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Information Technology Cannot Really Give a Company a Strategic Advantage Because Most Competitive Advantages Don't Last More Than a Few Years and Soon Become Strategic Necessities That Just Raise the Stakes of the Game. Discuss?

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CANNOT REALLY GIVE A COMPANY A STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE BECAUSE MOST COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES DON’T LAST MORE THAN A FEW YEARS AND SOON BECOME STRATEGIC NECESSITIES THAT JUST RAISE THE STAKES OF THE GAME. DISCUSS?

INTRODUCTION
The information technology (IT) revolution has had an enormous influence on how organizations/companies are managed. It can credibly be claimed that no other source of change has had more impact on the paradigms and practices that underline the management function. Though other developments such as the emergence of the global economy and the increasingly knowledge-based nature of modern organisations have significantly affected how organisations are managed, IT developments actually are an …show more content…

One of the most well-known frameworks for analyzing competitiveness is Porter’s competitive forces model. According to Porter a company must confront at least five competitive forces in the business environment. The five forces are generalized as follows:
1. The bargaining power of customers.
2. The bargaining power of suppliers.
3. The threat of new entrants to firm’s market.
4. The threat of substitute products and services.
5. The rivalry for competitors within the firm's industry.
Porter did not only come up with these competitive forces but also came up with competitive strategies to counter the competitive forces. It is how these competitive strategies have been used in combination with IT which will show whether a strategic advantage was achieved or it merely led to a strategic necessity.

PORTER’S COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES
Porter came up with five (5) competitive strategies to counter the competitive forces as follows:
Cost leadership strategy: Producing products/services at the lowest cost in the industry. There are examples of companies that became cost leaders by incorporating IT into their management information systems. Dell Computer Online build to order system resulted in Dell becoming the lowest cost producer of computers and thus dealing a heavy blow to rivalry competitors.

Differentiation strategy: This is a strategy whereby a company distinguishes its products and services from those of its

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