The Wal-Mart experience was repeated in industry after industry. General Electric, Frito-Lay, Dell, Charles Schwab, American Airlines, Lands’ End, Capital One, FedEx, Cisco, UPS, Amazon.Com represent just a few, though highly visible, examples of firms that harvested the benefits of investments in tightly integrated IT infrastructures, new electronic distribution channels, heightened business event visibility, greater operating efficiency, new information-based products, etc.

It is commonly accepted2 that we are now in the fifth wave of structural change in capitalism. The first wave focused on agriculture, water, and iron; the second on railways, steam, and

mechanization; the third on steel, engineering, and elec

fundamental preparation. Furthermore, we can anticipate an increasing need for

executives who will create and manage knowledge and information systems in

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Frequency ID, UPS AmazonCom, Freeman Louca, , fifth wave, school graduate, information systems, business school graduate, business school,