IT Doesn't Matter by Nicholas Carr

Book Published by N. Carr.

This is a very Interesting article by Nicholas Carr were has created a lot discussion in the IT scholarly field with nearly 400 articles citing his article "IT Doesn't Matter" published in Harvard Business Review in May 2003 (Google Scholar, 2007). The main thrust of his article is that organizations should treat information technology (IT) as a commodity in which it should attempt to keep costs to a minimum, minimize vulnerabilities, and avoid risk-taking. By comparing information technology to other commoditized industries like the railroads and electricity, Carr attempts to convince his audience of executive management and IT leaders that IT's role within an organization should not be treated much differently than any other cost it seeks to minimize. Carr believes that organizations should not attempt to build competitive advantage through IT investment because advantages built with it are short-lived as the innovation spreads through the industry and becomes commoditized.

Link to the Article:

http://nofieiman.com/wp-content/lectures/MIS-IT-doesnt-matter.pdf