IT Systems Strategy Of A Company - Microsoft Corporation, UK - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages The present research has identified that the development of information as an element of competitive advantage is, primarily, the result of the continuous improvement of technology involved in various organizational activities. Under these terms, the firms, which are interested in achieving a long-term growth, need to ensure that they are able to capture, process and transmit information across all their departments. The above issue is set under examination in this paper. Reference is made to a particular firm, Microsoft UK. The information management practices of the above firm are evaluated emphasizing on the following issues: a) the effects of a potential information audit, b) the relationship between the organizational structure/ culture and the information management policies used by the organization and c) the value of competitive intelligence for the development of organizational performance. It is concluded that the development of the firm’s existing information management policies would help the firm to increase its competitiveness within the global market; moreover, the incorporation of effective competitive intelligence methods would also support the achievement of the above target. However, the firm’s existing structure and culture would need to be reviewed and updated supporting more effectively the relevant efforts of the organization. In order to identify the effects of a potential information audit in Microsoft, it would be necessary to refer primarily to the common needs and benefits of the particular process as developed in firms internationally. In accordance with Dube information audit results to a series of benefits for the organization involved: the most important benefit of information audit is the improvement of a firm’s existing control systems; moreover, information audit helps to identify the problems of a firm’s information management policies and to suggest information management processes which are more appropriate for the particular organization. However, despite its value for the organizational performance, information audit is a rather costly process. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More