Use of the Internet by businesses set off a revolution in the use of IT, so that utilizing the Internet to conduct business became the strategic use of information technology. The questions that remain are: Has the revolution ended, or does an even larger revolution loom? Does IT still matter?, and What sorts of strategic uses are companies making?
Strategic Uses of Information Technology Lecture Today lecture summary n Use of the Internet by businesses set off a revolution in the use of IT, so that utilizing the Internet to conduct business became the strategic use of information technology n The questions that remain are: ă Has the revolution ended, or ă Does an even larger revolution loom? ¨ Does IT still matter?, and ¨ What sorts of strategic uses are companies making? Today lecture summary n Strategic roles of IT fall into one of three categories: “working inward” (improving a firm’s internal processes and structure) “working outward” (improving the firm’s products and relationships with customers) and “working across” (improving its processes and relationships with its business partners) Today lecture summary n Grainger, GE Power Systems, Wire Nova Scotia, The Shipping Industry, Cisco Systems and UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Semco, S A., A Day in the Life of an Elancer, General Mills and Land O’ Lakes, Sara Lee Bakery Group, and Dell Computer serve as examples of how companies are using information systems in strategic roles Contents n Introduction ă History of Strategic Uses of IT ă Whither the Internet Revolution? ă The Cheap Revolution ¨ Episode Two: Profitability Strikes Back ¨ Does IT Still Matter? n Working Inward: Business-to-Employee ă Building an Intranet ă Fostering a Sense of Belonging Introduction n Use of the Internet by businesses in mid/late ’90s set off a revolution in the use of IT ă Utilizing the Internet to conduct business became the strategic use of IT n Strategic = having a significant, long-term impact on a firm’s growth, industry and $$ n What now? ă Dot-com crash ă A larger revolution to come? ă Does IT still matter? ¨ What strategic uses are companies making of IT (esp the Internet) Introduction Last 20 Years – Strategic Uses of IT n n 1st edition ă Mid 1980s, hot topic = end user computing (working inward) n Help employees learn about PCs 2nd edition ă Late 80s strategic use focused outward to gain competitive advantage n e.g Merrill Lynch cash management account ă Now considered normal = competitive necessity Vs competitive advantage Introduction Last 20 Years – Strategic Uses of IT cont n 3rd & 4th editions (1990s) ă Strategic use attention turned inward to reengineering business processes n Intent = not to automate existing processes but to totally redesign how the enterprise operated ă Good idea but many failed as they were ‘lay-off’ plans n Introduction of ERP systems was also aimed at internal operations, specifically providing single sources of data enterprise-wide Introduction Last 20 Years – Strategic Uses of IT cont n 3rd & 4th editions (1990s) cont ¨ Internet’s potential becoming evident n Dot-coms = looked at its outward use to gain a competitive advantage n Most established firms initially used the Internet technology internally, building intranets to improve company processes ă Publishing e-forms ă Accompanying workflow processes Why use Social Media? •Relevancy for government – We can use social media to share timely government information with the people who need it •Engaging citizens to improve government Social media allows people to engage, to provide input for improving government services, and be part of the democratic process Making Government Easy with Social Media n Review of USA.gov & GobiernoUSA.gov Social Media Strategy Examples of how we’re using social media Social Media Strategy Development Social Media Preferences We reviewed analytics and surveyed social media users, which showed: •Interested in accessing government information via social media •Credibility of government information on social media is critical •Interested in having conversations with the government Social Media Strategy Development Social Media Preferences conti •Interested in a variety of government information, including: n Emergency alerts n Social Security n Other government benefits •Relevant and timely content is critical – the technology used to deliver it is secondary Social Media Strategy Development Social Media Best Practices n We examined a variety of social media initiatives and identified these best practices: Seek or create user interfaces that foster interaction: n Interaction should be easy and intuitive Use branding elements to make it clear that users are interacting with an official source n Social Media Strategy Development Social Media Best Practices Engage constituents: Answer constituent comments in a friendly and personal manner n Establish clear guidelines for engagement, and empower government reps to interact with constituents n Social Media Strategy Development Social Media Best Practices Solicit feedback and encourage sharing: Whenever possible, invite opinions and experiences from constituents to stimulate dialogue n Provide links or buttons to share content and encourage users to so with clear calls to action n Social Media Strategy Development Social Media Best Practices Provide relevant and timely content: n Use social media to listen to conversations and allow constituents to identify topics of interest n Use existing content assets to initiate timely discussions Social Media Strategy Development Social Media Best Practices Dedicate resources: n Dedicate resources to own the conversation and optimize the program based on feedback Planning a Social Media Strategy We used a strategic approach to address constituents via social media, thinking about our audience and objectives before choosing a technology 1.Define objectives: n n Conducted stakeholder interviews to learn about our own motivations to use social media and learn what we wanted to get out of it Planning a Social Media Strategy conti Perform audience research: n Surveyed users and analyzed traffic to learn about constituents’ objectives and needs Identify best practices: n Looked at other organizations to see how they use social media to achieve objectives Planning a Social Media Strategy conti Develop a long term strategy: n Developed a scalable strategy that would accomplish our objectives, independent of technology, while fulfilling constituent needs Our Social Media Objectives An extensive internal review process revealed the need to use social media to: n n n Put a human face on government Establish USA.gov & GobiernoUSA.gov as approachable sources of trusted information Create new channels to distribute existing content, news, and information Our Social Media Objectives conti n n n Spread information virally Interact directly with constituents Encourage public engagement with government Summary n Introduction ă History of Strategic Uses of IT ă Whither the Internet Revolution? ă The Cheap Revolution ă Social media ...Today lecture summary n Use of the Internet by businesses set off a revolution in the use of IT, so that utilizing the Internet to conduct business became the strategic use of information technology. .. ‘lay-off’ plans n Introduction of ERP systems was also aimed at internal operations, specifically providing single sources of data enterprise-wide Introduction Last 20 Years – Strategic Uses of. .. and Dell Computer serve as examples of how companies are using information systems in strategic roles Contents n Introduction ă History of Strategic Uses of IT ă Whither the Internet Revolution?