Cornell Study Shows How To Maximize Value Of Information Technology

Ithaca, N.Y. | A new report published by The Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell provides a roadmap for executives to use to create and sustain strategic advantage in information technology.

The report, Making IT Matter: A Manager's Guide to Creating and Sustaining Competitive Advantage with Information Systems, was written by Cornell Professor Gabriele Piccoli, Ph.D.

Piccoli’s groundbreaking study offers the first comprehensive tool to help strategists plan, implement and upgrade information technology solutions. In particular, Piccoli aims to show executives how to create value that can be protected against competitive imitation.

“This report will go along way in helping managers figure out how to use IT as a strategic weapon,” said Scott B. Heintzeman, CIO, Carlson Hotels Worldwide. “It will be very useful to those of us in the hospitality industry.”

The report will help managers to:

• Realize the fundamental difference between information technology and information systems to exploit the strategic potential of IT;
• Differentiate strategic information systems from tactical information systems;
• Examine the response lag drivers associated with initiatives and the potential they offer to delay or deny competitive imitations;
• Evaluate the evolutionary paths available to the firm to extend the lifetime of the competitive advantage.

”The report offers a framework for managers to analyze IT-dependent strategic initiatives. It enables users to determine if an initiative creates c competitive advantage, and whether any advantage created can be protected against imitation,” Piccoli commented.

About The Center for Hospitality Research - A unit of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, The Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) sponsors groundbreaking research designed to improve practices in the hospitality industry. The CHR also publishes the award-winning hospitality journal, the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly. Under the lead of CHR's 35 corporate supporters, experienced scholars work closely with business executives to discover new insights into strategic, managerial and operational issues. To learn more about CHR and its projects, visit /.

The Center’s supporters are leading organizations in the hospitality industry. Partners & Sponsors - AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., Bartech Systems International, Cendant Corporation, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, JohnsonDiversey Inc., Kohinoor Group, Marsh’s Hospitality Practice, Nestlé, Thayer Group of Companies, Willowbend Golf Management, and Wyndham International; Friends - ARAMARK Corporation, D.K. Shifflet and Associates, Ltd., ehotelier.com, Global Hospitality Resources, Inc., Hsyndicate, hospitalitynet.org, Hospitality World, Hotel Asia Pacific, Hotel China, Hotel Interactive, Inc., Hotel Resource, International CHRIE, Lodging Magazine, Lodging Hospitality, Mobile MoneySaver, National Hotel Executive Magazine, Resort+Recreation, RestaurantEdge.com, Shibata Publishing Co. Ltd., Smith Travel Research, The Hospitality Research Group of PKF Consulting, The Lodging Conference, TravelCLICK, and UniFocus.