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Business Principles: Information Management

An information management system is used to collect, organize, store, and retrieve records of business transactions. Records include personnel files, purchase orders, sales invoices, and contracts. They provide evidence of transactions and are used for analysis, planning, decision making, budgeting, and monitoring legal requirements. An effective system classifies, indexes, securely stores, preserves, and disposes of records in a way that authorized users can easily access the information when needed.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
20 views2 pages

Business Principles: Information Management

An information management system is used to collect, organize, store, and retrieve records of business transactions. Records include personnel files, purchase orders, sales invoices, and contracts. They provide evidence of transactions and are used for analysis, planning, decision making, budgeting, and monitoring legal requirements. An effective system classifies, indexes, securely stores, preserves, and disposes of records in a way that authorized users can easily access the information when needed.

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yuvita prasad
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PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS HANDOUT #1 - Week 1 Period 1

CHAPTER 4 - Information Management Systems

An information management system is a method of collecting, organising, storing, preserving


and allowing the retrieval of information.
Each unit of information is called a record. Examples of records include:
- The personnel file for an employee
- A purchase order
- A sales invoice
- A contract

Records are kept as evidence that transactions were performed.


Records are used to analyse past performance and plan the future direction of an enterprise.
They are used when planning and making decisions in diverse aspects of the business, such
as:
- Allocating capital
- Stock revaluation
- Monitoring trends
- Assessing personnel requirements
- Profit analysis
- Budgeting

A number of records are legally required according to government regulations. Not all
documents are records. A document is filed as a record if it:
- Is necessary for the successful operation of the organization
- Is required by law
- Serves as evidence of a transaction

PROCESSES IN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

1. Pre-sorting: the papers are placed in order and related sheets are stapled together or
linked with treasury tags.
2. Recording: this involves the registering of information in the system. Each record is
assigned a unique identity.
3. Classification: records are arranged into categories according to which business
activities they document.
4. Indexing: is a system of listing the records and their location. This makes it easier to
retrieve information when it is needed.
5. Storage: records may be stored physically (folders, filing cabinets) and electronically
(computers and microfilm).
6. Preservation: records must be kept safely for as long as they are needed or as required
by law.
7. Retrieval: this involves making the records available when needed.
8. Disposal: outdated records that are no longer needed by the business or required by law
are removed from the system through the use of a documented process that shows
when the record was removed.

An information management system should meet the following requirements:

- Access: a good information management system makes records easily available to


authorised users within the department or organization.
- Security: this ensures the safety of the information system from unauthorised access,
alteration, tampering or destruction of records.
- Accountability: a method of keeping evidence of the use of the information and access
only by authorised persons.
- Reliability: the system should capture all necessary records, organise them
appropriately and make them available as needed.
- Compliance: the records must be handled in compliance with legal requirements and in
keeping with sound business practices and organizational policy.
- Expandability: the system should be capable of adjusting to the growing needs of the
organization.

Common questions

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Ensuring the reliability of an information management system can be challenging due to the need to capture all necessary records, organize them properly, and make them consistently available. Expandability issues can arise as the organization grows, requiring the system to adjust and scale to meet increasing demands and volume of records, necessitating updates and enhanced storage capabilities. Both reliability and expandability require foresight and investment to effectively manage and adapt the system over time.

Pre-sorting assists in the efficient processing of records by arranging papers in order and linking related sheets together, using methods such as stapling or treasury tags. This initial organization step helps streamline the subsequent recording and classification processes, thus enhancing the overall efficiency of the information management system.

The retrieval process directly impacts the overall efficiency of an information management system by determining how quickly and easily records can be accessed when needed. Efficient retrieval processes, facilitated by effective indexing and storage methods, reduce time spent searching for records and improve decision-making speed and accuracy, thus enhancing overall operational efficiency.

A document must meet certain criteria to be filed as a record in an information management system. These criteria include being necessary for the successful operation of the organization, being required by law, or serving as evidence of a transaction. Documents meeting these criteria are considered essential for providing evidence and ensuring legal and operational compliance.

An information management system in a business is primarily used for collecting, organizing, storing, preserving, and allowing the retrieval of information. It helps in analyzing past performance and planning the future direction of the enterprise, which includes activities such as allocating capital, stock revaluation, monitoring trends, assessing personnel requirements, profit analysis, and budgeting. Records serve as evidence of transactions and are crucial for decision-making in various business aspects.

Information management systems facilitate better decision-making by providing organized, accessible, and reliable records that serve as evidence for transactions and allow for the analysis of past performance. Such systems aid in planning, capital allocation, monitoring trends, personnel assessment, profit analysis, and budgeting, thereby enabling informed and strategic business decisions.

Classification involves arranging records according to the business activities they document, which aids in organization and efficiency. Indexing provides a system of listing the records and their locations, facilitating easy retrieval when needed. Together, classification and indexing enhance the overall effectiveness of an information management system by making information systematically organized and accessible.

Disposal plays a critical role in maintaining efficiency and compliance within an information management system by removing outdated records that are no longer needed or legally required. This process ensures that the system does not become overloaded with obsolete data, which can hinder retrieval efficiency and increase storage costs. Documented disposal processes also demonstrate compliance with legal and organizational policies, ensuring records are kept only as long as necessary.

An information management system supports compliance by ensuring that records are handled in accordance with legal requirements and sound business practices. This includes maintaining records as required by law, ensuring they are preserved and accessible only to authorized users, and providing documented processes for the retrieval and disposal of outdated records, thereby aligning with organizational policies.

Security is crucial in an information management system to protect the information from unauthorized access, alteration, tampering, or destruction of records. Accountability ensures that there is a method for keeping evidence of information use and access is limited to authorized personnel only. These components are vital for maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of the information, thereby fostering trust in the system's reliability and compliance with legal requirements.

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