CIO Insight Staff

Sitting on a curb with their three children one humid afternoon in October inside Magic Kingdom, the oldest of Walt Disney World’s four Orlando theme parks, Jeff Pawlowski and his wife were in a sour mood. Long lines demanded waits of as long as two hours at some rides inside the 47-square-mile fantasy extravaganza, and […]

When Harrah’s first started its Total Gold loyalty program in 1997, it was during a time of rapid expansion of casinos in hot spots like Las Vegas and Atlantic City, N.J. The relaxation of state gaming laws only intensified the rivalry among casinos. While recognition cards aimed at boosting customer loyalty had been in the […]

While traditional loyalty programs are designed to boost spending at one business, eBay Inc., the San Jose, Calif.-based online auction site, is once again breaking the mold. It’s teamed up with American Airlines, Hilton Hotels and eight other companies to offer consumers a new type of loyalty card—one of the first of its kind in […]

Back in 1995, Norman Mayne, the CEO of Dorothy Lane Market, knew he was creating a major stir when he was one of the first executives to start talking about “firing” customers. But he did just that, and then launched Club DLM. Still the most radical, data-driven loyalty program in the supermarket industry, Club DLM […]

Perhaps the most important economic news of 2003 was the announcement on Oct. 30 that the U.S. gross domestic product grew at a 7.2 percent annual rate in the third quarter, the highest in nearly 20 years. (The number has since been revised to 8.2 percent.) It’s no surprise, then, that IT executives are more […]

When IT professionals go shopping, they check how competing IT products compare with one another. But when CIOs buy equipment, engage a consultant or license software, they look at the big picture: Does the vendor’s offering provide the business value they are looking for? Will it deliver the ROI they expect, and help solve the […]

What does the survey measure? CIO Insight’s 2003 Vendor Value Survey measures how IT executives generally perceive the value of their vendors’ product and service offerings, and those executives’ overall satisfaction with the support these vendors provide. It only reflects the views of U.S.-based IT executives. How were the vendors selected? The published results include […]

In working with leaders of dozens of companies, I have heard lots of complaints about their IT organizations. That dissatisfaction translates into a set of real problems that must be overcome when trying to execute strategy. The dissatisfaction stems from a lack of shared understanding. IT folks don’t understand business folks as well as the […]

When Dave Clementz first became president of Chevron Information Technology Company (CITC) in 1997, the job came with strict orders: Make IT pay for itself. Thanks to a woolly and overgrown tangle of multiple platforms, software, servers and networks stretched around the globe, the San Ramon, Calif., oil giant’s information technology subsidiary was consistently 10 […]

Something is wrong with this picture. In December 2002 CIO Insight surveyed 378 IT executives on their attitudes and practices regarding return on investment. The headline of the results we published in March 2003 sum up our findings: “Do You Have Any Faith In The Numbers?” Even though 60 percent of the respondents said the […]

The results are available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. To download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in, click here. How Does IT Funding Affect Alignment? 39% of CIOs say their IT budgeting practices present an obstacle to alignment 78% of CIOs say their pay is tied to successfully executing IT initiatives 79% of CIOs say […]

To keep Yellow Corp. in the black, CEO Bill Zollars is using information technology as the impetus for change. CIO Insight asked Zollars recently to reflect on his six-year struggle to align IT with the business. CIOI: What four or five key steps did you take to change the culture? Zollars: I think that one […]