Towards a theory of strategic use of information resources

Considerable attention has recently been given to strategic applications of information resources. Numerous frameworks to identify and categorize such applications have been proposed, but a systematic theory has been glaringly missing. This article builds upon existing frameworks in an attempt to move towards a theory of strategic use of information resources. It systematically utilizes the wealth of information available in real world examples of strategic applications of information resources and takes a first step towards such a theory. Several useful propositions, ‘discovered’ from success stories using an ‘inductive’ approach for theory building, are provided for strategic use of information resources. These propositions should serve as a base for testable models and hypotheses and should contribute significantly towards future empirical research.