agree or disagree with the assumption that culture is an important impediment (or facilitator) of effective IT implementation? What are some situations you have experienced that confirm or disconfirm this assumption?
Consider the likely reaction of colleagues you have worked with to a system such as KMS. What type of reaction would you expect? What types of incentives would be necessary to encourage information sharing?
Consider the assumption that KMS will only be effective if full information sharing occurs. Do you agree or disagree with this assumption? What would be the characteristics of an effective KMS?
Consider the organizational culture of organizations where you have worked. How important was culture to your satisfaction, motivation, and job performance? Which aspects of culture were most important? Which aspects of culture would be most important toward ensuring the success of systems such as
To what extent is the EnCAP system considered in this chapter a knowledge management system as opposed to a typical IT-based information system?
To what extent might so-called knowledge management systems restrict rather than enhance organizational learning? Draw on the case examples introduced in this book and on your own experiences when discussing this question.
‘Knowledge management systems are like “old wine in new bottles”.’Discuss.
What ideas introduced thus far in the book and in this chapter in particular might aid organizational learning?
This chapter raises the important issue of improving customer support. What lessons do you take from this when considering information systems strategy and planning?
What is the IT productivity paradox? Does it exist in your view, and if so, to what extent is it sectorally based? Do you believe it will remain a problem in, say, 5 years?
Why is the evaluation and management of IT investment ‘shot through with difficulties’? And what’s wrong with the maxim ‘what gets measured gets managed’?
Critically evaluate the IT/IS evaluation and management cycle introduced in this chapter. How might it be adapted to be integrated into an ongoing IS planning process?
Managing benefits are highlighted as a critical success factor by the authors. Reflect on the differing roles an IT steering committee, individual executives and managers might take in dealing with stock-outs for example.
Do you agree that the ‘quality of the planning process significantly influences the contribution that IS can make to an organization’s performance’?
The authors state that ‘an organization’s commitment to construct an organization-wide information architecture vastly complicates SISP. Thus, organizations have often failed to build such an architecture’. What are other factors, aside from commitment, that affect whether an organization has
Of the two major goals of SISP – impact (the search for high-impact applications and the creation of competitive advantage) and alignment (the identification of a portfolio of computer-based applications to assist an organization in executing business plans) – which do you recommend? Should the
The authors state that ‘advocates of SISP should prepare convincing arguments to authorize the funding of the study’. What are some convincing arguments for why SISP should be carried out?
What would be the role of a permanent planning group? How might such a group overcome some of the major problems of SISP raised by the authors?
The value of IT/IS investments is more often justified by faith alone, or perhaps what adds up to the same thing, by understanding costs and using mainly notional figures for benefit realization. Discuss the reasons for which IT evaluation is rendered so difficult.
Evaluate the three major evaluation techniques the author discusses – ROM, matching objectives, projects and techniques, and information economics.
Who should be involved in the IT evaluation process?
Provide a critique of the research model introduced in this chapter. What other factors might be considered when talking of alignment?
The authors of this chapter conclude that ‘high-level communication between IT and business executives’ is most important in establishing alignment. How would you go about improving communication between IT and business executives?
The authors of this chapter attempt to address the question of how alignment might evolve over time. How well do they address this issue?And how would you counter the argument that alignment is a lost cause anyway, given that business must continuously evolve and reinvent itself, while its IT
‘The concept of alignment might be seen as being based on the (false) assumption that there is but one organization with which to align information systems and structures. But there are many, and many interpretations of the same organization(s).’ Discuss this statement in the light of the
Consider the different ways in which the authors assessed business strategy, business structure, IS structure and IS strategy. Given the manner in which these issues have been considered elsewhere in this book, what is your view of the robustness of the authors’ treatment of each?
Identify other electronics markets that have been successful or unsuccessful and explain why.
Figure 12.2 lists two challenges to electronic markets: (a) increased transaction risks and uncertainties, and (b) lack of power to enforce the change. Think of some others. In the case of electronic shopping, what are the major challenges? What are the risks from both the buyer and seller
How can some of the barriers be overcome (such as lack of trust in information, thin markets, and resistance to change), both in the context of electronic markets and electronic shopping?
The authors state that ‘most risks, uncertainties and barriers stem from social and economic rather than IT-related obstacles’. What are some of the IT-related obstacles?
For organizations considering electronic commerce, what are some of the implications from these cases?
‘Many have argued that the Internet renders strategy obsolete. In reality, the opposite is true.’ In what ways do you think that this statement from Michael Porter is appropriate? And how would you provide a counter argument?
There are strong echoes in this chapter of Porter’s seminal ‘5 Forces’ analysis of two decades ago. What has changed and what remains the same 20 or so years on (both about Information & Communication Technology and the competitive environment)?
‘Competitive analysis frameworks, such as the “5 forces” and “value chain” concepts propagated by Porter are ultimately redundant since competitor firms will draw the same conclusions as each other from their use and, in any event, strategy is “emergent” and the result of
We often talk of tangible and intangible benefits when evaluating IS/IT investments. How useful is this distinction? Consider the case study discussed in this chapter and the benefits identified when answering this question. Can you think of other benefits – tangible or intangible – that might
Why do many organizations ‘approach the whole management of [information] technology in an unstructured or ad hoc manner throughout the systems’ lifecycle’? Why don’t they view it ‘as a structured iterative business process’ as the authors of this chapter recommend?
There is much talk today about achieving ‘dynamic’ and ‘flexible’ organizations. What does it mean to be ‘dynamic’ and ‘flexible’?
Consider the six organizational forms discussed by the authors:– has any emerged as the dominant paradigm in the late199 0s/early2000s?– are the forms mutually exclusive? What are some variants?– highlight the role of IT in each of the forms: what specific technologies are necessary to make
What might be the role of IT in the human resource initiatives, mentioned by the authors as critical to the change management process?
The authors, in describing the Nolan model, state that ‘different parts of a single organization may well be at different stages of growth with respect to a single IT’. What implications does this have for the management of IT and for IT strategy?
The authors describe several prior models of IT evolution in organizations. What are the relative strengths of the models in(a) their applicability to describe actual situations, and(b) in their usefulness for managers of IT?
Do you agree with the underlying assumption that moving through the stages represents a desired advancement in the use of IT in an organization?
Can you think of some contextual factors that might predict in which phase an organization would be placed regarding their management of IT and whether they move slowly or quickly through the phases?
What implications does the increasing pace of technology advances and the increasingly networked world have for the revised stages of growth model?
Consider the authors’ definition of information strategy: a complex of implicit or explicit visions, goals, guidelines, and plans concerning the supply and the demand of formal information in an organization sanctioned by management, intended to support the objectives of the organization in the
The authors examine the link between IS strategy and business strategy by considering the attitudes of senior managers, analyzing the information strategy process, analyzing the content and forms of the strategies, and looking at how effects are evaluated. What are the limitations of each
The authors state that ‘attitudes of general managers and functional managers toward IT were generally positive and deviated little from each other’. How generalizable do you think this finding is?
The authors state that ‘technology scanning is seldom done formally. Information strategy typically evolves through a problem-driven process, with both top-down and bottom-up inputs from IT managers as well as from general managers. Consider why formal scanning might not be done. What would be
The authors state that organizations do not systematically evaluate the effects and consequences of information strategy, in part because senior managers do not believe in the possibility to measure such links. Suggest an alternative explanation.
Consider two perspectives on how alignment can take place: (i) business strategy driving business processes which in turn drive IT strategy which affect IT processes; (ii) IT strategy driving IT processes which ultimately affect business process and business strategy. Discuss the merits of these
Evaluate the organizational strategies the authors present. What are the implications for IT architecture?
Do you agree with the major premise that ‘the globalization of competition and the evolving business environment suggest that the success of [a] global firms’ business and its coordination/control strategies may be linked to a global information management strategy’?
Will changes taking place in Europe (e.g. pan-European legislation, the introduction of the Euro) reduce the impact of some of the factors complicating international IS, such as the business environment, infrastructure, regulations, transborder dataflow, and standards?
The authors present a one-on-one alignment of IT strategy and organizational strategy. Is this realistic? Are there other effective alignments? How might effective alignment be achieved?
Assuming different stages of growth in different countries, what might be the appropriate role of the central IT group in a large multinational organization?
Assess the authors’ opinion that ‘change agentry will most likely become the largest and most important part of intra-organizational IS work in the future.’
Given the authors’ claim that low credibility is a problem facing IT inhouse, how can IT managers be effective change agents? Keeping in mind the authors’ assertion that they have seen ‘numerous instances where IS credibility is low even when technology performance is high’, what causes low
Give some examples that support the view of technology determinism (the ability of technology, as opposed to people, to cause change). What are some contravening examples?
Discuss the three models of the role of IT in change and what each role implies for the IT manager. What do the roles suggest for IS strategy?What might determine which model is most appropriate in a given organization?
Can the IT group, as the authors assume, move from one model to another at will? What model might be appropriate at the different stages of growth (see Table 2.6). Discuss the advantages of ‘movement toward the facilitator role’. Should IT departments try to move to the facilitator or agent
For each of the four groups (industrialized, newly industrialized, developing, underdeveloped),– were you surprised by any of the issues included or by any issues not included?– what changes would you expect to see now (given that the chapter first appeared in 1996)?– over which issues does
What are the implications of these key issues for small-medium sized local firms?
Consider similarities of Figure 6.1 with the ‘stages of growth’ model, discussed in Chapter 2. Is it the same conceptualization but just at a different level of analysis? Level of IT adoption Infrastructure issues Operational issues Underdeveloped countries Developing countries Management and
Consider the success factors listed in Table 7.5 – is it worth undertaking SISP without top management involvement? Table 7.5 Success factors in SISP Rank Success factor order Respondents Primary Sum of Mean selecting frequency ranks rank 12345 Top management involvement Top management support
Compare the author’s concept of SISP to that of information strategy from Smits et al.
Debate the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches to SISP. Assuming time constraints prevent an ‘everything goes’ approach, which approach:– might help improve IS credibility?– might do the most to align IT with business strategy?– might do the most to enable the competitive uses of
The author states that ‘successful SISP seems to require users and line managers working in partnership with the IS function’. Who should be involved in SISP and how should those involved be determined?
Given the alternative approaches identified in this chapter, think of a possible hybrid approach (keeping in mind time, resource and people constraints).
What significance does the increasing rate and pace of advances in information and communications technologies have for organizations?
Identify a company with a published mission statement on its website. Evaluate its mission statement along each of the following criteria:a. Is the mission statement comprehensive? Is it concise?b. Does the mission statement delineate in broad terms what products or services the firm is to offer?c.
Is it necessary that the five steps in the strategic management process be performed sequentially? Why or why not?
What is the difference between an intended strategy and a realized strategy? Why is this distinction important?
How have outside perspectives influenced the development of the strategic management field?
Does the CEO alone make the strategic decisions for an organization? Explain.
A strategy seeks to develop and sustain competitive advantage. True or False
Strategic management refers to formulating successful strategies for an organization. True or False
Each step in the strategic management process is independent so that changes in one step will not substantially affect other steps. True or False
The intended strategy and the realized strategy can never be the same. True or False
Whereas IO theory emphasizes the influence of industry factors of firm performance, resource-based theory emphasizes the role of firm factors. True or False
Strategic decisions are made solely by and are ultimately the responsibility of the CEO alone. True or False
Strategies are formulated in the strategic management stage that occurs immediately after __________.A. the assessment of internal strengths and weaknesses B. implementation of the strategy C. control of the strategy D. none of the above
The strategy originally planned by top management is called __________.A. grand strategy B. realized strategy C. emergent strategy D. none of the above
The notion that successful firms tend to be the ones that adapt to influences in their industries is based on __________.A. IO theory B. resource-based theory C. contingency theory D. none of the above
The notion of distinctive competence is consistent with __________.A. IO theory B. resource-based theory C. contingency theory D. none of the above
In order to contribute to sustained competitive advantage, firm resources should be __________.A. valuable and rare B. not subject to perfect imitation C. without strategically relevant resources D. all of the above
Which of the following is not a characteristic of strategic decisions?A. They are long term in nature.B. They involve choices.C. They do not involve trade-offs.D. All of the above are characteristics of strategic decisions.
Visit the websites of several major restaurant chains. Identify the industry(s) in which each one operates.Would you categorize them in the same industry or in different industries (e.g., fast food, family restaurants)?Why or why not?
Identify an industry that has low barriers to entry and one that has high barriers. Explain how the difference in entry barriers influences competitive behavior in these industries.

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