Informing Systems in Business Environments: A Purpose-Focused View

Abstract

This paper presents a technology-independent rational inquiry into informing systems in business environments. Depending on the primary concerns, informing systems should be examined from either the viewpoint of information disseminators or informing clients. The latter viewpoint is subject to extensive empirical studies within informing science and partially within the MIT Information Quality Program. It focuses mainly on information products, services, users' preferences, and requirement specifications. The information disseminators' viewpoint is rarely taken into account. Based on a short review of the most popular MIS textbooks and research in this domain, this paper discusses problems one encounters during examination of informing systems in business environments. It uses an improved version of the purpose-focused framework (Gackowski, 2004a), which covers both viewpoints. Two refinements of the Informing Science Framework as defined by Cohen (1999) are suggested.Keywords: Informing schema, informing systems, information in decision situations, valid information, misinformation, disinformation, purpose-focused view on quality, operations research (OR) approach to data/information quality, quality requirements; information effective usability, usefulness, and economic usefulness; refinements to the Informing Science Framework.

Information Systems Field at the Forks: Relish Diversity or Perish

“…In their critique of the applications of Shannon and Weaver's model, Huber and Daft (1987) have proposed that "information can increase uncertainty if it contradicts previously believed truths" (p. 156). Gackowski's (2005) critical remark cited above is in agreement with this proposition, in contrast to other informing science works cited above. IVO is also agreeable, and it takes this proposition a step further by proposing a concept of "spiral of uncertainty" (Travica, 2006).…”

“…Informing science is a new framework, and attempts at advancing it have been made quite recently (e.g., Gackowski, 2005;Roussev and Rousseva, 2004). Gackowski (2005) also draws on Shannon and Weaver's model and explores characteristics of data and information (i.e., meaning) in the business context (e.g., accuracy, timelines, completeness, and economic aspects).…”

“…Gackowski (2005) also draws on Shannon and Weaver's model and explores characteristics of data and information (i.e., meaning) in the business context (e.g., accuracy, timelines, completeness, and economic aspects). In a critical appraisal of the original informing science framework, Gackowski points out that information does not only reduce uncertainty but can increase it as well; an example is information on environmental threats to an organization.…”

“…The same applies to the prescript on a multilevel analysis. In addition, a strong emphasis is placed on human communication, which is viewed exclusively through the prism of the anthropomorphic Shannon-Weaver (1949) Shannon and Weaver's (1949) mathematical model of communication (further, the model) makes the backbone in the informing science works discussed above (Cohen, 1999;Gackowski, 2005: Roussev & Rousseva, 2004. In the larger field of ISs, the model has achieved prominence with the proliferation of communication systems in the 1980s.…”

Informing as a Discipline: An Initial Proposal

“…The purpose of this section is to summarize the basic terminology used in informing, based mainly on a revised version of "Informing Systems in Business" (Gackowski, 2005a).…”