Strategic Information System Planning : Strategic Alignment For Management Managers

The purpose of this article is to illuminate the need for any organization to have its IT strategy and business strategy properly aligned. While many organizations view IT and business alignment as an event – it is actually an on-going process, or continuous journey. Therefore, the main problem is that many organizations of today still hold these two principles (business mission & IT strategy) as two separate entities. However, in the Information Age – collaboration is key to capturing and retaining market penetration. To not have alignment with the IT and business strategy together is not a matter of want it is a matter of survival. This report will expand upon the need for business and IT strategic alignment as well as examine what happens in lack of a comprehensive plan. This will be done by examining the Vermont Teddy Bear company prior to and after the arrival of Bob Stetzel, the Vice President of Information Technology. This document will view it findings and make recommendations on the immediate and future operations of the company.

In the world of business, information technology strategy has been overlooked by owners for they are so focused on marketing strategies. Keeping up with the use of information technology is in just about all types of industrial process and just as important. It has been a proven fact that it contributes to the development of strategies and tactics when developing a product or service. During the twentieth century the accelerated progress in information technology has developed a large variety of technologies for the collecting and storage of information such as the Internet, software companies, and personal computers.

Strategic planning is designed to leverage the strengths of a firm while minimizing the effects of its weaknesses.  It is difficult to know the potential advantage a firm may have unless external analysis is done well.  For example, a company may have a talented marketing department or an efficient production system.  However, the organization cannot determine whether these internal characteristics are sources of competitive advantage until it knows something about how well the competitors stack up in these areas.

With any organization, rather it be civilian or military focused, there is a common element that resides; organizational competencies. These competencies is what makes any organization unique and identifies how they do the things they do, how relationships with institution division and external entities are developed and handled. With Information technology shifting from an administrative support tool to a strategic role within the organization, the question, or debate, is whether or not the planning and implementation of information technology, based on strategic goals, essentially share the same organizational competencies. This article will

The increased number of IT investment is applied in organization. It is clear that information technology has become the competitive fact in world business. Collaboration is the new trend in business world. No one can deny the importance of information technology application. Besides the profits outcome, the impacts of information technology deployment also create commitment, trust and value. Advanced information system can improve each steps of business process. It enables people to share information, performance task simultaneously and making decision efficiently. IT companies designed different products to satisfy each step of business operation in terms of manufacturing and human resources. Seminole should apply this new IT infrastructure to business operation. Firstly, company can use the transaction processing systems (IPS) to keep track of all business activities and transaction of the organization such as payroll and employee record keeping. IPS also shows all information from internal and external operation. Secondly, Business intelligence systems are designed for decision-making support. Management information system (MIS) is a system that helps managers to keep track of company performance status, which purposed for decision-making and evaluation. Decision-support system (DSS) is purposed for future business decision-making. Thirdly, Enterprise application systems are designed for integrating business process from different functions, such as supply chain

Strategic planning can dictate the success of any organization if properly planned as well as the failure of an organization if not implemented as planned. Strategic planning is all about making choices. It is a process designed to support leaders in being intentional about their goals and methods. Simply stated, strategic planning is a management tool, and like any management tool, it is used for one purpose only—to help an organization do a better job. This portion of the strategic plan will explain why an

Strategic Planning is the process of developing and maintaining a strategic fit between the organizations goals and capabilities as well as emerging market conditions and opportunities. This process begins with a clear company mission statement. However, this is only a small piece of a dynamic and perpetual process. Other activities involved with strategic planning also include setting supporting organizational objectives, designing a sound product mix as well as coordinating functional strategies. Strategic planning works to set the groundwork for the rest of the subsidiary planning functions in the company.

Strategic Planning is one of the most fundamental factors in the success of an organization. This research project will discuss the importance of strategic planning as well as the different components of strategic planning. Many organizations fail to accomplish their goals and tasks due to the lacking of strategic planning. In order for their businesses to be successful, organizations need to be well informed about how the strategic planning process works.

An information system is a base in today’s business world. Everything is electronic. In various businesses, the survival and ability to succeed strategic business goals is challenging without extensive use of information system. Businesses improve the efficiency of their operations in order to accomplish higher profitablity. Besides that, information systems are important tools available to managers for achieving higher levels of efficiency and productiviy in business operations. For an example, Zara uses the PDA technology to gather customer feedback and input.

CHANGE is the only constant in the relationship between information systems and organizations. As technology evolves and changes, its introduction into organizations requires changes in the firm 's infrastructure and the services it can provide to its employees, customers, and suppliers.

Strategic planning is the process of gathering information from stakeholders, market players, professional entity, and government agency. The purpose of gathering information is formulating a realistic and a workable framework that any organization can implement and work with. Evaluation of information is a key aspect in determine the kind of plans that the organization wish to a chive over certain a period. Strategic planning ensures the implementation is, crafted well, and parties involved be acquitted with it. Developing a good Strategic plan helps a company to implement its missions and visions effectively, and helps the company to evaluate

Strategic Planning set the stage for the rest of the planning in the firm. It involves defining a clear company mission, setting supporting company objectives, designing a sound business portfolio and coordinating functional strategies. At corporate level the company first defines its overall purpose and mission.

According to Jones, Scholes and Whittington (2008, p. 402) “Strategic planning may take the form of systemised, step-by-step, chronological procedures to develop or coordinate an organisations strategy”.

Companies over the last decade, has recognized that their survival to a lesser or greater extent, depends either entirely or partially to appropriate information system. It is established, based on lesson learned from both failed and successful organizations, that an information system strategy are to support or aligned with, business strategy. Similarly the business strategy can influences the choice of Information System used in the organization. A business strategy entails futuristic organizational planning that result in companies gaining competitive advantage. It is direct linked to supporting area such as marketing, procurement, and information system. The case of Comair airline, even after acquisition by Delta

There are very many types of information systems. Classification of information systems follows the organizational levels in which they are used or installed for use. For instance, there are management information systems; some of which will be covered in this project report. Management information systems (MIS), helps businesses meet their business objectives. Almost all organizations and businesses today use management information systems; be it large, small, startup or an established multi-national. This is for the sole reason that information systems have evolved from just being a tool to gain competitive advantage for businesses, to a vital tool, a necessity in the digital age we live in. Management Information Systems help managers make better-informed decisions and communicate with their superiors, as well as with all the stakeholders in the businesses their organizations are involved in.