IT is both a business pressure and an enabler of response activities to counter business pressures. A flat world means students will need to be lifelong learners to keep skills relevant in their career choices. Increased internet access has affected Porter's five competitive forces by increasing competition and lowering barriers to entry globally. Porter's value chain model shows how a company creates value, and it is related to his competitive forces model by showing how competitive pressures influence value creation. Information systems can support different value chains depending on a company's business, but rarely provide sustained competitive advantage on their own.

1. Ch. 2 Discussion Questions 1. Explain why IT is
Ch. 2 Discussion Questions1. Explain why IT is both a business pressure and an enabler of
response activities that counter business pressures.2. What does a flat world mean to you in
your choice of a major? In your choice of a career? Will you have to be a “lifelong learner”?
Why or why not?3. What might the impact of a flat world be on your standard of living? 4. Is
IT a strategic weapon or a survival tool? Discuss.5. Why might it be difficult to justify a
strategic information system?6. Describe the five forces in Porters competitive forces model
and explain how increased access to high-speed internet has affected each one.7. Describe
Porters value chain model. What is the relationship between the competitive forces model
and the value chain model?8. Describe how IT can be used to support different value chains
for different companies.9. Discuss the idea that an information system by itself can rarely
provide a sustainable competitive advantage. APA CITATIONNO PLAYGIARSM Book: ●
Management Information Systems, Rainer, Prince, Watson, 3rd Edition