Read the summary and the most important questions on The Adventures of an IT Leader, Updated Edition with a New Preface by the Authors | 9781633691674 | Robert D. Austin; Shannon O'Donnell; Richard L. Nolan

• 1 CIO Role

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• Explain the three alignment components and alignment types

  • Intellectual Alignment (Business-IT Strategy alignment)
  • IT Alignment (IT Strategy-IT infrastructure alignment)
  • Operational Alignment (Organizational-IT infrastructure alignment)

• 1.1 Business Strategy

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• What is the main role of the CIO

  To align business strategy, IT strategy, IT infrastructure & processes and organizational infrastructure & processes.

• Which two generic strategies are argued by Porter?

  Differentiation and cost leadership (generic strategies are the extremes of a continuum, and firms compete across the entire spectrum.

• What is differentiation? And what is costleadership

  Differentiation: Products and services with unique features
  
  superior designs--> innovative research and development, superior engineering, customer intimacy, superior customer service, and brand image. Example Cadillac (with high-end price)
  
  Cost leadership: lowest average unit costs in the industry-->
  
  cost minimization, operational excellence, operating the same activities and achieving the same outcomes more efficiently than rivals Example Chevrolet (low price cars)

• Which three generic strategies are argued by miles and snow?

  Defender, prospector and analyzer

• What is the difference between a defender, prospector and analyzer?

  Defender: Eschew changes (most stable of the three) -- high-quality but standard products or services at low price. -- operational efficiency and economies of scale
  Prospector: create changes in its market -- new product/market -- innovativeness and flexibility
  Analyzer: follow changes(the prospector) very quickly -- a stable domain of core products but very quickly introducing competitive, and occasionally better products after prospector.-- combination of the two a dual technological core, with stable and flexible components .

• Explain the three configurations by using high medium low for:DefensivenessRisk AversionAggressivenessProactivenessAnalysisFuturity

                                   Defenders          Prospectors           Analyzers
  Defensiveness             H                           L                             M
  Risk Aversion               H                           L                             H
  Aggressiveness           M                          H                            M
  Proactiveness              L                           H                            M
  Analysis                         M                          M                            H
  Futurity                         H                           M                            M

• 1.3 IS Infrastructure and Processes

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• What are examples of IS Infrastructure and Processes

  Is processes, business applications, Is roles (users), Is data and user interfaces.

• What is an information system (IS)

  a system that facilitates gathering, processing, storing, using, and disseminating information.
  
  An IS can be paper-based or totally automated by IT where no human intervention is required.

• What is the difference between Operational support systems (also transaction support systems), Market information systems, Strategic decision support systems and Inter-organizational systems

  monitoring and controlling the day to-day operations -- operational efficiency
  monitoring product sales, product trends, or market trends -- flexibility in responding to the market
  long-term planning, making strategic decisions, and high levels of internal and external analysis -- futurity, proactiveness, and analysis
  Exchange of data between an organization and its suppliers, customers, and government -- Coordination of companies