Why IT Continues to Matter: Reflections on the Strategic Value of IT

Authors

  • Frank Bannister
  • Dan Remenyi

Keywords:

IT value, strategic value, technology value, strategy, innovation

Abstract

In May 2003 an article by the former editor of the Harvard Business Review (HBR), Nicholas Carr, in HBR, suggested that IT was no longer a strategic concern for management and that investments in IT should, in future, be restricted to the routine. Carr's thesis has been widely debated, not least in the context of IT value in general and its strategic value in particular. Notwithstanding flaws in his reasoning, this short nine‑page article appears to have had a significant impact and influence on the way chief executives think about IT, and has had real consequences for IT budg‑ ets, not to mention careers. Carr went on to develop his ideas in a subsequent book. This article examines Carr's argu‑ ments at a number of levels and suggests that it would be unwise to base long‑term thinking about IT on his conclusions.

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Published

1 Nov 2005

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 3 (2005)

Section

Articles

License

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