Page 14 - Information Management 3rd Edition

Information Management
• ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with all role players,
• ability to communicate effectively with all levels within the business (written
and verbal),
• a strong understanding of accounting/financial principles,
• knowledge of government legislation related to work, and
• ability to maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending
workshops, studying professional publications and establishing personal networks.
1.5 The information needs of the business
Businesses have different goals, products and managers and because of this, they will havPe differenrt informeation nee-ds. Thpe informaution needsbat the different management levels within the business are also different. Furthermore, there are external role players that need information regarding certain aspects of the business, and their needs will differ.
The information needs of external role players
Depending on the type of external businesses involved, the business will need a
em wit
be one or more of the following:
• government, requiring information on health, safety, financial and other issues,
system t
ole players could
o supply th
h specific i
nform
ation. Thes
e external r
• governing bodies for certain groups of businesses that need statistics about the specific industry,
• banks that would like to know how their clients are doing, and copy
• suppliers who need to know about future order quantities,
• shareholders who would like to know how their businesses are performing,
• any other external person or entity that requires information.
The business will have to determine this need and develop a system whereby the relevant information can be collected, processed and distributed wherever and whenever it is required. Information could be supplied to the environment in the form of annual and financial reporting. Supplying the information to the external environment is usually the task of the manager of the marketing and external relations function.
Internal information needs of the business
Information is of course also needed within the business to satisfy its own needs. This information can be gathered from the external environment, as well as from within the business. To survive and compete in the global market, the business certainly needs information about the external environment. This information must be analysed and the relevant information should be incorporated in the decision-making process. The information needed at each management level will differ and is determined by the type of decisions that need to be taken as well as by how quickly the decisions need to be taken.
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