Strategic Information Systems: IT and Business Alignment Essay

This essay critically examines the alignment between Information Technology (IT) and Business Strategy, considering the rapid pace of technological change. The essay explores the debate surrounding IT-business alignment, discussing the arguments for and against it, and analyzing the impact of new global technological developments, particularly the service-orientation of IT. It delves into the implications of alignment or misalignment on organizational performance, including resilience, leadership, and competitive advantage. The essay requires a 3000-word analysis, drawing on academic literature and research to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic. The assignment assesses students' ability to explain organizational strategy, assess information systems concepts, and evaluate strategic information systems approaches. The essay is worth 50% of the unit grade and emphasizes the importance of critical analysis, research, and proper referencing using the Harvard system.

Unit Title: Strategic Information Systems and Technology
Unit Code: 5U7Z0067 Core: Y Level: 7
Assignment Title:
Unit Leader: Sofiane Tebboune
Contact Details: [e-mail]; Tel. [phone]
Submission Date: See date
on Moodle
Feedback Return Date: See Date on Moodle
Submission Instructions: The assignment should be submitted electronically through Turnitin on
Moodle.
Feedback Return Information: Feedback will be made available on Moodle.
Assignment Task
Critically discuss the alignment between Information Technology and Business Strategy, in
light of new global technological developments.This is an individual assignment (worth
50% of the overall unit’s grade) in which you have to write a 3000-word essay on the above
topic.
Unit Learning Outcomes Assessed.
1. Explain the different aspects of organisational strategy.
2. Critically assess the fundamental concepts of Information Systems in organisations.
3. Critically evaluate the different approaches to Strategic Information Systems.
Assignment Brief 2016/17
Faculty of
Business and Law

Assignment Details and Instructions
The relationship between Information Technology (IT) and Business Strategy has long been the
subject of intense debate. With the way and the pace of change in the area of IT, not only the
strategic value of IT has been put under scrutiny, but also the way IT interacts with business
strategy needs to be rethought. One side of the argument advances that the alignment
between IT and business is highly desirable, whereas others have claimed that due to the
dynamic nature of business strategy IT should only be loosely aligned to business.
The assignment is an individual 3000-word (+/- 10%) essay. The key issues will be discussed in
the lectures and tutorials, and the following points should be taken into consideration:
 Outline the main ideas around the alignment of IT to business strategy, including the
criticism targeted at these ideas. Chan and Reich (2007a) is a very good starting point,
but you need to move beyond their ideas.
 Critically discuss IT-Business alignment in light of new global developments in
Information Technology. Development of the service-orientation of IT, in particular,
offers some new opportunities for reconsidering these arguments.
 Critically discuss the impact of alignment – or misalignment – on the organisation and its
performance. Some of the aspects that could be covered are the resilience of
organisations, aspects of leadership, as well as competitive advantage. You are strongly
advised to take this part of the essay as an opportunity to research an area of interest to
you.
Plagiarism:
Students will be penalised if they copy material or re-use the work of others without full
acknowledgement (your work must be written in your own words and referenced
appropriately). Please refer to the university’s regulations for more details on plagiarism
(http://www.celt.mmu.ac.uk/plagiarism/index.php)
Referencing:
Please ensure to reference all work using the Harvard Referencing System (H.R.S). If you are
unsure about using the H.R.S., details can be located at the Library or via Moodle. Assignments
that fail to use the H.R.S. will be penalised.
Please refer to the university’s library for more details on H.R.S.
(libguides.mmu.ac.uk/refguide/mmuharvard)
Early Career/ World Class Professional Skills (PLOs) being assessed or developed/assessed.
1. Demonstrate critical professional and commercial awareness in your discipline.
2. Demonstrate global awareness of business practice.
The skills that would be developed in this assignment are as follows:
 Professional and commercial awareness in the area of Information Systems (IS) and its
applicability in organisations. Furthermore, knowledge of the interaction between IS
and organisations.
 Awareness of the impact of IT on organisations in a global context.
 You will also develop skills in critical analysis and verbal communication.
Resources:

The following list of references should be considered as a starting point for your research. You
are expected to find more relevant references to base your review on.
 Alexandre, R., Isabelle, W. and Michel, K. (2016) Is SAM Still Alive? A Bibliometric and
Interpretive Mapping of the Strategic Alignment Research Field, Journal of Strategic
Information Systems, 25, 75-103
 Bharadwaj, A. S. (2000). "A Resource-Based Perspective on Information Technology
Capability and Firm Performance: An Empirical Investigation." MIS Quarterly 24(1): 169-196.
 Benlian, A. and Haffke, I. (2016) Does Mutuality Matter? Examining the Bilateral Nature and
Effects of CEO-CIO Mutual Understanding, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 25, 104-
126
 Broadbent, M., Weill, P. and St.Clair, D. (1999) The Implications of Information Technology
Infrastructure for Business Process Redesign. MIS Quarterly, 23(2), 159-182.
 Carr, N. G. (2003) IT Doesn't Matter. Harvard Business Review, May, 41-49.
 Chan, Y. E. and Reich, B. H. (2007a) IT Alignment: What Have We Learned? Journal of
Information Technology, 22, 297-315.
 Chan, Y. E. and Reich, B. H. (2007b) IT Alignment: An Annotated Bibliography. Journal of
Information Technology, 22, 316-396.
 Grant, K., Hackney, R. and Edgar, D. (2010). Strategic Information Systems Management,
Cengage.
 Luftman, J. N., Lewis, P. R. and Oldach, S. H. (1993) Transforming the Enterprise: The
Alignment of Business and Information Technology Strategies. IBM Systems Journal, 32(1),
198-221.
 Strnadl, C. F. (2006) Aligning Business and IT: The Process-driven Architecture Model.
Information Systems Management, Fall, 67-77.
 Valorinta, M. (2011) IT Alignment and the Boundaries of the IT Function. Journal of
Information Technology, 26, 46-59.
Any relevant articles located in the following academic journals should be appropriate:
 MIS Quarterly
 MIS Quarterly Executive
 Information Systems Journal
 Information Systems Research
 Journal of Strategic Information Systems
 Journal of the Association of Information Systems
 European Journal of Information Systems.
Marking Criteria *
86-100%
An outstanding essay in several ways. The reviewed literature is outstanding, with a good
spectrum of literature sources covering a large number of interrelated themes. The presented
arguments are very sophisticated, demonstrating an excellent grasp of the subject. Excellent
examples and cases used throughout the essay. Outstanding academic underpinning and
grounding.
70-85%
An excellent attempt at addressing the assignment brief. The reviewed literature is varied and
very strong both in depth and breadth. The writing is of an excellent level with strong analysis
of the literature and strong cross referencing of literature sources. Good examples and case
used in the essay.
60-69%
The assignment brief is well addressed, and all the key themes have been discussed. Strong
evidence of supplementary reading from good quality literature sources. Analytical writing and
cross referencing of literature sources is evident, with strong and compelling ideas displayed in

the essay. Some occasional descriptive writing. A little lacking in examples and cases.
50-59%
An adequate attempt is made to address the assignment brief. Adequate effort is made to
search for literature sources, and the list of references goes beyond the preliminary one. There
is a clear attempt to critically analyse the literature and form strong arguments, but the writing
is still quite descriptive. Lack of examples and case to illustrate the presented ideas.
40-49%
There is clearly an attempt to address the assignment brief. Some attempt to move beyond the
resources given in the assignment brief. The analysis of the literature as well as the depth of
the produced arguments are very limited and rather weak.
35-39%
There is some attempt to adequately address the assignment brief, however the details and
depth of the presented arguments are weak. The literature search is very limited or merely
based on the provided preliminary list of references. The writing is very descriptive with poor
analysis of the reviewed literature.
20-44%
Very little depth in analysing the core concepts around the alignment of IT and business
strategy. The resources used are inappropriate. Very little theoretical research shown. The
writing is mostly descriptive, with very little critical analysis of the literature.
0-19%
Little or no attempt has been made to address the assignment brief. There is no evidence that
the appropriate resources have been used.
Group Work Guidelines (If applicable)
N/A
Unit Specification
Unit specification is available in Moodle.