




































 

 

1 | P a g e  

 

 

THE VALUE OF INFORMATION AND THE HUMAN RESOURCE FACTOR 

 

By 

 

NDIDIAMAKA DORATHY NWAJIAKU 

Department Of Library & Information Science  

Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra State. 

nwajiakuonyinye52@Gmail.Com 

 

ABSTRACT 

This paper examines the value of information. Elements that add value or make 

information useful are equally discussed. The effect of information on peoples well being 

is also looked at. Human resource was examined as well as the activities of human 

resource and its contribution to the value of information and the information seekers. 

Information that has value may be devalued by handling, which is a human resource 

factor. Right information should be perfectly packaged and delivered to the right person 

at the right time in the right format at the least possible cost, to keep its value. 

 

INTRODUCTION 

Information is factual data processed for useful purpose, thus information has value. The 

value of information determined by its usefulness to a user. Looking at the economic 

analysis by analyst shows that information has economic value and that it has a vital role 

on people’s choice of right decision making. The value of information in decision making 

yields higher expected payoffs or utility, than people would obtain from choice made in 

the absence of information (Berth, 1990). In essence therefore, information can be said 

to be of value when people make right and good decision from it. Valueless information 

is that very information gotten from non-factual data that fails to change life for better, 

those information that fails to clear uncertainty and ignorance. 

 

The value of information cannot be overemphasized, hence Imeremba (2004) opines that 

the value of information varies with time and to really quantify the value, one has to 

consider whether it is new, or current, and its ability to meet the information needs of 

people and the provision of the most fulfilling result from it exchange process. The 

importance of information lies in its value as a resource and its strategic value in decision 

making and planning. 

 

However, the value of information depends on its currency. Once any information 

becomes obsolete it loses its value. Even if people have known much about that very 

piece of information, no one will desire it again because its value/usefulness has expired. 

This affects its cost or monetary value negatively. 

 

mailto:nwajiakuonyinye52@Gmail.Com


 

 

2 | P a g e  

 

 

Information as a good or commodity is something useful or valuable especially when it 

is time of commerce that can be sold and delivered. Information is usually documented 

and packaged as products, which cost money. Money is equally used to purchase the 

product, (commodity). 

 

Information products such as mailing lists, research reports, market studies patents and 

trade secrets are regularly sold or licensed as well as delivered after sale. Hence the 

classification of information and knowledge as asset implies that valuable information 

can be determined by its cost and useful life. (Talisayon 2001). Categorically, therefore, 

one can assert that the value pf information can be determined in one-way by its monetary 

cost. 

 

Thus in consonance with moody and wale, (1999) assert that information is an intangible 

asset which can be exchanged by money or licensing and which delivery depends on the 

time of its sales. The value of information bothers so much on its timeliness. Information 

to be of value and achieve it goals, it must be delivered to the right person at the right 

time in the right and correct format at the possible cost (Nwosu,2004). Any Information 

delivered after it is needed is grossly no matter the usefulness. 

 

Therefore despite the fact that everybody have access to information bearing material, it 

is not all have the time, and information literacy skill to harness a useful or valuable 

information in a library or in many other information resources, in order to address the 

issue properly the human resource factor are in a better position to provide the user a 

useful and valuable information. 

 

DETERMINING THE VALUE OF INFORMATION 

Information may be define as ideas, facts, opinions, massage, symbols, signals and 

processed data that are capable of increasing the knowledge stage of users recipients, 

information can be valueless in after receiving it things remain unchanged. (Imeremba 

2015: Information is when data is organized in a meaningful farm, it becomes 

information, it could be an increase in knowledge obtained by the recipient, it is also facts 

learned about something/someone.(imeremba,2015:125-126). Information can affect 

behavior, a decision, or an outcome take for instance if a manager is told his/her company 

net profit decreased in the past month, he/she may use the information as a reason to cut 

their financial spending for the next month. A piece of information is considered valuable 

if it changes situation after receiving it. The value of information is on function of the 

effect on decision making. Any information that can result in a better output such has 

value, and when it fails to improve a decision has litler or no value. Information stands 

to be of value only when it leads to a change in life. It must have a surprise effect to be 

valuable. (Imeremba 2015:96) Imeremba, (2004:10) opines that if the value of 



 

 

3 | P a g e  

 

 

information fails, the value is zero or if it is something one know before the value also 

becomes zero. 

The value of information consists in its ability to reducing ignorance and uncertainty. 

The value of information lies on that person knowledge on how to locate, map, collect, 

share and exploit what he /she gained from the information acquired. And it applied it in 

clearing or solving a given problem. Here the person ignorance is cleared. The value of 

information is also the very price or monetary value before delivery (Imeremba, 2005:1-

13). The essentiality of information depends on the selling price, which is the cost. 

Stratonovich (1965) opines that the value of information is measured by the amount a 

decision maker is willing to pay for the information prior to making a decision. 

 

In determining the value of information the pfece of information should have the 

following attributes: Should have the ability for the acquired information to lead to 

knowledge and its quantification. It have to really quantify the value i.e. to know whether 

the information merged with the problem to be solved. The value of information should 

be something new to the user and not what he/she use to know before and it must be 

recurrent meaning that it must be information that is skill invoke/in-use not an obsolete 

one. The value of information should create satisfaction which gives room for problem 

solving. This simple means that information when provided will ease the mind of the 

recipient prior identifying steps towards solving a problem. The value of information 

must be current. Up to date information give a background on what is trending in the 

society. Information should always be cost effective, because even the great deal of the 

so called free information. 

 

Information is not actually free since a user must pay for computer and internet access, 

information is worth paying for. Information is expected to inform one's ability in taking 

the right decision. When one is not adequately informed, he becomes derailed from his 

path of success. Information is expected to not be static in nature, therefore it must be 

consistent. As much as the static nature of information, information must be dynamic so 

as to adapt to with the trends in the society. Information is expected to be social activities 

oriented. The value of information denotes that information must  be recognizable. The 

value of information also indicates that information must be reliable and full of fact and 

truth. cooper C.L in (Encyclopedia of management 2009). 

 

Information according to Sun .L, in Business Dictionary (2017) has a cost and a value 

with the above said, the list of the attributes of information is further enlarged as follows: 

Information is expandable; meaning it, can increase when in use. It can be compressible 

that is, the ability to be summarized. Ability to be transportable, virtually instantaneously. 

Information can be diffu.sed; its diffusive tends to leak from the straight jacket of secrecy 

and control. Information are showable; it can be given away and retained at the same 

timeliness and it can be available, comparable, objective and has quality e.t.c. value of 



 

 

4 | P a g e  

 

 

information. makes it human and it exists only through human perception. Finally, 

information must be relevant (cleaveland, 1982) that why it is being sort after, when it 

came to the issues. 

 

THE UNDIMINISHING VALUE OF INFORMATION 

Information can be copied and recopied at will without diminishing the utility of the 

original. The reproduction of information does not suffer from physical and natural limits 

that govern economic goods. 

 

For most economic goods, most reproduction is in the hands of consumers. Consumption 

of information does not destroy the original from or the pattern but preserves the utility 

of information for the next consumer. This is evident with facts that the world now seek 

for information more than any other thing. The world has now become a society. There 

is now information explosion in the information society the collecting distributing and 

achieving of information- are the primary source of income which must be relied upon 

for economic activities. In achieving this, the human resource services in the form of 

professional skills are needed for more user friendly interface to the world of knowledge 

(Crook, 1990). The role of information profession in gathering, searching, distribution of 

information cannot be overlooked when considering the value of information, as 

information professionals are referred to as human resources. 

 

Adomi (2009) defines human resources as staff or personnel's who are very important 

resource of the library. They are solely for the acquisition; processing and provision of 

information bearing materials. They are the people users consult in order to provide their 

information needs. Human resources are those skills professionals who gather 

information and make it ready for the user or the consumers, they are also the librarians. 

 

RESOURCE FACTORS 

The issue of human resources on the value of information according to Sun  .L, in Human 

resource Business Dictionary (2017), human resource is the resource that resides in the 

knowledge, skill and motivation of people. They are least mobile of the four factors of 

production and under right conditions. They improve with age and experience which no 

other resource can do. They are therefore regarded as the scarcest and most crucial 

productive resource that creates the largest and longest lasting advantage for information 

delivery and services. They are the people who stand to see that information gets to its 

destination, achieves its goals. They are well experienced personality. They are the 

experts who see to the up-to date of information before disseminating them to a user. 

They deal with daily challenges which dries or which may reduce the value of 

information, and to see that information is on its latest trends. They have good listening 

skills as users come to them with various issues. Human resources (HR) present and 

attract their audience attention, keep them engaged and deliver the message in valuable 



 

 

5 | P a g e  

 

 

manner. (HR) are approachable, there is always an open door policy. Time management 

and self-discipline, they are good at managing their time, they plan their days not only to 

complete their day-to-day activities, but also cater time for sudden issues. They are good 

delegates, decision makers business experts, trusted advisor, motivators and leaders 

(Suresh,2014) 

 

THE INEFFICIENCY QUESTION ON THE VALUE OF INFORMATION 

Information is perishable, like most other goods. Its value tends to depreciate over time. 

The speed at which it loses value lies on the type of information. It works with time. The 

value of information becomes valueless when it fails to be compared with other 

information. Unused information is valueless because its value depends on the usage. 

Information loses its value when it fails to solve a given problem. Repetition in given 

information adds no value (Repant, 1999). The value of information stands the chance of 

recreating, transforming, refine any individual and the society at large on every issue (s) 

of life. Since information has been included as one of the major factors of production. 

Information is said to be: goods, commodity and services according to (Wilco, 2017). 

Imeremba (2005:18) assets that information is knowledge acquired or delivered he added 

that it i, the interpretation given to data elements. He concludes that information is a data 

structured to be of value in planning, decision making, executing of project, monitoring 

of programs. It is a data presented in a form that is meaningful to the recipient so 

information and its value depends on the user's ability to use it for problem solving. 

 

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 

Without any shadow of doubt, it must be realized that everything that has to do with 

information buttress element of value like vitality, essentiality, and ability to transform 

and change life. In this regard, right information needs to be properly harnessed, 

organized and packaged as well as being cost effective before its delivery to the 

consumers at a right time. 

 

Finally this study recommends that information professionals should be well equipped 

with knowledge, versatility, being up-to date in information trend, pursues information 

literacy skills and have the spirit to read all kinds of books instead of being an alliterate 

who only knows how to read but lacks interest in reading. In conclusion, information 

therefore has value. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

6 | P a g e  

 

 

 

REFERENCES 

Berth A, (1990). Information as an economic commodity. American  economic 

review.80 (2), pp 268-278. Retrieved on  26/05/2017. 

Business Dictionary (2017). Human Resources/Definition and  meaning. File: //C:/ 

Users/USER/ Desktop/Definition  human resources.web crawler. Retrieved 

on 26/05/2017 

Esharenana E. A, (2009). Human Resources (Personnel). Library  and Information 

resources. Department of Library and  Information Science, Delta State 

University, Abraka. 

Cleavland, A (1982) Attributes of information.  Si.deisunical.it.../value of 

information Retrieved on  23/05/2017  

Cooper, C.L (2009) Value based strategy. Encylopedia of 

Management.www.blackwell.reference.com 15/6/2017 

Crook, A (1990). Re-investing libraries for the 21st century. Paper  presented at the 

international conference on national  librarians towards the 21st century. 

Encyclopedia of Management, (2009). Human resource information  system. 

File://C: Users/USER/Desktop/human resource  management facts, 

information retrieved on 15/05/2017. 

Imeremba D U, (2004) Value of information. Introduction to  Information 

Science: Information System and Network. John  Jacob's Classic Publisher 

Ltd Enugu. 

Imeremba D U, (2004) Information Technology: Products and  Services in a cyber-

culture Enugu: John Jacob's Classic  Publisher Ltd. 

Imeremba D. U, (2015) Value of Information Essentials of  Information Systems and 

Networking. A Perspective on  Nigerian libraries and information 

resources. Keny and   Brothers ventures; 3 Owerrri Road Asaba Enugu 

Tamili, G.L (2013) Assessing the value of information. Izvestiya of  USSR 

Academy, Technical cybernetics 5, 3-12 in Russian.  Retrieved on 

26/05/2017. 

Moody T. 0, and Wale E. U (1999) Economic information. Defining  the legal 

boundaries. httT3://www.ifla.ors/vii/gr'/sTtlp7.hmt.  Retrieves on 20 / 05 

/ 2017. 

Nwokocha, U, Ugocha, 0. (2014) Issues and factors in the teaching  of use of 

library programmes in Nigerian universities.  Contemporary issues in 

library and information science  education. Published by Zeh 

communications Road 8 Block 8, low cost housing estate, Umuahia Abia state, 

Nigeria. 

 Nwosu, 0 (2017) Administrative Information Management Lead  paper in the 

proceeding of Administrative Stall Workshop at  Nnamdi Azikiwe University 

Awka. 



 

 

7 | P a g e  

 

 

Repant, K (2009). Rural Library development in Kenyan. The  growing gaps 

between the inter. Rich and inter.poor: IFLA.  Social responsibilities. 

Discussion Group Paper.  http://ww.ifla.org/vii/glg/srdg.7.htm. 

Statonovich R.L (1965). On value of information. Izvestiya of USSR  Academy, 

Technical cybernectics 5, 3-12 in Russian. Retrieved  on 26/05/2017. 

Sun. L (2017) Principle of needs analysis. 

BusinessDictionary.www.businessdictionary.com. Retreived on  15/6/2017 

Suresh, A (2014). Qualities and characteristics of successful human  resources 

managers. File://C:/Users?USER/Desktop/retrieved  on 15/05/2017. 

Talisayon, D (2001). Series on^ economics of information:  Knowledge and people 

column. Business world IT matters  section. http: / 

/www.geocities.com/serafintalisa/econ.htm. 

Wilco, E (2017). Information assets and their values, w.engelsman  at student, 

utwente.nl. Retrieved on 27/05/2017 

 


