and take less time to implement than the other.
The other criterion is based on the implementation
decision itself; estimated development costs
and duration notwithstanding, management can
judge that an application's potential value is
sufficient to warrant its implementation. One
methodology would then be considered more
effective than the other if more of the ideas it uncovers
are actually scheduled for implementation.
Another criteria is based on the traditional
classification of information systems using
Anthony's (1965) model of organizational planning
and control processes (operational control,
management control, strategic planning), as
employed by researchers such as Cheney and
Dickson (1982). While some have argued that this
model is not really appropriate for competitive
information (Rockoff, et al., 1985), classifying
these systems from such a perspective is
nonetheless possible and could be useful for
analysis and comparison purposes. Whereas information
systems for competitive advantage are
qualified as "strategic" because they result from
the formulation and implementation of a competitive
strategy based on the new information
technology, they generally do not support top
management in the process of formulating and
implementing strategy. As such, they are considered
by Huff and Beattie (1985-86) to differ
from true strategic information systems. Thus,
from the previously cited work on competitive
information systems, one would expect most of
the applications generated by the two
methodologies to support the operational and
tactical levels of the organization rather than the
strategic level.
Finally, the two methodologies themselves each
provide a classification scheme for the applications.
In one case, an application can be
categorized by the primary or support activity it
addresses (Appendix A); in the other case, an
application can be categorized by the strategic
thrust and target it aims at (Appendix B).
Moreover, an application identified by one
methodology can also be categorized within the
other methodology's framework. This crossclassification
allows us to obtain a more complete
picture of the distribution of IS opportunities from
two different perspectives; it is also useful in
analyzing the differences between the two
methodologies. For example, a methodology
could generate applications that generally favor