Coordinated information technology and competitive advantage
There is a great deal of interest in the process of implementing information technology to achieve coordinated management of operations and other aspects of the firm. ERP systems are supposedly effective agents for such coordination, but they are notoriously hard to implement and maintain. Less ambitious information technology initiatives may be easier to put into place, but often fail to achieve sufficient coordination. Clearly, being able to do do "large-scale" right can be a major advantage -- the question is to what degree is it really a competitive advantage, rather than simply a matter of management efficiency. Coordination is nice, but it may or may not be worth the price.
Please respond to the following:
"Is skill in implementing coordinated information technology really a competitive advantage for a firm? Why or why not?"