Mansfield, Glen MartinSissing, DonovanDept. of Information SystemsFaculty of Economics and Management Sciences2013-10-242024-05-032009/10/142009/10/142013-10-242024-05-032007https://hdl.handle.net/10566/12646Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM)Information Technology (IT) architecture is not restricted to technology, but may also address the views of business activities; their processes; data sets and information flows; applications and software; and technology. The objective of this study is to understand the role of IT Architecture and related factors that support competitive business advantage. This study investigates the null hypothesis: IT architecture enhances the competitive advantage of business. This study sets out to explore IT architecture and strategic factorsthat support business advantage. The study findings indicated that business advantage is supported by a sound architecture, by IT and business alignmentand by the enablers of organisations.enSystems AnalysisInformation ManagementThesisUniversity of the Western Cape