41) Firms that "do better" than others are said to have a non-competitive advantage over others.
42) Arguably, the most widely used model for understanding competitive advantage is Michael Porter's generic strategies model
43) In a free economy with mobile labour and financial resources, new companies are always entering the marketplace.
44) Information systems are key instruments for environmental scanning, helping managers identify external changes that might require an organizational response.
45) A collection of business processes make up the business firm.
46) Google was a first mover in search that was able to maintain rights to a powerful new search algorithm called PageRank.
47) Information technology cannot help firms lower the cost of market participation making it worthwhile for firms to contract with external suppliers instead of using internal sources.
48) Postindustrial theories based more on history and sociology than economics also support the notion that IT should flatten hierarchies.
49) The global consulting service Accenture is an example of information technology encouraging task force—networked organizations in which groups of professionals come together for short periods of time to accomplish a specific task.
50) Apple's iTunes is considered to have a competitive advantage in the downloaded music market.
51) Walmart is an example of a manufacturer using information systems to create products and services that are customized and personalized to fit the precise specifications of individual customers.
52) Hilton Hotels' OnQ system analyzes detailed data collected on active guests in all of its properties to determine the preferences of each guest and each guest's profitability.
53) Newspapers are also excited about the iPad, which represents a way for them to continue charging for all of the content they have been forced to make available online.
54) Growth in book sales other than textbooks and professional publications has been growing as new forms of entertainment continue to compete for consumers' time.
55) Network-based strategies include the use of network economics, a virtual company model, and business ecosystems.