Consider two car repair shops. One is newly renovated, has a bright, clean reception/office area at the front of the shop and standard company overalls for all employees. It has just invested in a new computer application that integrates the parts ordering, repair and service cost estimate, and accounting. Next door, the other repair shop has a small, dimly lit office at the rear of the shop crammed with notes and papers. The office looks like it was last painted in the early 1960s. It has no computer and still runs on a paper based system. When you ask the owners of the two repair shops they both note that their company’s strategic objectives are well aligned with their information technology planning and that each shop maintains a competitive advantage. How can this be true?