Business Value of Information in Management Information Systems

From a managerial context the value of information is judged on the basis of the following parameters:

Timeliness

Information is only valuable to management when it can result in some timely intervention/decision. The time aspect of decision is very vital for any value to be attributed to it in management. Information of an event will only be valuable to managers if they have time to react to it. If the reaction time is not there then the information loses its managerial value.

Presentation

Managerial information is valuable when presented in a way that facilitates decision-making. Information should not only be given but presented in such a way that the decision-making aspect becomes obvious.

Accuracy

Any information to management is valueless unless accurate.

Context

Information for management is highly contextual. Information is valuable to a manger only if it has a decision-making connotation to it. For example, for a finance manager any information about the competitor’s product is valueless.

Expectation

Information is generally more valuable to management when the information breaks an expected view or an expected result or an expected’ reaction. Any information that is unexpected carries a higher value. For example, if a manager has made a marketing strategy expecting his competitor to launch a product A and before the launch he gets information that the product to be launched by his competitor is not product A but product S, then this information has got greater value for him as it is contrary to his expectation.