What To Do When Disintermediation Looms.

Autor/in	Kinghorn, Cris
Titel	What To Do When Disintermediation Looms.
Quelle	(1996), (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Access to Information; Computer Networks; Costs; Futures (of Society); Information Dissemination; Information Industry; Information Management; Information Needs; Information Scientists; Information Services; Online Searching; Online Systems; Role; Search Intermediaries; Technological Advancement; User Needs (Information); Users (Information) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Computernetz; Computernetze; Kommunikationsnetz; Cost; Kosten; Future; Society; Zukunft; Informationsverbreitung; Procurement of information; Informationsbeschaffung; Information need; Informationsbedürfnis; Informationswissenschaftler; Informationstätigkeit; Online-Recherche; Online; Rollen; Technological development; Technologische Entwicklung; Benutzerbedürfnis; Benutzerprofil; Nutzer
Abstract	This paper provides an overview of the differing levels of disintermediation (defined by Harvard Business Review as simply "compressing the supply chain") experienced by business information professionals with mature end-user communities, and their impact on the role of today's information center. Technology has made disintermediation inevitable, simply because it makes it possible--new technologies empower end-users and advance the speed of the dissemination of information. Most information professionals, especially in the business world, are already living with disintermediation, and have expanded their role to encompass the management of it. End-user access to information may give end-users the ability to find most of what they want, most of the time, but without the effective content management provided by an information professional, the end-user may find themselves extremely frustrated by some of the limitations of the search products. In addition, all end-users, no matter how good they are at finding the information they need, are being paid to do something else at the company. The information professional needs to evaluate the end-user to provide appropriate resources and training, and to evaluate the information needs of the company as a whole to help meet these needs in the most cost effective way. All information professionals will have to face some level of disintermediation, and the role of the information professional will change, but it will not disappear. Disintermediated industries are showing increasing signs of reintermediation, through the creation of new distribution channels but primarily via the redefinition of value added services. Balancing the disintermediation with the reintermediation is one of the challenges in today's information industry. (SWC)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC