Semiotics SummaryFor each of us and for organizations in general, the effective use of information is a critical success factor. Just think about the tasks you need to complete and the demand for diverse and unified communication of the required information. There are two general paradigms for managing information: • Information as a "substance" flowing through a system (Stamper et .al.)• Information as a "process", i.e. a social activity of creating and maintaining relationships (Cheek et .al.) .al.)We have chosen the next paradigm, however both require modeling approaches that allow us to collect and communicate knowledge and information effectively. Daniel Bell (1973) coined the expression 'the post-industrial society'. In this society a substantial part of the population is employed or involved in the work of gathering and communicating information. In this sense we can see that information has become a commodity that can have a value and is therefore marketable. It can also be seen as an indispensable component of our social fabric. The general concept of “information” is used in a confusing way. For some it is seen as something we distill from data to make decisions, and to a certain extent this may be a true observation. For others it is seen in terms of the understanding we gain from the messages or knowledge one person communicates to another and the meanings we create and exchange. Stamper, Lui, Schaik (unpublished) suggest:'... To get something resembling a scientific result To handle the concept of information we must start with a clear picture of what we are observing. Physics deals with physical bodies of all kinds, their properties and their behavior. We don't need to define the concept of body in so many words because we can show a person many concrete examples so that he can learn to use the word "body" as competently as we do it ourselves. Similarly, we can begin our exploration of information using the concept of sign. We might tell someone that a sign is any physical object, event, or property of an object or event that can represent something else. But we don't end here. We show them hundreds of different examples until they know what a sign is by ostensive definition (i.e. by demonstration). In this way we escape the tyranny of verbal regression in the context of practical and concrete action.