Source / Reference:
1) "Strategic Alignment: Leverage Information Technology for transforming organization" by J C Henderson and N Venkartraman 1993
http://search.proquest.com/docview/26252741/134A6C8B53F19A4F606/1?accountid=16210

2)Leonard, Jenny: What are we aligning? Implications of a Dynamic Approach to Alignment, 19th Australian Conference on Information Systems, Christchurch, 2008

In my opinion, no alignment strategy is the best. It depends on the field of business and the company’s maturity between IT and business.

  After I read the paper of Henderson and Venkatraman, I wonder how a company can assess or what criteria they can use when choosing a suitable alignment model. Every model has their characteristics. For example, I think nowadays banks need a technology transformation in SAM model. IT competencies are important. A more comprehensive IS system is needed to provide a more secure and strong backup in the bank.

A fast food shop may just need a strategy execution in SAM model. IT infrastructure is just an expense to achieve their business strategy in a more efficient way.

  Service level is an alignment strategy suitable for service industry. Service concerned with providing the direction to stimulate customer demands. Therefore, industry like book store can apply it very effectively as they can provide online store to enhance customer satisfaction on book retailing.

  Competitive potential concerned with the new impact of the company which can be applied to some industry that need a breakthrough. This approach makes use of the IT strategy to drive business strategy. New product or service may be invented and develop a new situation in business.

  However, I think business alignment is very variable that not all business belong to a particular industry are suitable to a particular alignment approach. For example, not all service industry can use service level approach. Some traditional company cannot apply the alignment sufficiently as the employees are not familiar in IT. Therefore, such alignment is not suitable to those companies. I have read some article about suitability of choosing alignment and my conclusion is no best alignment in SAM model.

  I have read some other articles about business alignment strategy. I found Leonard and Jenny [2] approach can be considered as a possible solution of criteria of choosing business alignment. It concerned how maturity of IT that company is. Firstly, communication is important. Technical and business staff should communicate effectively as technical should know the needs of the business staff. Secondly, it stated the measurement of the strategy how to evaluate the performance of alignment. Thirdly, the relationship between IT and business is import. I quote 2 figure below and show some factors of choosing alignment strategy.