ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the far-reaching changes that information technology (IT) is expected to produce. IT is so interwoven into the fabric of the firm that not only must it be responsive to the strategic directions of the company but it must be considered as an influence on those strategic directions. The scenarios are based on technologies or combinations of technologies that have already reached the product development stage or are already on the market. IT continues to have an impact on business whether or not it is welcomed. The qualitative as well as quantitative changes to the business, including changes to: products and services, relationships with customers and suppliers, staff works habits, the people companies recruit, the cost structures for products and services, the way managers manage and corporate risks. The chapter presents the issue of senior executives' responsibilities for including the expected impacts in their organization's strategic plans.
