Unleashing the conceptual value of information management for organizational competitiveness: Semantic underpinnings

This chapter reviews some practices for mainstreaming information as a key resource for achieving a competitive edge in the contemporary business age. The chapter is conceptual, intended to ignite and advance the debate about how different information management principles may be collated as a basis for spearheading business competitiveness. Therefore, different contextual analyses of information management approaches are discussed. Using extensive literature reviews, the chapter examines some important information and/or knowledge management models that have influenced the management of different information and knowledge resources in an organizational setting. The anticipated outcome of this chapter is that conceptual frameworks of information and knowledge management in organizational settings (whether in a developing or developed world context) will be explained. It is hoped that the chapter will be a useful reference for both practitioners and designers of information strategies in a business environment and will also serve as a guide for graduate students undertaking information management research inclined to the strategic deployment of information in heterogeneous business environments.