What kind of resource is information?

摘要

The idea of ‘information as resource’, and the related ‘information as commodity’ is reviewed. Attributes of information which make it appear similar to, and different from, other resources are evaluated. The term is used in two rather different ways: to indicate the importance of information within an organization, and to imply the appropriateness of a resource management model to handle information. We find the first to be valid, and the second unjustified. The resource view of information is a useful analogy, but it should not be pushed too far.