Studies on Information as an Asset III: Views of Information Professionals

This paper reports findings from a small number of interviews (six) with internationally-active information professionals and academics using a semi-structured interview instrument. The value of information, its identification, use and impact are discussed. Seven themes were explored within the broad context of the role of information assets in enhancing organisational effectiveness. These themes were: value of information and its measurement; impact of the concepts of knowledge management and intellectual capital; acquisition and use of information and the embedding of good practice; relevance of these questions to other industry sectors; identification of attributes of information assets; information assets and organisational effectiveness; and the impact of identification and measurement of information assets on the perceptions of senior managers. The major conclusion was that studies in this field should take a very broad view of information assets and should not be restricted to valuation in financial terms.