Business Strategy must drive IS strategy and not the other way around
             in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
             Introduction to Business Computing Course (INF400F)
             The statement that 'business strategy must drive IS strategy and not the other way around' is supported by a substantial body of theoretical research within the academic field of Information Systems. This is turn, is supported strongly by evidence derived from close study of the implications and results of Information Systems decisions that have been carried out in practice in this rapidly evolving field of management within the international business environment. By strategic alignment of a company's IS strategy with its overall business strategy, the potential of its core competencies can be maximised, its primary sources of competitive advantage can be focused on, and the chances that its profit targets will be met, can be significantly increased.
             Pearlson and Saunders define a business strategy as, "a well articulated vision of where a business seeks to go and how it seeks to get there" (p. 21, 2004.) With this definition in mind, a business strategy can be seen as the manner in which a business has chosen to define its goals and strategically position itself in response to market forces. A thorough understanding of market forces, such as customer demand and the position of all relevant market competitors, serves to stimulate the creation of an innovative business strategy from which a company can create competitive advantage (Pearlson and Saunders, 2004.)
             The field of Information Systems presents modern businesses with a plethora of rapidly developing and ever expanding opportunities with which to maximise their efficiency and increase the value of their business processes. Because the field is highly technical, however, and because it does indeed develop so fast, it is essential that Information System decisions do come out ...