The essence of information as an independent economic category

Abstract

In a market economy, it is customary to distinguish four main factors of production: labor, capital, land and entrepreneurial talent (or entrepreneurial abilities). But it should be noted that modern production is unthinkable without the functioning of the fifth factor — information. The question of the relevance of the research lies in the ambiguity and evolutionism of the category «information». Not only is there no single definition of a category, but the essence of this definition is not always precisely defined. It is worth noting that today the issue of separating information from knowledge in the context of economic theory is also interesting. The author presents a historical structural and essential analysis of the category «information» in the conditions of digitalization and informatization of the current economic system. The necessity of distinguishing this category into an independent production factor determining the implementation of management and investment decisions is noted. The article presents the author's proposals, which have elements of novelty, on the analysis of the influence of information as a production factor on the efficiency of production processes. Taking into account this factor will help the organization to optimize production processes, improve product quality, reduce costs and increase competitiveness. The proposed directions will allow structuring and analyzing data, developing improvement strategies, implementing changes and monitoring their results, so that the company can constantly improve production processes and be more successful in the market. The article will be of interest to theoretical specialists for the formation of a new reproductive system in modern economic theory, which is transformed under the influence of internal and external factors, as well as to practitioners engaged in the optimization of production processes and resource planning.