87 Research zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Using Information and Information Technology for Sustainable Competitive Advantage: Some Empirical Evidence William R. Ring Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, Universrty of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA Varun Grover Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA Ellen H. Hufnagel College of Business Administration, Unruersity of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA In the anecdotal literature on the strategic use of informa- tion resources, the notions of information and information technology are often used interchangeably. This paper em- phasizes the importance of distinguishing between these two types of information resources to enable the identification and development of strategic applications. Empirical evidence based on a survey of 84 US firms indicates that the profiles of application of the two resources are indeed quite different. The survey results also suggest key organizational factors that may inhibit or facilitate effective exploitation of these information resources. Keywords: Information resources, Competitive advantage, Strategic information systems, Organizational inhibitors. Organizational facilitators. William R. King is University Profes- sor in the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pitts- burgh. He is President-Elect of the Institute of Management Sciences and was Senior Editor of the MIS Quarter/y. He is the author of more than a dozen books and 150 papers that have appeared in the leading journals in the fields of information systems, management science and strategic planning. North-Holland Information & Management 17 (1989) 87-93 Introduction The notions of using information resources for “strategic advantage” or as “competitive weapons” have now become commonplace [7,10,12,13,14.21]. Unfortunately, while these notions are potentially both important and powerful, they are also impre- cise and unstructured. Most of the literature in the area continues to be anecdotal, and the remainder is primarily prescriptive. There is little evidence of an accepted or validated theoretical framework or structure for applying the ideas and there is even less in the way of empirical evidence concerning the validity and utility of these notions [23]. This paper assesses some of the fundamental issues surrounding the notion of information and technology as a strategic resource, focusing on a Vanm Grover is a candidate for a Ph.D. degree in information systems at the University of Pittsburgh. He holds a Bachelors degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. New Delhi. and an MBA from Southern Illinois Univer- sity. His research interests include strategic information systems. tele- communications management and MIS politics. He has authored articles in Decision Scrences, Information and Management. Journul of S,~stenrs 0378-7206/89/$3.50 c 1989, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North-Holland)