Information Inadequacy: The Lack of Needed Information in Human, Social and Industrial Affairs

Abstract

Abstract. This study investigates the phenomenon of the lack of needed information, predominantly experienced through difficulties in human, social and industrial affairs. The key concern is, thus, to understand what really causes the lack of needed information. Answers to this concern have been provided from an array of studies mostly focused in the area of information management. However, the literature shows that there is no comprehensive a priori theory to guide an empirical investigation on this matter. Thus, the empirical investigation conducted here is based on grounded theory approach that investigates fifty cases, where the lack of needed information is clearly manifested. The empirical investigation suggests that the phenomenon of the lack of needed information seems to emerge because of diverse factors, ranging from political and cultural structures, through human individual capabilities, and ending with procedural and technological artefacts. The results present an initial outline for a possible future theory of information inadequacy.

Impact of Information Society Research in the Global South

“…We recognize that the PAR approach has rarely been adopted in ICT application design (Kajtazi et al 2011;Lennie and Tacchi 2007) and when incorporated, has tended to focus on the technology, rather than the dynamics of participation (Kalra et al 2007). Teacher involvement in application design could either be a one-off affair or they could be continually sought out for feedback in order to repeatedly improve an application.…”

Challenges to Peace in the 21st Century: Working towards a Good Information and Communication Society

“…It is all too horribly easy to imagine an extreme, and potentially final, catastrophe that could result, for example -whether deliberately or ad hoc -from today's combination of ICT and nuclear power. Indeed, while it can be said that nuclear power is only usable and controllable through the use of ICT, ICT's shortcomings can lead to errors, failures and disasters not only in the nuclear domain but also in many other fields [12]. Of course, atomic -and other -crises may occur as a result of natural and unanticipated phenomena: environmental disasters can happen as a result of solar flares, earthquakes or tsunami.…”

Performance evaluation of collaboration in the design process: Using interoperability measurement

“…The heterogeneity problems often cause irrelevant [20], inadequate, imprecise or ambiguous data [21,20]. These problems might also cause failures in the individual tasks of designers [22]. This is the reasons why for more than a decade, a large number of references indicate the need for studies on collaborations and the management of their performance [23][24][25], Despite these indications, very few theories explain how to manage such performance particularly in a situation where information plays a key role [26].…”

“…In fact, this concept covers a larger spectrum of capacities required in collaboration. Regarding the definitions proposed by [37,38], the goal of interoperability is to overcome the problems in data exchanges [22].…”