A Study Of Information Resources Planning For The Information Firms

In 1997, a new industry category standard: NAICS constituted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, raised the concept of Information Sector for the first time. This concept is different from the previous concept of information industry, which is information content industry. This new Information Sector concept changes people's knowledge of information products, information industry and information economy. It also results in a more specific object of information industry and information economy. On the basis of NAICS category item concept, this essay redefines the concept of information firm. It means a firm of information products and cultural products whose essence and core value lies in information concept. Due to the short history of information firm, people don't have profound knowledge of it. Because there is a great difference between information product, information firm and the general physical product and industrial firm, the traditional industrial firm operation management theory doesn't fit information firm completely. There is blindness in the information resources exploitation and the operation of information firm. The nonstandard resources and management will bring some visible and invisible obstacles for the development of information firm. So as to avoid the visible dangers and the invisible risks maximumly, information firm must carry out Information Resources Planning (IRP), which will increase the value of information assets, the exploitation ability and the scientific management level of it.This essay intends to discuss IRP, enrich and extend the recent IRP and IRM theories so as to provide some guidance to the exploitation of information resources for the information firm and the quasi-firms through redefining the concept of information firm.This thesis falls into five chapters.Chapter one borrows the correlative theories of information economy and enterprise operation management, offers the concept of information content industry and information firm and confirms the research object and scope of the thesis. It analyzes the historical evolution, presentation, characteristics and production characteristics of information firm through the contrast and comparison with the physical industrial firms.Chapter two raises IRP concept and its orientation of information firm on the basis of the common ERP theories and Gao Fuxian's IRP theory.Chapter three raises a 61 model of IRP, and gives a detailed explain from following six aspects, such as information product, information concept, information criterion, information system, information flow and information organization.Chapter four introduces time, method, step and skill of IRP carried out by information firm. It provides some application methodology of IRP for information firm.Chapter five cites an IRP project participated by the author to make some practical research of IRP theory. The detailed cases in the project are used to illustrate the gains and losses of information firm during its process of IRP implementation. It is helpful for the information consultants in information firms and common enterprises to understand and carry out IRP.