Carr Assignment
this is the article

As an editor for Harvard Business Review, Nicholas Carr read many article submissions about failed IT projects. IT failures seemed particularly endemic in the 90s, when many expensive, large-scale, complex systems were implemented. In part, as a result of reading these articles, Carr formed a number of opinions about IT that resulted in his article IT Doesn’t Matter.
Some of the ideas in Carr’s article are not controversial.

1. In the past, companies could spend millions of dollars to create proprietary IT applications to gain competitive advantage.

2. Proprietary IT applications are more valuable when kept to oneself. On the other hand, infrastructure is more valuable when shared.

3. Thanks to the internet’s speed and standards, and to the tendency to create IT applications that span company boundaries, IT applications do not provide competitive advantage for as long as they used to.
Some of Carr’s ideas quickly became controversial. While the following ideas may take some liberties with the article, they are true to the spirit of his ideas and can be found in his writings.

1. Non-IT companies should not try to gain competitive advantage through IT. For example, Cessna, an airplane manufacturer, should not try to gain competitive advantage by building a strategic information system. Instead, Carr would recommend that Cessna try to gain competitive advantage by building a better plane.

2. Non-IT companies should be in the middle of the pack when adopting innovations. For example, when the next great technological innovation is developed, companies should not rush out and purchase it. They should wait for the price to fall and for standards to develop. Then, they should buy it.

3. Non-IT companies should treat IT like a utility. Carr would argue that WSU does not generate its own electricity, and similarly it should not develop or maintain its own IT or IS. Both should be outsourced to the experts.
Write a one-page paper based upon Nicholas Carr’s article IT Doesn’t Matter, Carr argued that as IT becomes more pervasive, it becomes more of a commodity. In this paper, you will need to do two things:

1. State your opinion regarding the correctness of Carr’s argument. While you provide an opinion, this is not an opinion paper. Some opinions are better than others. Focus upon the controversial aspects of Carr’s article (see above).

2. In bullet form, list evidence that supports your opinion. Your evidence should be sufficient to fully support your opinion.

Good examples of evidence include studies, anecdotal evidence (i.e., experience of individual companies), and statements by experts (Carr should not be treated as an expert, since doing so creates a circular argument). Unsupported facts are not evidence. They will be treated as opinion.

This assignment can be completed without reading IT Doesn’t Matter. A number of short, easy-to-read articles that discuss the ideas in IT Doesn’t Matter can be found on the internet.