The Senior Management Team of BIFHE would require strategic information in order to make decisions that will determine the future of the whole organisation. The strategic information management is the process by which senior managers can evaluate the
Task 1.1 & 1.2
1.1
Describe the information requirements for each category of staff within BIFHE viz.,
- Senior Management Team ( CEO + Department Managers )
- Section Managers ( Sales, Marketing etc. )
- Clerical Staff.
1.2
At each level , make reference to the;
- time span,
- relevance,
- level of detail,
- degree of accuracy,
- security of the information.
Senior Management Team :
The Senior Management Team of BIFHE would require strategic information in order to make decisions that will determine the future of the whole organisation. The strategic information management is the process by which senior managers can evaluate the use of information to help achieve long-term objectives. This will of course typically involve the use of information technology to provide a better and more efficient service for the customers of BIFHE. Obviously, in respect to BIFHE, sales figures and the budget of the organisation will be of most concern to the CEO and the Department Managers as ultimately this is vital to its success. Senior Managers of BIFHE would be most interested in the sales figures for each Department as a whole and if necessary implement new strategies to increase profit for the long-term future. At this high level of management a high degree of accuracy is not necessary as it is more important for senior management to have a broader outlook on the organisation. Therefore within BIFHE sales figures will not be looked at by senior managers to the nearest penny and more likely would be looked at more broadly to the nearest £10,000. As this is the highest level of management the highest level of security would also be needed. This means that within BIFHE this information needs to be kept at a need to know basis to prevent unauthorised access. Obviously there are many organisations like BIFHE so it is imperative that measures are put in place to keep this information secure.
Section Managers :
The section Managers within BIFHE would use information that affects the day to day running of their specific department. They would have a more short-term outlook towards the future of the organisation and indeed their responsibility first and foremost would be the performance of their own particular department. For example the Accounts Manager within BIFHE would only require information about customer and supplier accounts so as to keep an up to date record of their status. In turn the Warehouse Manager would require information on stock levels and also on deliveries from suppliers so as to keep stock levels at appropriate levels and also to judge as to whether perhaps a particular product, which is a good seller, needs to be ordered on a more regular basis. The Sales Manager obviously requires information on the sales history of all the goods. This would enable him/her to see which items are selling best and which items are perhaps not moving so fast. Monthly reports showing sales figures for each product will clearly show this and allow the manager to make the necessary decision. For example, products that are not moving off the shelves quickly, could perhaps be sold at reduced prices. As a result of this information the Marketing Manager then needs to prepare publicity material that advises customers of special offers and promotions. The level of detail contained in these reports would be examined more closely by each manager, and therefore the accuracy of these reports is more important. For example the sales figure would be looked at to the nearest £100. Security of this information would of course still be very important but to a lesser extent than the information available to senior management. Access would be allowed to all management and certain information would be granted to some of the ground staff.
