The Münster Information Management Framework (MIMF)

Teubner RA, Klein S

Abstract
It is almost taken for granted in disciplines such as Business Administration, Management Studies, Information Systems and Information Science that Information Management (IM) is a core concern in managing Information Age organizations. Accordingly, IM is highlighted as a cornerstone of an academic education and training for future business managers and professionals. As such, it is in integral part of academic education in Information Systems as well as in Management and a number of related disciplines. But in spite of - or maybe even because of - its popularity, the field of IM is yet ill-defined. Authors within and across different disciplines use the term differently, with interpretations ranging from concerns in the "administration of large amounts of data or documents" to "new challenges to management in the information age". This research report aims at providing a coherent conceptualisation of IM and integrating it into the larger field of Information Systems. Our IM conceptualisation builds on work in the parent disciplines of Information Systems, i.e. Business Administration and Management Studies on the one hand and Computer Science on the other. It also integrates insights from neighbour disciplines such as Information Science, Economics and Engineering. Based on the proposed understanding of IM, the report puts forth the so called Münster Information Management Framework (MIMF), which is useful in defining, investigating and positioning Information Management as a field of study. The framework has also been applied to, and proved to be effective for the organization of IM education and training in the Master of Science programme offered by the IS Department at the Münster School of Business and Economics, University of Muenster.

Keywords
Information Management; Information Systems; Computer Science; Information Sciences; Communication Sciences; Information System; Application System; Information Infrastructure; Information Function; Normative Management; Strategic Management; Tactical Management; Operations Management