THE NATURE OF INFORMATION ITFM OUTCOME 1
DATA AND INFORMATION DATA Raw facts and figures INFORMATION Data processed into a form to aid decision making back to questions
QUANTITATIVE INFORMATION Easily counted/measured Factual information Usually in the form of numbers, eg Production rates Number of staff Attendance records Time sheets Salary Costs Sales figures Holiday entitlements Sickness Rates (days absence) back to questions
QUALITATIVE INFORMATION Descriptive Opinions/Attitudes/Judgements expressed,eg Atmosphere in work area Body language Meetings Interviews Information on customer questionnaires rating the service as very good, good, poor, very poor back to questions
INTERNAL INFORMATION Gathered from organisation’s own internal records To do with what is happening inside the organisation, eg Company handbooks Financial records – sales, profits Customer files Spreadsheets Internal databases Personnel records Minutes of Meetings back to questions
EXTERNAL INFORMATION Obtained from outside organisation, egs CD ROM Trade journals Financial press Government reports Supplier catalogues/price lists/leaflets Magazine/newspaper articles back to questions
PRIMARY INFORMATION Gathered first hand for a specific purpose New information collected by: Telephone surveys Questionnaires Interviews Opinion polls Observation back to questions
SECONDARY INFORMATION Information which already exists Gathered by someone else for one purpose but can also be used for another purpose, egs Consumer surveys Articles in magazines Trade journals Teletext Internet Web sites Government statistics/reports back to questions
FEATURES OF GOOD INFORMATION Good Information must be: Appropriate Available Relevant Sufficient Up-to-date Accurate back to questions The basic requirement of information is that it must be meaningful and useful to the user. Cost effective
Revision Questions Try to answer the questions on the next few slides If you need help to answer them then click on the action button next to each question. To the questions
Revision Question 1 What is meant by the terms ‘data’ and ‘information’? next question
Revision Question 2 What is meant by ‘Quantitative Information’. Give examples. next question
Revision Question 3 What is meant by ‘Qualitative Information’. Give examples of Qualitative Information. next question
Revision Question 4 Information can come from Internal or External Sources. Describe Internal and External Information and give examples of each. next question
Revision Question 5 What is ‘Primary Information’? Give examples of Primary Information. next question
Revision Question 6 What is ‘Secondary Information’? Give examples of Secondary Information. next question
Revision Question 7 What are the main features of Good Information? next question