Information intensity

Information Intensity

Definition from the Military
"The special feature of information-intensified military units is full use of information. Information intensity is the amount of information that an organizational unit can use, or prevent the use of, within a unit of time or space. Information intensity is an important indicator of accurate strike, coordinated warfare, command and control, and electronic warfare capacities. A military unit whose information intensity is very low cannot fight a high-technology war. A difference in information intensity between two military forces is bound to translate into a gap in combat capabilities."

from

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/chinview/chinapt4.html

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Definition from Businesses
"An organization’s information intensity is defined and captured by the information intensity of its products’ value-chain and the information content contained within those products. A product’s information content refers to the amount of useful information contained within that product that is actually received and understood by its users. The information intensity of a product’s value chain can be understood as the amount of information processing that is required to acquire, process and then deliver the product in its final form to the users."

from

Porter, M. E. and Millar, V. E. (1985). How information gives you competitive advantage.
Harvard Business Review, 63(4), 149-160.

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Measuring information intensity

While it cannot be measured directly, the organization's information intensity may correlate with the following:
Percentage of IS/T employee relative to total employed at the company.
Percentage of IS/T expenditure relative to total expense of the company.

One may also infer the information intensity with a disruption in information systems / technologies to the company's
Profitability
The maximum amount of time allowed to recovery

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