Abstract:

The authors of this paper address the issue of whether some businesses have over-estimated the strategic value of Information Technology (IT) and so have overspent and chased a payoff that has not materialised. The paper examines the arguments presented in a debate stimulated by Carr in the Harvard Business Review (May and June 2003), as well as arguments from other published sources. The authors also present findings from their own industry interviews, as well as observations of organisations with which they have worked closely in research supplier or consultancy roles.