The impact of information management on

organisations
The fundamental objective of information management within an organisation is to exploit
information capabilities and information resources within such an organisation, with a
view to enabling such an organisation not only to learn but also adapt to possible
environmental changes . The creation of information, its acquisition, storage, possible
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analysis and the eventual dissemination or use serves to accord an organisation an

intellectual latticework whose role is to enable the growth as well as the development of an
organisation in question. The management exercise of information ensures that such kind
of information receives both a purpose and meaning, by way of sharing the same with a
multitude of individuals in an organisation.

The impact that information management has had at the organisational level has been
immense. To start with, it has now become quite possible to understand with relative ease,
the changing context of an organisation, such as the change in the top-managements.
Through the allocation of information technology, changes within an organisation may be
implemented quite fast. Furthermore, it is also possible for the top management to keep
abreast of the various forms of developments that may be taking place in, say, remote
locations of an organisation, without the need of the managers physically visiting such a
site.

The existing system

Infosys Solution is involved in a number of activities in its operation. This makes it
incorporate a number of organisational systems. These include the transaction processing
system, the expert system, office automation system and the executive information system.
The transaction processing system assists in the maintenance of employees’ records,
handling of accounts receivable, the control of human and material resources in the
organisation, in addition to accounting finance resources.

The organisation also has incorporated the office automation system. This has ensured that
such activities as document imaging, electronic calendar/E-mail and word processing get
accomplished. Through this, it becomes possible to share information amongst
departments in various forms.

At the management level, We have in place a system that assists in data compilation
through the use of tools of analysis and models to facilitate the arriving of a decision-
making process that is non-routine. Furthermore, this is also where the cost analysis of
contracts get done, the scheduling of reduction, in addition to the computation of the
profitability analysis of the organisation .
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Considering the fact that Infosys Solution operates in the outsourcing business, the
existing information system within the information service department is the expert
information system. The firm has incorporated the expert system in its operation due to its
effectiveness. Currently, the technology environment is very volatile due to rapid
developments. This means that the firm has to have an information system that will enable
it to make the necessary adjustment that will enable the customers to solve their problems
effectively.

Infosys is made up of a network of roughly 1700 NT boxes. These have been distributed
to various locations within the city of London and its environment. The machines owned
by Infosys operate on a combination of both NT 4.0 and 3.51. Additionally, a number of
these machines differ in terms of the service packs that they have been installed with.
Also, we have a number of these that have no packs at all.

Whereas there are those machines whose random access memory (RAM) is in the range of
32 megabytes, we also have others with as little as 16. There are those machines that are
characterised by large hard drives, meaning that they also have ample free space. At the
same time, there are other machines that lack such free space. What this implies is that the
current system that is run by Infosys is somewhat non-homogenous, in addition to the fact
that proper documentation regarding the configurations of each of the individual machines
is lacking.

Information flow
With regard to information flow within Infosys Solution, the firm has adopted a top-down
flow amongst its departments. This means that it is possible for the individuals within the
organisation to know what is happening in the organisation. It is also important since the
organisation’s management is in a position to access information across the organisation
hierarchy. For instance, the top level management, such as strategic management, can be
able to obtain information necessary in the formulation of strategies to ensure the success
of the organisation. This is due to the fact that there is no restriction with regard to
information flow.

The firm’s strategic management can obtain information that is ad hoc and from a wide
scope. This means that the information supplied to the top level management is rich and
valuable. This makes the decision that the management makes to be more comprehensive.

The top-down flow of information enables the organisation to achieve its objective of
ensuring customer satisfaction. (Infosys Solutions), values are a necessity when it comes
to needing recognition for information. For example, it is the responsibility of the
management team to see to it that the need of the clients is recognised, so that measures
can be put in place to ensure that the requirements are fulfilled in a timely manner.

The objective of the Information service department is to ensure that the organisation
meets the needs of the customers efficiently. This is through enabling the clients to
implement an information system that is will result in timely and effective decision-
making.
There is a well-defined link between the organisational and the departmental system. This
is due to the fact that the management has recognised the need to ensure that the
information required is prioritised, reviewed, and documented prior to either the
commencement of the expansion of various processes of information needs
measurements. Owing to the preference given to information needs identification, it has
become necessary in my organisation that its management information needs are selected
in an orderly manner . 10

The expert system uses the information that is supported by other information systems,
such as the transaction processing system. Through this information, it is possible for the
expert system to make decisions necessary by the management.

At an organisational level, the quality of data is often taken as an index of the effectiveness
and reliability of a given data in question, and more so in as far as the making of decisions
is concerned. This is what Al-Hawamdeh (2002) reports in his work. Data of high quality
is one that is comparable, accurate, and relevant and can be re-used.

In certain instances, there may be situations where the operational levels of an organisation
are characterised by episodes of customer dissatisfaction, costs that keep on increasing,
reduced employee morale and job satisfaction, and also lost revenue due to lack of
information flow . At our organisation, there are often various decisions that are reached at
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the various levels, that is, the tactical, operational and strategic. At both the tactical and the
strategic level, the management is usually concerned with the financial costs that are
necessary to ensure that certain projects that have been initiated get accomplished in a
timely manner through ensuring the free flow of information.