APPENDIX A Note on Scholarly Foundations and a Call for Action Flashcards
What is the primary focus of the collaboration between VG and Venkat?
To fuse strategy and innovation with the digital transformation of value creation
This collaboration illustrates the integration of different academic interests.
How have the academic fields of strategy and information technology historically operated?
In silos
Strategy scholars viewed information systems as merely functional tactics responding to higher-level corporate choices.
What was the overarching question of the research program Venkat participated in during the mid-1980s?
How can businesses transform themselves by taking advantage of the power of information technology?
This question aimed to explore the implications for management as a discipline.
Which corporation began to challenge IBM’s dominance in the 1980s?
Digital Equipment Corporation
They competed with minicomputers against IBM’s mainframes.
What was considered a ‘killer application’ in the 1980s?
Lotus 1-2-3
This software was a versatile program from a startup in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
What significant change occurred in the 1990s regarding business processes?
Redesigning business processes to leverage enterprise systems
Companies sought efficiency through systems from Oracle, SAP, and Microsoft.
What did the introduction of the web browser and the growth of the internet change?
The perception and understanding of the power of digital technologies
Scholars began to recognize how new entrants could challenge incumbents.
What concept did marketing scholars theorize during the dot-com boom?
The role of market spaces and the power of long tail
These concepts were seen as new ways to gain competitive advantage.
What was Venkat’s 2001 article in MIT Sloan Management Review about?
How incumbents should exploit the internet for core activities and new designs
This theme parallels VG’s three-box solution for strategic innovation.
What are multisided platforms, and how do they disrupt traditional business models?
They introduce new ways to create and capture value
Examples include companies like Amazon, YouTube, and Uber.
What did the emergence of digital technologies lead to in terms of business strategy?
Recognition of digital business strategy as an essential theme
This recognition occurred around 2013 in the field of information systems.
What is the main argument against separating digital and strategy faculty in business schools?
It hinders cross-functional collaboration in research
This separation reflects broader issues in scholarly journal divisions.
How should organizations view digital technologies according to the resource-based view of the firm?
As organizational resources
This perspective emphasizes the impact beyond mere efficiency improvements.
What impact will generative AI (Gen AI) have on competitive advantage?
It will reward those with robust real-time insights rather than physical assets
Gen AI can transform the logic of competition in industrial businesses.
What does the term ‘fusion strategy’ signify?
Fundamental shifts in competitive landscape and value creation processes
It contrasts with traditional strategy approaches.
What is the new guiding question for businesses in the digital decade?
How can businesses transform themselves by taking advantage of digital technology?
This question reflects the evolving landscape of management.
What is the role of digital technologies in shaping management disciplines?
They will impact how management is practiced across various sectors
This influence is comparable to changes in physical and social sciences.
What is a major challenge for academia in relation to digital transformation?
To innovate and reinvent theories and research methods
Existing theories may need to be reexamined or selectively forgotten.
What was the significance of VG’s encounter with Elon Musk?
It illustrated a paradigm shift towards electric and self-driving cars
Musk’s vision emphasized cars as computers on wheels.
