Writing about information quality and value will always be challenging: how does one combine such concepts, so classically applied, debated, defined, and also related to a dynamic, fast-changing world? In this chapter, a first call for the study developed along this book is made. An initial approach about quality, value, and information is conducted in order to show the already defined conceptual bases and the possible relationship among them. Along with this discussion based on traditional approaches, a discussion is introduced motivating the reader to think about how this concept and its relationship perform today. It is the “rethinking” of the conceptual base, which is the final goal of this book that is initially provoked in the present chapter. To do so, first the traditional concept view is approached and some of the criticism and motivations to change its understanding is presented. In the end, with case studies, this new relationship is debated, opening the book development of the desired rethinking process.
TopIntroduction
This chapter aims to motivate the central discussion of the book about information quality and value. Aspects and factors frequently regarded to tangible assets or even approached by fields of managerial sciences such as quality and value were debated for many years, being sometimes related to information (Huber, 1990; Davenport & Marchand, 2000; SAA, 2013). Along with the unceasing analysis over information relevance for topics like modern organizational communication, knowledge management, information systems design and decision making, these studies that try to understand how some “tangible-like” aspects refer to information always provoked controversy and discussions (Amaral & Souza, 2011). This chapter intends to initially assess these aspects, from both conceptual and practical perspectives and invite the reader to participate in this research, invoking the real need to update—or rethink—this important conceptual base and the opportunity to do so by bringing case studies and applications which depicts how information quality and value can be perceived in experiments and real work environments. This book was divided in two major sections:
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The first is dedicated to reevaluate the conceptual background where the powerful information fundamentals are observed regarding its quality and value.
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The second is focused on complementing this composition, as it presents case studies and practical analysis arising from information application scenarios where quality and value became expressively relevant factors.
Based on this structure, the present chapter seeks to initially evaluate how information concept can be developed along with those additional aspects—quality and value—presenting the intended richer conceptual network.
This chapter starts with a general conceptual discussion about quality and value aspects, as they are observed and studied for many years for industrial and technological applications. After this initial production, information concept is evaluated, relating it to other important fundamentals, as information systems and technology. In the end, those concepts are initially evaluated and related, aiming to start the overall study which is the basic focus of this book.
The importance of information, both as a concept as a practical issue for organizations, is probably one of the most discussed arguments in the last years (Davenport & Marchand, 2000; Choo, 1996; Choo, 2005; Jamil et al, 2012). Along with its valuable relationship as a concept, relating to data, knowledge, intelligence and even wisdom, information shows another aspects as a basic component or part of more complex conceptualizations as in: information systems, information technology, strategic information, marketing information and so on, influencing the study of many other fields and academic areas (Davenport & Prusak, 2000; Laudon & Laudon, 2009; Kimball & Ross, 2010).
These repercussions also reach other referential relationships between conceptual background and its practical applications, as for information systems design, information technology projects, strategic marketing information systems, business intelligence-supported decisions and analysis, among many others (Cao, n.d.; Zhang & Liu, 2006).