Improve quality of information
Business information
Different types of information
Primary - data that has been collected by yourself and first hand. This can be done in a number of different ways: surveys, interviewing, questionnaires and logging. This type of data should be able to be used and relied on due to actually getting it yourself, knowing where it has came from. You will know what has been done to that data when it has been processed and collected.
Secondary - data that has been collected by someone else, another source other than yourself. This could be done a number of ways, Internet, TV, articles, stories or blogs. This type of data can not be relied on as much as primary data can be. This being due to you don't know if the data that has been given is 100% accurate. Could have biased information and be only to one side of an argument.
Primary data is more expensive to actually get hold of, it can also be difficult to get hold of and use. But it has it's bonuses it's more expensive and difficult to find, but this data can most certainly be relied on. Secondary data is a large amount cheaper and not difficult to get hold of it's easy to get hold of. But it has its downside, this being that it can't be relied on 100%, could not be accurate.
Purposes of information
Analysis - This will be where the company will always do the same or slightly different processes with its data. This is used in order to be able to keep track of everything and check for patterns or trends, which then leads to the monitoring of the company and its processes. This could be used when a company wants to create a weekly or monthly sales and costs reports. Gives them a way to check if profits is either going up or going down, if sales are going up and making costs higher. Analysis can be helpful for a company in the future and to plan for the future. This being due to the fact they will be able to predict how much will be wanted in the future. Will give them a means of knowing how much stock to buy in, different materials to buy in. How many staff members will be needed in the future, ways to advertise and there costs.
Decision making - Information system can help to support decisions when a problem or issue comes up, and management will need to take action to fix it and get rid of the problem. The management will be able to make these decisions at different levels, these would include operational, tactical and strategic.
Gaining advantage - This is classed as the opposite to fixing a problem, this being that it is based on using external and internal events to there advantage. It will be done when different opportunities come up.
Sources of information
However the fact that it is second hand and not been found by yourself it is not as reliable as having found the information yourself. Having the information being first hand and internal found makes it much more reliable and probably more fit to purpose. Having it externally found could mean it isn't fit to the purpose it is meant for and could actually be incorrect. Information being reliable and fit to purpose is key for an organisation in order for it to help them with what they need it to help them with.