It has been argued for many years that if applied effectively, information can be avaluable organisational resource; indeed, many contend that it is the lifeblood of theorganisation. This view is supported by the academic literature, which identifies awide range of factors that influence perceptions of strategic information value. Forexample, information quality and information accessibility have both been widelydiscussed. The use of information for enabling organisational change inorganisations, for marketing activities, and for strategic planning have also been thesubject of academic investigation. However, whilst the literature in this domain isfairly extensive, it is largely theoretical, rather than empirical, in nature and it alsotends to be highly fragmented, addressing narrow aspects of value. The primary aimof this study was to undertake a holistic exploration of the factors affecting theperceived value of strategic information, using rigorous empirical methods.Moreover, the research sought to address the question of why organisations typicallyfail to treat information as a formal asset, even though they perceive it to be valuableresource.To explore these broad objectives, a three-phase approach was adopted combiningthe use of both quantitative and qualitative methods of research. More specifically,the study commenced with a questionnaire-based survey that was designed to validatethe initial conceptual framework. This was followed by a phase of the research, whichutilised detailed case studies in eight major UK based commercial organisations, toexplore how perceptions of information value were affected by the implementation ofdata warehouses. The final phase of the study sought to validate the research findingsand explore their wider implications, through the utilisation of on-line focus groups.The research project has produced several key findings. It has provided evidence thatinformation accessibility and information quality are critical constructs that impactthe perceived value of information. It has confirmed that a number of businessactivities, such as marketing, are highly dependent on the use of information. It hassuggested that improvements in the accessibility and quality of information can leadto the improved effectiveness of these business activities, and that this can lead to theattainment of more substantial measurable business benefits. Finally, the researchhas also suggested that although most organisations consider information to bevaluable, few give serious consideration to formally classing information as anasset, and none appear to measure the value of their information assets. It is believedthat this study has made a number of significant contributions to the literature. It hasprovided a holistic view of the dimensions that can impact the perceived value ofstrategic information. Most importantly, from an academic perspective, it hasproduced empirically based evidence on the relationships between a wide-range ofdimensions and the perceived value of information, on attitudes to information beingconsidered an asset, and the actions organisations take to measure the value ofinformation assets. It has been argued that without a clear understanding of the valueof information, it is difficult to manage it appropriately, and consequently it is alsodifficult to ultimately attain the value of the information. By providing afar clearerand holistic picture of the factors affecting the value of information, coupled withmany important new insights about the management of information, the results of thisstudy should help to ensure that organisations can fully realise the value of theirstrategic information resources.
