How information systems strategy moderates the relationship between business strategy and performance ¬リニ

a r t i c l e i n f o This study analyzes the moderating effect of information systems (IS) strategy on the relationship between a firm's business strategy and organizational performance. From the resource-based view, the study analyzes the support that an innovative IS strategy and a conservative IS strategy can provide to low-cost and differentiation business strategies. Results of analysis for a sample of 166 firms from the Spanish food industry demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative IS strategies in firms with low-cost business strategies. In contrast, innovative IS strategies fail to compensate the risk of innovation in marketing activities and consequently in business strategies that rely on image differentiation. The relationship between IS strategy and business strategies that rely on innovative differentiation is ambiguous, but for the food industry, the innovative IS strategy is counterproductive. Conclusions provide guidance on strategic decision-making for developing information systems in firms according to business goals. The strategic use of information technology (IT) is a matter of concern for researchers and managers (Luftman et al., 2013). Firms need to make decisions regarding IT use in response to technological evolution and changes in business activity. Previous studies indicate that, without a solid information systems (IS) strategy, IT contribution to organizational performance may fall short of expectations (Chen, 2012). Most research dealing with the strategic use of IT focuses on business and IT alignment (Chan & Reich, 2007). This approach omits an IT/IS strategy perspective and consequently ignores the alignment's dynamic nature. Existing research fails to respond to basic questions such as what are the advantages and problems for IT innovators and how does the IT/IS strategy interact with core activities and the business strategy. This research examines how implementing a particular IS strategy (conservative or innovative) affects the relationship between business strategy and competitive advantage regarding performance. This study empirically tests how IS strategy affects the relationship between business strategy and performance using data from 166 firms in the Spanish food industry, which is a leading industrial sector in terms of turnover and number of employees. 2. Definition of IS strategy Despite the importance of IS for organizations, the literature lacks a consistent definition and measurement method for the concept of the IS strategy. A narrow concept of the IS strategy focuses on technology and the IS department (Chan & Reich, 2007) to obtain the IT alignment with the business strategy. Other authors …