The modern world is changing at an unprecedented rate. New methods and approaches arise here and there. They are based both on previously unknown technologies and on social interaction mechanisms. Or, on their combination, one example of which is information management technology.
general information
Initially, let's figure out the goals. Management information technologies are created in order to satisfy the data needs of all, without exception, employees of the company who are involved in decision-making. Especially good is the fact that it can be used at any level. The use of information technology in the system of an enterprise or organization allows you to structure tasks to be solved and increase overall work efficiency. They are ideally suited to meet the data needs of employees of different individual departments and can be used at all levels of company management. The available information provides information about the past and current state of affairs, and also allows you to make forecasts for the future. Data are presented as special or regular responses. To make successful decisions, they must have an aggregated form, which allows you to view the trend of their changes, the causes of deviations, as well as possible solutions. The priority is to solve such problems:
- Evaluation of plans regarding the state of the control object.
- Consideration of deviations from the desired state.
- Identification of the reasons for the problems.
- Analysis of available solutions / actions.
About reporting
The use of information technology in management allows you to receive data on the results of activities, as well as on the current situation. They are presented in the following form:
- Regular reports. They are formed according to the established schedule, which determines the time of their creation, as well as the entered data. An example is the information about the monthly sales of the company.
- Special reports. They are formed at the request of authorized persons (for example, directors) or in cases where an unforeseen event has occurred in the company.
They can take the form of comparative, summary and emergency reports. Their difference is as follows:
- Comparative reports. They contain data that are obtained from different sources or are classified according to non-matching criteria. Used, as the name suggests, for comparison.
- Summarizing reports. They contain data that are combined into specific groups. As a rule, they are sorted and allow you to find out the intermediate and final results.
- Extraordinary reports. They contain data of an exceptional nature.
When is reporting the most effective? The best result was shown during the implementation of control deviations. This approach involves focusing on all the differences in the economic activity of the enterprise from pre-established certain standards.
How is it built?
An important role is played by the main components, from which the main information management technologies are formed. In general, they are as follows:
- Input information. It comes from various systems that form the operational level.
- Database. Input information is passed here. It is structured and prepared for use.
- The content of the database through the necessary software is converted into the necessary reports that are sent to the responsible specialists involved in decision-making within the organization. For their designation, the concept of “output information” is used.
Within the framework of the topic under discussion, we are most interested in databases. What are they formed from? As the main components are considered:
- The data that accumulate as a result of the assessment of operations carried out by the organization.
- Plans, standards, budgets and other regulatory documents by which the planned state of the managed facility (organization or its individual unit) is indicated.
Through these basic components, office automation is carried out. The development of information technology allows you to create more advanced and better practices that bring efficiency to a new level. An example is accounting. What twenty-five years ago required the work of five to six people, is now being carried out by one. This was made possible thanks to the automatic execution of a number of operations. In many cases, a person is needed only to enter data. Thanks to this, modern information technologies have been able to significantly facilitate workflows. But what does it look like in practice?
About Automation
The development of information technology has affected office management, management, control, input, retrieval and updating of information, creating reports, scheduling, data exchange between different departments, structural divisions and even entire enterprises. As an example, we can cite a number of standard procedures, which are very difficult to imagine in a modern enterprise without automation:
- Processing incoming / outgoing information (reading and preparing responses to letters, writing circulars, reports and other documentation, working with drawings and diagrams).
- Collection with subsequent analysis of the data (the results of activities for a certain time of different departments, the allocation of something according to specific selection criteria).
- Preservation of all necessary information received, providing quick access to it and tools for finding the necessary data.
To achieve these goals, you need to fulfill a number of conditions:
- It is necessary to coordinate work between performers.
- If possible, optimize the workflow.
- Provide interaction tools for units within the organization (or various structures in the association).
Modern information technologies attract the opportunity to support internal communication, as well as communicate with the outside world. In this case, the organization and support of processes based on a computer network plays a paramount role. In addition, other modern means for transmitting and processing information (for example, telephones) can also be used.
About use
Computer and information technologies in management play a significant role in the lives of managers, specialists, secretaries and office workers. Speaking about their use, it is necessary to note their attractiveness in case of need to quickly decide something in the group. But economic prosperity depends on the speed and correctness of choice. It is one thing when you need to make a decision without being able to consult competent specialists and knowledgeable people, and it’s quite another when you can get all possible help from them. The main role in this is played by software. At the moment, several dozens of different solutions are widely used, ranging from accounting tools for accountants to development to manage the entire organizational structure. The entire hardware and software complex aimed at performing the described tasks is called the electronic office. What is included in it? If we talk about hardware, then this:
- One (several) electronic computers, which may be networked.
- Printing media.
- Modem (if it is necessary to provide a connection to a global network or a geographically remote electronic computer).
- Means of copying documents.
- Scanners.
- Streamers.
- Projection equipment.
Of the software products, mention should be made of:
- text editor;
- spreadsheet;
- database management system;
- analysis program;
- graphic editor;
- presentation program;
- fax modem facilities
- translation program.
All this can go both individually and within the integrated package. Let's talk about the latter in more detail.
About the integrated package
Why only about him? The fact is that there are a great many individual programs. Therefore, generalizing words and a simple enumeration are enough about them. With integrated packages, things are much more interesting. The fact is that they include interacting software products. If we talk about the use of information technology, then first of all, attention should be paid to a text editor, spreadsheet and database management system. But the main distinguishing feature of the programs that are included in one package is the presence of a common user interface, which allows you to apply the same / similar methods of working with different products. The interaction is at the level of documents. That is, if we created a file in one application, then it can be inserted into another from the same package, changing if necessary. The commonality of the interface reduces the cost of training people. Another advantage of integrated packages is that the whole package is significantly lower than buying programs separately. An example is the fairly well-known Microsoft Office. If we talk about information technology in public administration, then this package is found everywhere. For the majority, however, it is limited to a text editor and a tool for working with tables. But this is not all of its application. After all, it offers significant tools for managing projects, databases, presentations, and much more.
About Databases
They are used to concentrate in themselves data on all the necessary processes and subsystems of the organization, and also provide technology for their processing at the operational level. Information can come from both internal and external sources. At the same time, specialists should be able to perform basic technological operations for working with data. Consider a small example. Suppose we have a database that receives information about daily sales, which is transmitted by the company's sales agents to the server, or that we collect information on weekly supplies of raw materials. It does not matter. As another option - e-mail receives data on the exchange rate, stock quotes - what to like. After the information is entered into the database, it is transmitted to computer applications. This can be a text or table process, or any other program that is being worked on. Transmission can be started manually or set to automatic mode. The information obtained is used for processing, analysis, transmission, storage or replication. It all depends on the goals pursued.
What else is there?
Information technology in enterprise management is not limited to one database. In addition to them, it is used:
- Email.
- Audio mail.
- Teleconferencing. Use of computers.
- Electronic calendar.
- Audio and video conferencing.
- Videotext.
- Facsimile
- Storage of documents.
Let's start with email. This tool is based on the network use of computers. It provides the ability to send, receive and store messages. But it provides exclusively unidirectional communication. To make it two-way, you need to repeatedly receive and send messages. This tool, depending on the functions embedded in it, can offer various features. So, one email client can transfer text, sound and image files, and the other - only words. When using e-mail, you can create your own or take advantage of the offers of special organizations. In any case, it takes money. The next information technology is audio mail. It is used for voice messaging. An example is the principle of the answering machine, which records everything that the caller said. But in this case, the phone is still mainly used, since it is an ideal device for converting audio signals into digital code. In addition, he can carry out this process in the opposite direction. Frequent cases and the use of computers for these purposes. You can use audio mail for group problem solving. An example is the case when a list of persons who should receive this message is indicated. And the system will transmit it to them. The main advantage compared to the first option is that you do not need to use a keyboard.
Electronic calendar and conferences
These are largely underestimated tools that greatly facilitate personnel management. First of all, let's talk about the electronic calendar. This is a convenient tool that allows you to store and manipulate the work schedule of employees of organizations. Human resources management is greatly facilitated thanks to him, because the person in charge can appoint people for shifts, set the time for meetings or other events. And at the same time, employees do not have to go somewhere and ask something from someone. Just go to the electronic calendar. It should be noted that there are a large number of such tools, many of which can boast significant functionality. So, it can automatically coordinate the time with an already established schedule and much more.
Now let's talk about conferences. In total, they are distinguished by three species. In general, they are called "newsgroups." Although in practice, the separation is more significant. So, computer, audio and video conferences are distinguished. Each of them has its own characteristics. By the way, it so happened that when they talk about teleconferences, they usually mean working through a computer. We will consider it first of all. Computer conferences involve the use of a network of electronic computers to ensure the exchange of information between group members who are involved in solving a particular problem. Of course, the circle of persons that can be attracted to it is quite limited. Although, there are still more participants than with audio and video conferencing. When working with a computer, the number of people can be tens, hundreds, and, if capacity allows, even thousands of people.
Audio and video conferencing
These are important information technologies in the field of management. Why? Take, for example, audio conferencing. They allow you to establish communication between geographically remote units of the organization or individual employees. An example of an implementation is the conversation of several subscribers in one session using a telephone. In this case, both available (built-in) components and additional devices can be used. A significant advantage of this method of establishing communication is the lack of requirements for a significant large number of equipment. Usually it’s enough to have only a modern phone. In this way, the decision-making process is greatly facilitated. It is convenient and significantly cheaper. Video conferencing is used for the same purpose. But in this case, certain equipment is used. Although the presence of a computer is still not necessary. In this case, the conference participants, being at a considerable distance, can see their interlocutors on the TV screen, and, depending on the functionality, themselves. Along with the image, sound is also transmitted. Using these tools allows you to save travel and transportation costs, time, and also to attract the maximum number of needed workers to solve certain problems.
Video text, document storage and faxing
Some information technologies in economics and management are already losing their positions and are often (not) referred to as obsolete options. These include faxing. But it will nevertheless be considered. Let's talk about everything in order. First of all, let's talk about video text. This technology is based on the use of a computer, with the help of which graphic and textual information is obtained and displayed on the screen. : , , . . . ? . . , , , , . , . , . , , , / . . 200 ! , - . . – . ? -, . .
Conclusion
Here briefly and were considered information technology. It should be noted that the size of the article is clearly not enough to consider all the working moments and their penetration into our lives. One could pay attention and talk about information technology in municipal administration. Did the reader know that now in many cities it is possible to interact with housing and communal services through an online service? If something does not satisfy or breaks from their knowledge, then it is enough to write to the appropriate structures, and they will send a specialist (electrician, plumbing) to fix the problem. Agree, this is convenient. At the same time, they penetrate into all spheres of life, and are not limited to one utilities. Information technologies in the management of education, medicine, and other public services necessary for us make us feel more comfortable. Consider an example? Let's touch on education. In recent years, electronic journals have been appearing where grades of schoolchildren and students are put down. The schedule of lessons and couples is laid out on the Internet. Fewer papers remain in everyday life, and the influence of information technology is increasingly strong.