Page 45 - Information Management 3rd Edition

• Action and decision-making processes of management
A manager’s role consists of well-known functions such as planning, organising, leading and control. Although these aspects are important, nothing can be done without useful information. When managers receive information, they act as assimilators or monitors of their sections and immediate environment. The manager plays an assimilation role when he/ she receives information and correctly places it into perspective in the relevant context before distributing it to the relevant people. To fulfil the role of a monitor, the manager will, by means of available information, be aware of all activities in his/her sections, and as a result, be in a position to manage the sections effectively.
To achieve these results, it is important to be aware that there are different types of information that can be utilised in the business.
Pre-pub
3.3.6 Types of information
In gathering information for decision-makers, it is important to ensure that the correct type of information is collected. The three prominent types of information that are used in businesses are:
• descriptive information, which indicates change taking place (for example, rising interest rates),
Chapter 3 – Managing Information
• explanatory information, which indicates the consequences of occurrences (for example, less credit being used because of the institution of higher interest rates), and
• comparative information (for example, indicating the comparison between this year’s and last year’s profit figures).
copy
3.4 Document management in an office
The correct handling of information in a business is very important. If you look
at the information system as described earlier in this book, you will see that data is collected, processed, stored and distributed to decision makers who need the information. The “office” is responsible to receive data and information (collect), document and analyse it (process), file and keep it (store), and communicate it (distribute). You can see that the manager of the office, often called an information or administrative manager, plays an important role in all the information-related activities of the business. This manager is also responsible for the combination of people, technology, resources, money and sources of information to ensure all objectives are met.
In the remainder of this section we will be looking at document management, mail management and forms management. There is an important link between information, a document, knowledge and the management thereof. A document contains information, which is a business resource and which represents knowledge.
A document is written evidence that information has been collected and is kept for use in the decision-making process. Therefore, strict control is essential to store, retrieve and maintain documents effectively. The document management system is only effective when the system is able to supply the correct information to the correct person in the shortest possible time and at the lowest possible costs.
39
Juta_Information Management 3E.indb 39
2021/05/28
14:24