How Does Nicolas Carr Define Information Technology in the Hbr Article

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Management Information System Midterm 1- How does Nicolas Carr define information technology in the HBR article "IT Doesn't Matter"? In the article “ IT Doesn’t Matter “ Nicolas Carr defined IT as a “transport machine” and a key function in business that transports, stores, and processes digital data such as railroads transport goods and power grids carry electricity. However, he conclude that since IT becomes more standardized, ubiquitous, necessity tool and commodity, the strategic advantage of IT has decreased since it become available to all businesses with low or no cost. 2- What does Carr consider to be the most important factor/s for a technology to become a competitive advantage for the owning company? In his article, Carr stated that as it is the case of infrastructure, It become a very rare recently for IT to generate a competitive advantage. Moreover, Carr mentioned that scarcity what makes a resource truly strategic not ubiquity. According to Carr, “When a resource becomes essential to competition but inconsequential to strategy, the risks it creates become more important than the advantages it provides.” His point of discussion is the difference between the infrastructure technology and proprietary technology. Infrastructure technology lost its competitive advantage for being shared and available to everyone while proprietary technology derive the company a strategic value for being unique and owned by the company which differentiate it from others. 3- According to Carr, can a company derive strategic value from investing in IT? In his 2004 article entitled “Why I.T. Matters”, Metcalfe refutes Carr’s arguments point by point. Contrast and compare each of their arguments. What is your stance after reading their debates on whether or not IT can have strategic value? Defend your argument. Carr

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