Businesses need information to be successful, and that information can come from a variety of sources, both internal and external. The types of information used by Sainsbury’s include; verbal, written, on-screen, multimedia and web based.
Sainsbury’s uses verbal information on a daily basis, staff need to communicate with the customers in order to help them find goods and also to sell them products at the counter, which is an internal source of information. Staff are often friendly in order to give the customer a better overall shopping experience, which would make them more likely to shop at Sainsbury’s again.
Staff also use verbal information in meetings where they discuss everything from the progress of the company too new products and how they will be promoted. These types of verbal information help Sainsbury’s manage the business.
Written information is vital at Sainsbury’s and is used throughout the business. An example of written information is a bank statement which is an external piece of information that comes from the accounts department within Sainsbury’s. The purpose of this information is to help the business keep their investments and income regulated so that they are making a profit.
Another type of written information is newspapers and magazines that are on sale in all Sainsbury’s stores. Sainsbury’s even have their own magazine, the information of which is sourced both internally and externally by the journalists working for Sainsbury’s. The purpose of this information is to inform customers of the different products Sainsbury’s have on offer to help achieve their custom. The magazines also educate people on the beneficial things that Sainsbury’s are doing for charities.
Another source of written information is advertisement; this is an internal source of information that is headed by the marketing department. Here the best forms of advertisement for a product are devised in order to help sell a product to the public. They advertise their products on the internet through web based information as well as multimedia by renting advertising hoardings and buying air time for advertisement. Advertisement is necessary in order to attract customers to Sainsbury’s stores to buy their products.
A source of web-based information is the Sainsbury’s website. On the site jobseekers can search for jobs in the recruitment section of the website, this internal information source is vital in order for Sainsbury’s to operate, as it helps them recruit new members of staff. The process of recruitment also uses external information as candidates have to attend an interview; this information is useful to Sainsbury’s as they can gauge how qualified candidates are for jobs. The website also has an online shopping feature that allows customers to purchase goods online, this web-based source of information is important for Sainsbury’s so that they can reach customers who may not be able to go to a store for whatever reason and so they can have good delivered.
The Sainsbury’s customer service department looks at complaints and can offer help to customers. This is usually a type of verbal information as the customer is either speaking to customer services in person or on the phone but it can also be written information as a customer may write a letter or email. This source of information allows Sainsbury’s to improve its customer service as they can learn from mistakes and complaints which help them develop as a business. Having a good customer services department like Sainsbury’s also gives the business a better reputation which is vital in a competitive market.
In this essay I have looked at the different types of business information and how they are used by Sainsbury’s. Business information is vital for Sainsbury’s as it is used in all levels and aspects of the business and it is needed to understand how a business is progressing. I have also looked at the different ways in which Sainsbury’s communicate whether it’s verbal or written information. Communication is again important in all aspects of the business but especially in the day to day for example Customer service staff have to deal with customers on the phone all day using verbal communication.
by
gunnersftw (student)
