title: Towards the globalisation of the IS/IT function
abstract: The IS/IT function has recently emerged from the peripheral aspects of the finance department to the centre of critical organisational change. There is an increasing dependency on its activities as systems extend beyond supporting the internal efficiency of the organisation to augmenting global performance. The growth of wide and local networks has resulted in communication possibilities that were not possible a few years ago. E-commerce challenges the achievements of the IS/IT function and is very prominent in the globalisation of modern organisations. The complexity and diversity of electronic exchange is also well documented (Hackney et al., 2000). This has a number of impacts on the development and implementation of IS/IT solutions for organisations involved in international trade. It is a conjecture that the IS/IT function is critically important for the alignment of the business to meet the demands of global competition, through building internal marketing strategies and creating knowledge based communities. There is clear evidence that IS/IT can lead to improved business performance and potentially for sustained competitive advantage. This is obviously true through the advent of new and emerging technologies such as the Internet
keyphrases: globalisation IS/IT function e-commerce electronic exchange international trade internal marketing strategies knowledge based communities Internet local area networks wide area networks