Information Flow in an Organisation - Coursework Example

INFORMATION FLOW IN AN ORGANISATION By Student’s Name Code+ course name Professor’s name University name City, State Date Information flow in an organisation is very crucial. The flow of information from the management to the workers is very necessary. Many researches in the past have shown that information and communication technology is very important in the operation of the business. In addition, the studies show the relationship between economic development in a country and ICT investment. Investment in the ICT ensures that there is a good flow of information in the company and that the stakeholders are well informed about the happenings and the plans of the management. Reports have been released about the relationship between economic results and proper flow of information in the business at the industry level. For a small manufacturing enterprise to remain competitive in the industry, it has to invest heavily in the sector of the information delivery as this forms the major and key department for every organisation (Wiklund 2009). This has made the SMEs to face a major challenge in the quest of keeping up with major and established industries in the economy. A report conducted in the United States stated that majority of the small and medium enterprises are reported to be growing at half the rate the major and large industries in the same sector are growing. The report also indicated the importance of the information flow in bridging the cultural gap of an organisation. Information flow especially from the top to the bottom, according to the report play an important role in uniting people from different departments in an organisation and help them to communicate and exchange developmental ideas as well as keep up with the organisations objectives and the set goals and targets (Barnes 2007). Information distribution within an organisation has played a major part in bringing organisation’s departments together and also has allowed the organisation to operate as a single unit with all the departments. This is possible due to the ability given by the information systems to share information more efficiently and quickly. In addition to this, the information systems are able to bring down the barriers that communication face like the geographic boundaries. Through this, the world has become a global village where everybody shares ideas despite the geographical distance between them and also the language barrier that separates them (Khosrowpour & IGI Global 2013). One good example is Dewey’s bakery. This is a bakery that the management has realised the importance of a good information flow system. The bakery has invested heavily in structures that allow them to exchange information easily and quickly. It has therefore, taken up the challenge of the ICT and established a strong department of the sector. This is a major sector in the bakery as they coordinate all their activities from the department. The bakery, which is a small manufacturing enterprise, requires using the systems in the different operation sectors that it has for easy management. Information systems in the bakery have made the operations cost effective since it has helped in computerizing the business and thus making the operations swift and streamlined. This unit is responsible of distributing information to the stakeholders of the bakery since the bakery is required to communicate to the distributors, marketers, debtors and to the creditors of the bakery. This means that if there is an information system breakdown in Dewey all the departments can be adversely affected and especially information flow in the company. This therefore means that information flow within Dewey need to be highly protected (Green 2012). Another crucial example is an airport. Information flow in an airport is very crucial as this is the control point that allows the operations of an airport. Proper information flow in the organisation assist an airport as it is a central access point. The central point of information distribution in an airport controls the flights both the landing and take offs. This avoids so many unnecessary accidents that would otherwise happen if information flow was not good (Wankel 2008). This is the point where all the activities of the airport are easily coordinated. All the activities of a business are easily interrelated to each other and therefore the business must find a way to coordinate them. Information systems provide the platform from which proper coordination is to take place. Information systems in the business also provide an easy back up to the information of the business. All the information in a business is very important as it dictates the operations of the business. Tax information, employer’s payments, employee’s database, stock management as well as sales and production levels are important information of the business. All this information if wrongly placed can cause the company a major setback and therefore the company must seek a way to provide a backup to their data which the information systems provide (Sprague & McNurlin 1986). Information systems in an airport act as a central distributor of information. Information of the company is relied from different levels of the management both from the inside and from the outside of the airport. It is also important to note that there must be communication between control centre and an airplane before any take-off or landing takes place. The airport’s control centre and the top management require communicating to the staff and to the other management employees in the airport. Communication is a process that is made easier through the usage of the telecommunications devices. Telephones, emails and fax are some of the information systems used in communication (Peter Olson & Peter 1990). Information flow in a business has gone a long way in providing an easy way of record keeping. This has been enabled by information systems. Information systems provide a way to store and distribute a business’s information safely unlike before where files were used to store the information. Flash disks, computer memory and external hard disks are some of the devices used for these functions. These devices provide easy way to key in the data as well as large memory to store large information and later distribute it to the required destination. Computers are used to print information and type letters unlike typewriters and hand written information which was ineffective and slow. Nowadays, it is possible to communicate to very many people including people over very long distances courtesy of information systems. Dewey’s bakery and many airports in the world have used the system to their advantage. This is especially to the bakery that uses it to also increase their production and the sales of the bakery. The customer base of the bakery has improved significantly due to the use of the information systems as they use the systems to advertise their products. Message conveyance has become very easy to the airports since the use of the systems was introduced and adopted (Bordow & More 1991). Research is another tool that is very crucial in marketing. This is a factor that helps many organisations in their quest to improve on the market presence. One of the ways to improve marketing in an organisation is to get different views of the users of the product. A producer of any product should seek ways to get information from the users that will help in improving the product they produce. One of the main ways is the use of questionnaires, making direct calls to the user as well as engaging a marketing consultant to help with the strategies (Barker & Angelopulo 2006). A company should plan to be the leading company in terms of pricing. The company should also aim at selling their products at the lowest prices or more so affordable prices in the market. This can only be achieved as the company plans to reduce the production cost through economies of scale. The company has some Strength that increases the competitive advantage. The company will create a very strong relationship with suppliers who supply quality raw materials at the right time. The company will also have very efficient operations that lead to higher profit margins. In addition, the management understands the target market of the organization (Wankel 2008). Conclusion Information systems in an organisation help the organisation in proper distribution of the information. In addition, the systems help in information flow in an organisation that helps proper communication within the organisation. Information flow outside the organisation is also necessary as it helps the organisation communicate properly with the stakeholders and especially their customers who sustain the business through their preferences which is harnessed through communication. The systems if used properly help the organisation reduce competition by increasing the competitive advantage of an enterprise and for it to compete with major businesses, a small manufacturing enterprise have to invest heavily in the sector. The advantages of the sector are evident in the results that an enterprise gets. In addition, the organisations operations are boosted by proper information flow from the top to the required destination (Mersham & Skinner 2001). References Mersham, G. M., & Skinner, J. C. (2001). New insights into business and organisational communication. Sandown, South Africa: Heinemann. Barker, R., & Angelopulo, G. C. (2006). Integrated organisational communication. Cape Town: Juta. Bordow, A. M., & More, E. (1991). Managing organisational communication. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. Peter, J. P., Olson, J. C., & Peter, J. P. (1990). Consumer behavior and marketing strategy. Homewood, IL: Irwin. Green, J. 2012 , 08 17. Yes weekly. Retrieved 04 23, 2013, from http://yesweeklyblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/deweys-bakery-acquires-blue-ridge-ice_17.html Wiklund, J. 2009. Entrepreneurship: Frameworks and empirical investigations from forthcoming leaders Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Wankel, C. 2008. 21st century management: A reference handbook. Los Angeles, Calif: SAGE Publications. European research. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Sprague, R. H., & McNurlin, B. C. 1986. Information systems management in practice. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall. Khosrowpour, M., & IGI Global. 2013. Cases on performance measurement and productivity improvement: Technology integration and maturity. Hershey, Pa: IGI Global (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, USA. Barnes, S. 2007. E-commerce and v-business: Digital enterprise in the twenty-first century. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Wankel, C. 2008. 21st century management: A reference handbook. Los Angeles, Calif: SAGE Publications. Read More