Browsing by Author "Shamekh, Fadeel R."

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Business-IT Strategic Alignment Concept in Theory and Practice
(2008-06-30T11:56:37Z) Shamekh, Fadeel R.; IT-universitetet i Göteborg/Tillämpad informationsteknologi; IT University of Gothenburg/Applied Information Technology
Business-IT strategic alignment is one of the most popular modern management concepts in business and IT management particularly in academia and industry. It refers to the degree of congruence between business and IT strategies. The dramatic increase in the role of IS/IT in business and industry lately recognized as IS/IT became an inseparable part of business and industrial organizations in all sectors including government, healthcare, and education. Ensuring that IS/IT delivers a value to the business is an important issue to the CEO and IT managers in many business firms and industrial organizations today. This master thesis provides insights into business-IT Strategic alignment concept in theory and practice, and it addresses two important issues within business-IT strategic alignment. The first is to define and clarify the concepts of strategic alignment and alignment gap between business strategy and IT strategy, and to determine the reasons and circumstances that lead to the alignment gap between business strategy and IT strategy. The second is to determine how to manage the strategic alignment based on the answer to the first question and supported by illustrative cases studies in four different business and industrial sectors. A conceptual model has been developed wherein business strategy and IT strategy coexist, and tested empirically using data from four firms in different sectors in industry. The empirical data about the four companies are presented and analyzed. Based on literature, the concepts of strategic alignment and alignment gap have been clearly identified, and the research model has been verified. The results indicate that bridging the alignment gap between business strategy and IT strategy will help organizations to achieve and sustain strategic alignment.
Leveraging Organizational Performance Through Enterprise Business Architecture
(2010-09-24) Shamekh, Fadeel R.; IT-universitetet i Göteborg/Tillämpad informationsteknologi; IT University of Gothenburg/Applied Information Technology
Enterprise architecture is a conceptual IS architecture and management framework used to describe and organize and control an organization’s IS/IT structure, processes, applications, systems and techniques in an integrated and cohesive way. The IS framework helps organizations to achieve strategic alignment and consequently creates a business value to the organization and its shareholders and stakeholders. This thesis presents a qualitative research study addressing the concepts of enterprise architecture, enterprise business architecture, strategic alignment, organizational performance and business value / business benefits. Based upon the literature, the concepts of enterprise business architecture, business value and investment have been identified, and an analytical study of the well-known enterprise architecture frameworks has been demonstrated. It investigates the link between the IS/IT investment and organizational performance. This perspective is developed theoretically and illustrated empirically with a research framework that has been developed, and supported with empirical data from two big international organizations use IS/IT extensively to support their business practices. The empirical data from the two organizations are presented and analyzed, and research framework has been empirically verified. The result of the study shows that IS/IT facilitates significant growth in productivity and gains in profitability, and creates business value to the organization and consequently satisfies its customers, shareholders and stakeholders.