Chapter 13, 14,18,19,20 information manager The manager responsible for the activities needed to generate, analyze, and disseminate infor- mation that a company needs to make good decisions. information management An internal operation that arranges the firm’s informa- tion resources to support business per- formance and outcomes. data Raw facts and figures. information A meaningful, useful inter- pretation of data.
Data Versus Information
Although business people often complain that they receive too much infor- mation, they usually mean that they get too much data—raw facts and fig- ures. Information is usefully interpreted data (see Figure 13.1).
Consider the following data:
■ Fifty million tubes of toothpaste were sold last year.
■ The birth rate is rising slowly.
■ Forty-four million tubes of toothpaste were sold the year before last.
■ Advertising for toothpaste increased 23 percent last year.
■ A major dentists’ group recently came out in favour of brushing three times a day.

information system (IS) An organized method of transforming data into informa- tion that can be used for decision making. electronic information technolo- gies (EIT) IS applications based on telecommunications technologies. by performing two functions:
1. Providing coordination and communication within the firm 2. Speeding up transactions with other firms
Six of the most widely used innovations in today’s digital business sys- tems are as follows: fax machine A machine that can quickly transmit a copy of documents or graphics over telephone lines. voice mail A computer-based system for receiving and delivering incoming tele- phone calls. electronic mail (email) system
Electronic transmission of letters, reports, and other information between computers. electronic conferencing Allows people to communicate simultaneously from different locations via