| The conceptualization of the information | | | | Challenges may be met either on a global setting or |
| superhighway is strongly linked with the now globalize | | | | on a local setting. In any case, attention should still be |
| financial system. With the figurative death of the | | | | given to the fact that without the placement of |
| potency of national economies, the global financial | | | | proper context mediation services, no entrepreneurial |
| system now stands out as one real force to reckon | | | | progress would result. |
| with. | | | | Benefits of integration |
| However, this overarching financial system has one | | | | Information integration is also being seen as an |
| clear weakness: its complete dependence on | | | | important component in facing the challenges of data |
| computer networks- as was stated, the information | | | | transfer and context loss. According to Stuart E. |
| superhighway. | | | | Madnick: |
| According to Stuart E. Madnick, from the | | | | "Increased information integration is important to |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology: | | | | business in order to improve inter-organizational |
| "The notion of an "information superhighway" has | | | | relationships, increase the effectiveness of |
| attracted considerable attention. It offers the | | | | intra-organization coordination, and provide for much |
| possibility to access information from around the | | | | more organizational adaptability. Many organizations |
| world in support of many important applications in | | | | are attempting to gain these advantages." |
| areas such as finance, manufacturing, and | | | | On the importance of context |
| transportation (e.g., global risk management, | | | | Context is by far one of the most important parts |
| integrated supply chain management, and global | | | | of any kind of data. Data transmitted via the fiber |
| in-transit visibility)." | | | | optic channels to different parts of the globe may or |
| Production and information technology | | | | may not have retained its context. |
| There should be a bit of historical backtracking here, | | | | There must be a conscious effort on the part of the |
| regarding the role of information technology to the | | | | one transmitting to communicate the context of the |
| wider scheme of capital-intensive industrial production. | | | | data as well. Madnick continues: |
| The role of information is a vital one- it has | | | | "The context is not explicit for at least two reasons. |
| something to do with basically tracking down bits and | | | | First, it provides efficiency of communication (e.g., if |
| pieces of the whole process, for holistic examination. | | | | asked by a fellow student, "What is your grade point |
| Without any form of data retrieval, wide scale | | | | average?" you can reply "3.8" without having to |
| industrial production would not be possible. | | | | explain that it is a 4-point scale, with 4 being the |
| Context mediation | | | | best). Second, the context can be so fundamental in |
| One of the explicit problems in data transit (in a global | | | | an environment that most are not even aware that |
| setting) is the loss of context, or the loss of the | | | | there is another possible interpretation (e.g., we all |
| very seedbed of meaning. This is manifest in the | | | | know that "A" is a top grade)." |
| way multilingual services are hired to translate vital | | | | The sensitivity of context in relation to context loss |
| documents and data, to lessen the blow of context | | | | is manifest in communication failures around the |
| loss. | | | | world. Even simple telephone calls may lose their |
| The conceptualization of context mediation services | | | | context- what more for muted data? |
| is put into place to face perceived challenges. | | | | |