ABSTRACT
Information is valuable in its own right to organisations. Organisations spend money on technology and systems when they should be investing in information to enable intelligent decisions. Information flows from opportunities for therapeutic treatments in a global market, through research and development, testing and regulatory compliance, marketing, production, 'detailing' to clinicians and, finally, prescription. A change is needed, rather than measuring the cost of information systems provision, that need to measure the value of the information provided. A sweet manufacturer installed a state-of-the-art enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to improve production and financial control and reduce costs. The value of time in the market is vitally important when there are finite limits to the product or service life. These include shelf-life for perishables, patent life for pharmaceuticals and other protected goods and services, or 'first to market' advantages for technology-based products.
