What Information Do You Process?

Information is usually processed, structured and organized in an ordered manner. It gives meaning to data and allows decision making on the best course of action. For instance, a single customer’s sale in a restaurant is statistical data this becomes information once the company is able to identify who the most preferred or least preferred dish is. In this example the data used will allow the owner to segment his customers into groups and then decide what best to offer these groups.

Information can be formal or informal. Formal information comes from statistics, hard facts, etc that have been deduced over time by experts in a given field. Informal information is what we usually come across in daily life or in our work environment. It may also be something as simple as “I saw you on the news” or “My friend did that”. Today, information has become almost an obsession. People want to know everything and are willing to spend money and resources on acquiring knowledge on almost anything.

The process of information gathering is a long one. We learn through observation, experience and repeat to take the right course of action. Once information is collected it must be organized, analyzed and interpreted before being used. Organizations today use information technology, or databases, to process, organize and present large volumes of information that has been collected over time.