Research Paper: 2,000 words excluding reference page. In all these discussions, assume our discussion corporation is a mid-sized (1,000 employees), manufacturing concern with sales and marketing. 1. The alignment of technology with the business plan can be said to be (a) strategic (planned) or (b) a natural progression from one stage to the next. Under what circumstances would it be (a) or (b)? What is the role of the CIO in both? Wouldn't that role be different under each set of circumstances? 2. The idea of freedom or creativity within rules or behavioral boundaries is a risky proposition. Best described as a zone of behavior in a fog, employees can be either rewarded or doomed for their ingenuity or "stepping outside" the norm. What is a more productive way for an organization to encourage creativity without having every employee a loose cannon or maverick? 3. We learned that it is possible to think of technology as a corporate service, and run technology as if it were a subsidiary of the corporation. If this were carried out, what are the benefits to the corporation? What impact would this model have on the role of the CIO as the executive who is a planner of the corporate strategy?