Does the market recognize IT-enabled competitive advantage?

There is a belief that the payoffs from investments in information technology (IT) are difficult to recognize, and therefore a sustained competitive advantage from an IT-enabled strategy is difficult to distinguish from a temporary competitive advantage. We develop a model to test whether market participants are able to recognize a sustained competitive advantage due to an IT-enabled strategy, and test the model empirically. We find that a competitive advantage due to an IT-enabled strategy is discernable by market participants, and as apparent as a competitive advantage obtained through other means.