Defining the content of information strategy [Elektronische Ressource] : linking theory and practice / vorglegt von: Martin Mocker

Sujets

• Management

Informations

• Publié par: westfalische_wilhelms-universitat_munster
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 21
• Langue: Deutsch
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

DEFINING THE CONTENT OF INFORMATION STRATEGY:
LINKING THEORY AND PRACTICE







Inauguraldissertation
zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines
Doktors der Wirtschaftswissenschaften
durch die Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät
der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster




Vorgelegt von:

Martin Mocker
aus Haltern am See



Münster, 2007
















Ich versichere an Eides statt, dass ich die eingereichte Dissertation “Defining the Content of
Information Strategy: Linking Theory and Practice” selbständig verfasst habe. Anderer als der
von mir angegebenen Quellen und Hilfsmittel habe ich mich nicht bedient. Alle wörtlich oder
sinngemäß den Schriften anderer Autoren entnommenen Stellen habe ich kenntlich gemacht.















Dekan: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Berens
Erstgutachter: Prof. Dr. Stefan Klein
Zweitgutachter: Prof. Dr. Dorothy Leidner
Datum der mündlichen Prüfung: 28.11.2007
2 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION.................................................................................................. 9
1.1 STRATEGY AND INFORMATION STRATEGY.......................................................................................... 10
1.1.1 Strategy in management studies .................................................................................................... 11
1.1.2 Information strategy...................................................................................................................... 12
1.2 THE NEED FOR RESEARCH ON INFORMATION STRATEGY.................................................................... 14
1.2.1 Relevance of information strategy in practice............................................................................... 15
1.2.2 State of information strategy research .......................................................................................... 16
1.2.3 Research desiderata and objective of the thesis............................................................................ 18
1.3 CONDUCT OF RESEARCH AND STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS ................................................................. 19
2 RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE ON INFORMATION STRATEGY...................................................... 21
2.1 METHOD ............................................................................................................................................. 21
2.2 FINDINGS OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW: TERMINOLOGY .................................................................... 25
2.3 FINDINGS OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW: CONCEPTIONS OF INFORMATION STRATEGY........................ 27
2.3.1 Information strategy as the use of IT to deliver business strategy ................................................ 29
2.3.2 Information strategy as the use of IT to gain competitive advantage............................................ 31
MBV and RBV theory in strategic management ...................................................................................... 33
Applications of competitive theory in IS research .................................................................................... 33
2.3.3 Information strategy as a plan for the whole “IP domain” .......................................................... 39
2.3.3.1 Information strategy as an issue list..................................................................................................... 40
2.3.3.2 Information strategy as a system of plans............................................................................................ 42
2.3.4 Information strategy as a functional strategy................................................................................ 48
2.3.5 Information strategy as the tenor towards IP................................................................................ 50
2.4 SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES AMONG CONCEPTIONS .................................................................... 52
2.4.1 Information strategy: part of business strategy or strategy in its own right? ............................... 53
2.4.2 Differences in reasoning and content............................................................................................ 54
2.4.3 Other aspects of strategic IP decisions ......................................................................................... 55
2.5 EXTANT RESEARCH ON INFORMATION STRATEGY IN PRACTICE ......................................................... 56
2.5.1 The existence of information strategies in practice....................................................................... 57
2.5.2 Conceptions used among practitioners ......................................................................................... 58
2.5.3 Content of practitioners’ information strategies........................................................................... 59
2.5.4 Purpose of information strategy in practice.................................................................................. 60
3 PRACTICE PERSPECTIVE ON INFORMATION STRATEGY ....................................................... 63
3.1 EMPIRICAL STUDY ON INFORMATION STRATEGY IN PRACTICE........................................................... 63
3.1.1 Assumptions and methodology ...................................................................................................... 63
3.1.1.1 Data collection..................................................................................................................................... 66
3.1.1.2 Data analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 72
3.1.2 Findings: Information strategy content and reasoning................................................................. 74
a. Application landscaping decisions................................................................................................................. 75
b. Application systems standards ....................................................................................................................... 79
c. Technical architecture standards .................................................................................................................... 83
d. Process standards ........................................................................................................................................... 95
e. Investment portfolio decisions ..................................................................................................................... 101
f. Budgetary decisions ..................................................................................................................................... 105
g. Decisions on launching IS/IT projects that directly support market activities ............................................. 108
h. Human resources and organizational plans of the IT unit ............................................................................ 110
i. Decisions on the role of the IT unit.............................................................................................................. 115
j. Rights and accountability decisions ............................................................................................................. 120
k. Sourcing decisions ....................................................................................................................................... 128
l. Security and continuity plans and policies................................................................................................... 133
3.2 CLASSIFICATION OF CONTENT BY REASONING ................................................................................. 140
3.2.1 IP decisions reasoned as strategic from sign: Characteristics of strategic IP decisions............ 142
3.2.2 IP decisions reasoned as strategic from analogy: Building analogies to business strategy ....... 151
3.2.3 IP decisions reasoned as strategic from cause: Strategic impacts.............................................. 154
Ad 1: Effects related to business strategy ............................................................................................... 154
Ad 2: Decisions that help to satisfy business units’ requirements .......................................................... 159
Ad 3: Effects concerned with IP cost containment ................................................................................. 161
Ad 4: Decisions that affect the company’s flexibility............................................................................. 163
Ad 5: Decisions that help to avoid or mitigate IP complexity................................................................. 165
Ad 6: Decisions that aim at avoiding critical impacts on operational security and continuity................ 168
3 Ad 7: Decisions made for political reasons............................................................................................. 168
4 PRACTICABILITY AND RATIONALE OF INFORMATION STRATEGY.................................. 170
4.1 STRATEGY REVISITED.......