Information, systems and the construction of meaning

The term ‘information’ is seldom given a careful definition and is in practice used in more than one sense. In particular there is often a failure to distinguish ‘information’ from concepts such as ‘knowledge’, ‘belief’ and ‘meaning’. One attempt to build a suitable conceptual scheme with a firm philosophical basis has been made by Dretske. In corporate contexts, the meaning and significance of information can be seen as lying in its contribution to the maintenance and development of ‘systems’ of activities. It follows that a competent analysis of corporate information requirements and a specification of the characteristics of data collection, communication and processing needed to satisfy them, both depend on an appropriate form of systems analysis. The methods used by Checkland and Wilson provide means of exploring the requirements, while the approaches of Beer and Espejo define patterns of information flow necessary for their realization. As advanced techniques of information processing develop, clearer understanding of such approaches and their theoretical basis will become important in exploiting their potential.