ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ Ανώτατο Εκπαιδευτικό Ίδρυμα Πειραιά Τεχνολογικού Τομέα. Ορολογία στην Ξένη Γλώσσα. Ενότητα: Information Management and Processing

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ Ανώτατο Εκπαιδευτικό Ίδρυμα Πειραιά Τεχνολογικού Τομέα. Ορολογία στην Ξένη Γλώσσα. Ενότητα: Information Management and Processing"

William Edwards
6 years ago
Views:

1 ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ Ανώτατο Εκπαιδευτικό Ίδρυμα Πειραιά Τεχνολογικού Τομέα Ορολογία στην Ξένη Γλώσσα Ενότητα: Information Management and Processing Παναγιώτης Τσατσαρός Τμήμα Μηχ. Αυτοματισμού ΤΕ

2 Άδειες Χρήσης Το παρόν εκπαιδευτικό υλικό υπόκειται σε άδειες χρήσης Creative Commons. Για εκπαιδευτικό υλικό, όπως εικόνες, που υπόκειται σε άλλου τύπου άδειας χρήσης, η άδεια χρήσης αναφέρεται ρητώς. Χρηματοδότηση Το παρόν εκπαιδευτικό υλικό έχει αναπτυχθεί στα πλαίσια του εκπαιδευτικού έργου του διδάσκοντα. Το έργο «Ανοικτά Ακαδημαϊκά Μαθήματα στο Ανώτατο Εκπαιδευτικό Ίδρυμα Πειραιά Τεχνολογικού Τομέα» έχει χρηματοδοτήσει μόνο την αναδιαμόρφωση του εκπαιδευτικού υλικού. Το έργο υλοποιείται στο πλαίσιο του Επιχειρησιακού Προγράμματος «Εκπαίδευση και Δια Βίου Μάθηση» και συγχρηματοδοτείται από την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση (Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινωνικό Ταμείο) και από εθνικούς πόρους. 2

3 1. Σκοποί ενότητας Περιεχόμενα ενότητας Information Management and Processing Βasic principles of information processing Scope of information management Communication Channels Infrastructure and Policies Example

4 1. Σκοποί ενότητας The aims of this unit are to: Provide authentic text and vocabulary specific to the needs of students of Automation Engineering Encourage students to combine their knowledge of English with their technical knowledge Enable students to cope with reading comprehension through context realization Help students to identify similar or synonym ideas or concepts 2. Περιεχόμενα ενότητας Definition, application in business and academic environments Information processing: acquisition or retrieval, storage, transformation, transmission Information processing: sensors, memory, processing mechanisms, access mechanisms Scope of information management Communication channels in information management, technology infrastructure and management policies 4

5 3. Information Management and Processing The following phrases have been extracted from the text. Put them back in the right place: is primarily concerned with great deal of gained prominence in some fashion a wide number of is widely seen as enjoy a competitive advantage on paper in this context subtle differences most of all focused on reside in the consciousness Many business scholars consider information processing, in all of its forms, the lifeblood of organizations. Information (1).. is defined broadly to encompass ideas, documents, records, personal communications, and (2).., knowledge shared within an organization. According to some experts, in fact, information processing (3).. knowledge acquisition and dissemination. Τhe management and processing side is what businesses do with their information. (Although there are (4).. management and processing will be considered synonymous in this discussion.) information may be retrieved and distributed over computers or (5).. or it may simply (6).. of employees at the company. Much information processing can be aided by computers, but ultimately (7 ).. organizational information must be processed by individual decision makers (8).. Successful information management (9).. a harbinger of a successful business enterprise; if a company is able to sift through the glut of available information, amplifying what is relevant and suppressing what isn't, it may (10).. over other firms. As an academic field, information processing first (11).. in the 1970s through the work of organization theory specialists like Jay R. Galbraith. David Nadler. and Michael L. Tushman. It is now related to (12).. management specializations, including organization theory and design, managerial cognition, communication in organizations, and technology management. Recent academic inquiries into information management and processing have (13).. how information processing impacts the development of organizational knowledge. 5

6 4. Βasic principles of information processing Read the following passage and find the synonyms to the words or phrases given at the end. As highlighted by John L. Kmetz in The Information Processing Theory of Organization, there are four main stages of processing information: (1) acquisition or retrieval, (2) storage, (3) transformation, and (4) transmission. They generally occur in this order, but not always. First, acquisition and retrieval is the phase in which an individual seeks or is given some piece of information or knowledge. It may originate from inside the organization, outside the organization, or even within the mind of the individual who came upon it. Second, storage may occur in the individual's memory, or via computer or media. When information is stored (and/or disseminated) so that a wide number of employees, present and future, can retrieve it over time, it may lead to organizational learning and become part of the organizational memory. Third, transformation happens when individuals modify the information they receive for various purposes. They may analyze it to arrive at a judgment or inference about the information, or they may expand on it or condense it for some specific need, such as reporting a synopsis to colleagues or management. Fourth, transmission is the means by which the information is disseminated to others, beginning the acquisition process for them anew. Kmetz also identified four components in what he termed the framework of information processing. These components specify the structure of an information processing system, whether human or machine. They are (1) sensors. (2) memory. (3) processing mechanisms, and (4) access mechanisms. Some of these correspond directly to stages of information processing, but there is some crossover. Sensors are input channels for acquiring information. They may include computer devices (e.g., a keyboard for data entry) or simply human senses like eyes and ears. Similarly, memory involves using the human mind or computer storage media for saving information for future use, whether it is needed for a few seconds or a few years. Related to the transformation stage, processing mechanisms are tools to control, organize, and modify information. The human mind and computer processors running application software are the most important kinds of information processing mechanisms. Lastly, access mechanisms allow retrieval and additional processing of information that has already been acquired and processed. Again, the human brain can serve as its own access device, but these mechanisms also include printed publications, computer interfaces, and other information retrieval tools. 4.1 Scope of information management The subject of information processing can be difficult to grasp because it is so general and pervasive. Indeed, according to information processing theory, organizational control is exercised through information management, and all business activities center around one form of information or another. Sometimes information management is presented as providing managers particularly decision 6

7 makers with all the information they need in a timely fashion. This is of course an essential function, but it's only one aspect of how businesses must channel information in order to be effective. Other examples include training and educating employees, handling feedback from customers and vendors, unearthing details about market forces, and communicating innovations and changes. 4.2 Communication Channels Communication is at the heart of information management. An otherwise valuable idea is useless if the right individuals don't know about it at the right time. At the same time, irrelevant information clogs communication channels and can cause more important information to be lost or ignored. Importantly, most businesses now recognize that the flow of information isn't simply from the top down. An organization that is effective at processing information will be able to regularly accommodate information flowing from the bottom up and laterally within peer groups, not to mention information entering the organization from the outside and information being sent to the outside by the organization. 4.3 Infrastructure and Policies To enable effective information processing, channels of communication must be supported by at least two additional resources: technology infrastructure and management policies. In the modem business climate, it's hard to overstate the value of an efficient information technology infrastructure. This includes everything from being able to store and retrieve information on computers to being able to disseminate information to others through the use of , corporate intranets, extranets. and other means. In their own right, computers have always been used to process raw data and routine information into more meaningful forms, and this ability is growing ever more sophisticated through the use of expert systems, neural networks, data mining programs, and other advanced software applications. Ultimately, however, high-level information must be processed by humans, and therefore management policies and practices must be in place to facilitate the flow of appropriate information, and in some cases, to discourage the flow of inappropriate information. Such policy areas might include: the frequency and nature of meetings and conferences; how management encourages employee collaboration and knowledge sharing; specific technology the company uses to manage operations information, such as how customer databases, accounting systems, and quality control systems are used; formal mechanisms to promote the acquisition of new knowledge, such as training programs, mentorships, and so forth; and the organizational hierarchy of the firm. 7

8 Thus, communication channels, facilitated by information infrastructure and management policies, are the basis for nearly all information processing. Even when information is being processed in the mind of a sole actor, say a sales representative dealing with a customer, it's critical that the appropriate infrastructure and policies be in place to allow that individual to perform in a manner most consistent with corporate objectives. 4.4 Example For example, if the company wishes to maintain a liberal customer satisfaction policy, customer service representatives must be trained not to refuse customers who want to return merchandise under unusual circumstances not be specifically documented in training manuals. If the corporate objective is to always provide amicable, hasslefree customer service, these employees must be taught the broad customer service philosophy arid probably should be empowered to evaluate specific circumstances using that basic knowledge. In other words, assuming that generous customer service is consistent with the business strategy, information processing in this case probably should involve disseminating to employees broad objectives that they then can process themselves and apply to specific instances a targeted decentralization of information processing. The primary alternatives would be to try to devise a detailed, comprehensive customer service policy manual covering each return scenario, which could omit some obscure scenarios, or to have employees direct questions about unusual situations to a manager who is empowered to make such a judgment. Depending on the specifics, any combination of these three alternatives employee empowerment, detailed manuals, and manager intervention could be the most cost-efficient or deliver the highest quality service, and yet under other circumstances could lead to inefficiencies and poor service. The choice is largely one based on information processing abilities, specifically those of the frontline representatives. The greatest efficiencies are likely to be found in empowering these individuals by providing them with selected information, through training and reinforcement exercises, to make the best decisions using their own judgment, i.e., processing the information themselves. Too much reliance on manuals or managers would slow the customer service process, making it more time-consuming for customers, more costly for the company, and possibly demoralizing for the workers. Hence, this small application of information processing can affect any number of strategic objectives. 1. mainly or generally; not in detail 2. to contain; include 3. the act of getting or receiving something, 4. scattering/ spreading around 5. not open or direct 6. to find and bring or to bring hack or restore 7. awareness 8. finally; at last: in the end 9. something or someone who announces that something or someone is coming. 10. to inspect or examine with care, as by testing or questioning; 8

9 11. oversupply. excess 12. the state of being important, being famous or being distinct 13. to search or look for something. 14. to come into being: begin: start 15. encounter, discover, meet 16. a combination of two elements 17. understand; comprehend 18. something that has a tendency to spread 19. something done at a good and suitable time 20. bringing to light as by searching, uncovering 21. something that doesn't apply, or is not related to the subject 22. to obstruct movement; block up 23. to have space for 24. sideways, located, done, etc. to the side 25. overstress, emphasize 26. extracting 27. an underlying base or foundation especially for an organization or system 28. without trouble 29. to give ability to; enable; permit 30. aimed, intended 31. to work out or create: plan; invent 32. all-inclusive, complete, thorough 33. to fail to include: leave out 34. hard to see or hard to understand. 35. something that comes between two things or something that changes the course something. 36. increasing the number or amount, or making stronger. 37. trust, dependence, or confidence 38. weakening the spirit, courage, discipline or throwing into confusion 9

MANAGERIAL LEADERSHIP

MANAGERIAL LEADERSHIP MGMT 3287-002 FRI-132 (TR 11:00 AM-12:15 PM) Spring 2016 Instructor: Dr. Gary F. Kohut Office: FRI-308/CCB-703 Email: gfkohut@uncc.edu Telephone: 704.687.7651 (office) Office hours: