This document is a doctoral thesis presented by Mauricio Corona Chávez to Universidad La Salle in Mexico City in 2011. The thesis examines the alignment of information technology strategies with organizational strategies in the financial sector in Mexico. It begins with an introduction and outlines the research questions and hypotheses. It then covers relevant literature on strategic management of IT, including frameworks for IT strategy and alignment. Several case studies of organizations in the financial sector in Mexico are examined to determine the relationship between IT management processes, as defined by the ITIL framework, and the alignment of IT and organizational strategies. Statistical analysis is used to test the hypotheses about whether higher performance of specific ITIL processes correlates with greater alignment. The conclusion

1. UNIVERSIDAD LA SALLE
DIRECCIÓN DE POSGRADO E INVESTIGACIÓN
CON RECONOCIMIENTO DE VALIDEZ OFICIAL DE ESTUDIOS
NÚMERo 2005086 DE FEGHA 7 DE ABRIL DEL AÑo 2OOO
LAALINEACIÓN DE LAS TECNOLOGíAS DE
INFORMACIÓN CON LA ORGANIZACIÓN EN EL
SECTOR FINANCIERO EN MÉXICO MEDIANTE
LAADOPCIÓN DE PROCESOS BASADOS EN
MEJORES PRÁCTICAS DE LA BIBLIOTECA DE
INFRAESTRUCTURA DE TECNOLOGíAS DE
TNFORMACtÓN (tTtL)
TESIS
QUE PARA OBTENER EL GRADO DE
DOCTOR EN ADMINISTRACIÓN
PRESENTA:
Mauricio Corona Chávez
Asesora:
Dra. Ma. Luisa Saavedra García
México, D.F. 2011

2. Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . 1
Statement for research project, delimitation and subject matter . . 4
Question, objective and general research hypothesis . . . . 4
1 Strategic Management of Information technologies . . . 7
1.1 History Backgrounds, the financial System in Mexico . . . 7
1.2 Information Technologies strategy . . . . . . 10
1.2.1 Porter’s models and strategies for competitive forces . . . 11
1.2.2 Porter’s chain value analysis model . . . . . 18
1.2.3 Strategic frameworks for Information Technologies . . . 19
1.2.4 Frameworks for Global competition . . . . . 24
1.2.5 The Information Technologies and the infrastructure strategic management 28
2 Planning the Information Technologies . . . . . 44
2.1 Key areas for IT’s on a developed nations . . . . . 44
2.2 “Positions” aspects for key areas . . . . . . 47
2.3 IT Key areas in a relatively new industrialized nations . . . 52
2.4 IT Key areas at underdeveloped nations . . . . . 56
2.5 IT Key areas at non-developed nations . . . . . 58
3 Organization Strategy . . . . . . . 63
3.1 Strategic vision for IT . . . . . . . 63
3.2 Harmonizing the organization and IT strategies . . . . 66
3.3 Business strategy, IT structure and alignment . . . . 72
3.4 Detailed Study Case . . . . . . . 78
3.4.1 Measuring the Information Technologies . . . . 78
4 Processes and the IT Service Management based on ITIL . . . 100
4.1 Processes theory . . . . . . . . 101
4.1.1 Product oriented organization . . . . . . 103
4.2 ITIL History . . . . . . . . 107
4.3 Service definition . . . . . . . . 126
4.4 Service administration . . . . . . . 128
4.5 Operational processes . . . . . . . 130
4.6 Tactical processes . . . . . . . . 137
4.7 Relationships between processes . . . . . . 143
5 Research design . . . . . . . . 153
5.1 Research questions . . . . . . . 153
5.2 Research objectives . . . . . . . 154
5.3 Research hypothesis . . . . . . . 155
5.4 Research type . . . . . . . . 156
5.5 Measurement level and variables operationalization . . . . 158
5.6 Sample determination . . . . . . . 165
5.7 Instruments application . . . . . . . 168
5.8 Instruments . . . . . . . . 169
6 Findings . . . . . . . . . 184
6.1 Hypothesis testing . . . . . . . . 184
6.2 Variables descriptions . . . . . . . 189
6.3 Outcomes of hypothesis testing . . . . . . 190
6.4 Hypothesis testing at organizations 1, 2, 3 . . . . . 228
6.5 Instruments reliability . . . . . . . 240

3. 6.6 Conglomerate for outcomes of hypothesis testing . . . . 242
7 Conclusions and recommendations for further researches . . 244
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . 255
Appendix#1 Instruments application . . . . . . 273
Appendix #2 IT Service Financial Management . . . . . 290
Appendix #3 Availability Management . . . . . . 295
Appendix #4 Capacity Management . . . . . . 300
Appendix #5 IT Service Continuity Management . . . . . 305
Appendix #6 Service Level Management . . . . . . 310
Appendix #7 Service Asset and Configuration Management . . . 313
Appendix #8 Change Management . . . . . . 317
Appendix #9 Release and Deployment Management . . . . 322
Appendix #10 Problem Management . . . . . . 326
Appendix #11 Incident Management . . . . . . 330
Appendix #12 Services Desk . . . . . . . 334
Appendix #13 Statistical analysis outcomes by each Organization . . 339
Appendix #14 Glossary . . . . . . . . 341
Appendix #15 Screen exits . . . . . . . 346

4. List of figures
1.1 Porter five strengths adapted model-based . . . . . 12
1.2 Wal-Mart’s Porter model . . . . . . . 14
1.3 Chain value Porter model . . . . . . . 18
1.4 Bakos & Treacy causal model for competitive advantage . . . 22
1.5 Global vision alignment with IT’s using global directresses . . . 25
1.6 Decentralized organizational structure of a multinational strategy . . 31
1.7 Global strategy with an organizational centralized structure . . . 32
1.8 International strategy of a coordinated federation organizational structure . 33
1.9 International strategy with an integrated network . . . . 34
2.1 Global IT environmental model . . . . . . 60
2.2 Proposed model for an IT environment . . . . . 61
3.1 A and B IT Strategic vision and planning scheme Model based on the strategic vision
and planning . . . . . . . . . 65
3.2 Research model example . . . . . . . 82
3.3 Alignments for the two dimensions scores, understanding actual objectives and
shared IT vision . . . . . . . . . 93
3.4 Short term explanation alignment model . . . . . 94
3.5 Long term explanation alignment model . . . . . 96
4.1 Organizational unit processes mapping . . . . . 104
4.2 Processes general model . . . . . . . 105
4.3 Best practices sources . . . . . . . 110
4.4. Value creation . . . . . . . . 127

5. List of tables
1.1 Competitive forces impact and the IT role . . . . . 17
1.2 Porter & Millar five stages processes . . . . . 20
1.3 Stages in the lifecycles of the client goods . . . . . 23
1.4 Analysis of certain global commercial directresses . . . . 26
1.5 Global environment business, structure/strategy coordination . . 30
1.6 Global information management strategies alignment . . . 39
2.1 IT management key areas in US . . . . . . 45
2.2 IT management key areas in North America . . . . . 46
2.3 IT management key areas in Europe . . . . . . 46
2.4 IT management key areas in Australia . . . . . 47
2.5 IT management key areas . . . . . . . 48
2.6 IT management key areas in Singapore . . . . . 52
2.7 IT management key areas in Hong Kong . . . . . 53
2.8 IT management key areas in Taiwan . . . . . . 53
2.9 IT management key areas . . . . . . . 56
2.10 IT management key areas in India . . . . . . 57
2.11 IT management key areas in Africa underdeveloped nations . . . 58
3.1 Business units (BU) features and data gathering . . . . 87
3.2 Connection scale between the business planning scheme processes and the IT 89
3.3 Measuring the shared knowledge domain factor . . . . 90
3.4 Short term alignment explanation model . . . . . 94
3.5 Long term alignment explanation model . . . . . 96
4.1 Current IT departments vs. future IT departments’ comparison . . 100
5.1 Organization study subjects #1 . . . . . . 166
5.2 Organization study subjects #2 . . . . . . 166
5.3 Organization study subjects #3 . . . . . . 167
6.1 Organization #1 correlation IT Financial Management vs. Alignment . . 191
6.2 Organization #1 correlation Service Level Management vs. Alignment . 192
6.3 Organization #1 correlation Availability Management vs. Alignment . . 193
6.4 Organization #1 correlation IT Continuity Management vs. Alignment. . 195
6.5 Organization #1 correlation Capacity Management vs. Alignment . . 196
6.6 Organization #1 correlation Incident Management vs. Alignment . . 197
6.7 Organization #1 correlation Problem Management vs. Alignment . . 198
6.8 Organization #1 correlation Change Management vs. Alignment . . 199
6.9 Organization #1 correlation Release and Deployment Management vs. Alignment 200
6.10 Organization #1 correlation Service Asset and Configuration Management vs.
Alignment . . . . . . . . . 201
6.11 Organization #1 correlation Service desk vs. Alignment . . . 202
6.12 Organization #2 correlation IT Financial Management vs. Alignment . 204
6.13 Organization #2 correlation Service Level Management vs. Alignment . 206
6.14 Organization #2 correlation Availability Management vs. Alignment . 207
6.15 Organization #2 correlation IT Continuity Management vs. Alignment . 208
6.16 Organization #2 correlation Capacity Management vs. Alignment . . 209
6.17 Organization #2 correlation Incident Management vs. Alignment . . 210
6.18 Organization #2 correlation Problem Management vs. Alignment . . 211
6.19 Organization #2 correlation Change Management vs. Alignment . . 213
6.20 Organization #2 correlation Release and Deployment Management vs.
Alignment . . . . . . . . . 214

6. 6.21 Organization #2 correlation Service Asset and Configuration Management vs.
Alignment . . . . . . . . . 215
6.22 Organization #2 correlation Service desk vs. Alignment . . . 216
6.23 Organization #3 correlation IT Financial Management vs. Alignment . 217
6.24 Organization #3 correlation Service Level Management vs. Alignment . 218
6.25 Organization #3 correlation Availability Management vs. Alignment . 219
6.26 Organization #3 correlation IT Continuity Management vs. Alignment . 221
6.27 Organization #3 correlation Capacity Management vs. Alignment . . 222
6.28 Organization #3 correlation Incident Management vs. Alignment . . 223
6.29 Organization #3 correlation Problem Management vs. Alignment . . 224
6.30 Organization #3 correlation Change Management vs. Alignment . . 225
6.31 Organization #3 correlation Release and Deployment Management vs.
Alignment . . . . . . . . . 226
6.32 Organization #3 correlation Service Asset and Configuration Management vs.
Alignment . . . . . . . . . 227
6.33 Organization #3 correlation Service desk vs. Alignment . . . 229
6.34 Significant and non-Significant relationship between IT Financial Management
variables and alignment in Organizations #1,#2,#3 . . . . 230
6.35 Significant relationship between Level Service Management variables and
alignment in Organizations #1,#2,#3 . . . . . 231
6.36 Significant relationship between Availability Management variables and
alignment in Organizations #1,#2,#3 . . . . . 232
6.37 Significant relationship between IT Service Continuity Management variables
and alignment in Organizations #1,#2,#3 . . . . . 233
6.38 Significant relationship between Capacity management variables and
alignment in Organizations #1,#2,#3 . . . . . 234
6.39 Significant relationship between Incident management variables and
alignment in Organizations #1,#2,#3 . . . . . 235
6.40 Significant relationship between Problem Management variables and
alignment in Organizations #1,#2,#3 . . . . . 236
6.41 Significant relationship between Change Management variables and
alignment in Organizations #1,#2,#3 . . . . . 237
6.42 Significant relationship between Release and Deployment Management
variables and alignment in Organizations #1,#2,#3 . . . . 238
6.43 Significant relationship between Service asset and Configuration Management
variables and alignment in Organizations #1,#2,#3 . . . . 238
6.44 Significant relationship between Service Desk and alignment in Organizations
#1,#2,#3 . . . . . . . . . 239
6.45 Instruments reliability . . . . . . . 240
6.46 Reliability test within three organizations . . . . . 242