Improving Efficiencies of Information Resource Management

Table of Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Literature review

Methodology

Anticipated results

Conclusion

References

Abstract

This study concerns the information resource management. There are a lot of the research on this topic, however, most of them do not analyze the specifics of the transport logistics. Companies do not have information about opportunities to improve the efficiency of information processing. Therefore, this study aims at identifying the importance of information management and finding ways to improve efficiency of it. Improvement of the information resource management may reduce costs and improve decision-making process. The aim of this research will be achieved by performing the following tasks: study of methods and central reasons of the improvement of information resource management; analysis of operational documentation of the transport company; processing of the received results. With the graphical representation of data in the form of a tree and the information communication schemes the information flows are estimated. The transport modeling is used to analyze the specifics of the information flows in the transport company. Finally, the importance of the information resource management is shown by comparing the time and costs that were spent on the information processing. The methods which were mentioned will confirm the importance of improving the efficiency of information resource management for a transport company. The research includes Introduction, Literature review, Methodology, Anticipated results, Conclusion and References.

Keywords: information resource, information resource management.

Introduction

Nowadays companies face the need to process a large amount of information. Managers have to organize fast and high-quality work with data. Undoubtedly, the efficiency of a transport company depends directly on receiving timely and accurate information.

Background

Over the past twenty years company managers have been actively studying the issue of information resource management which involves assessment of information needs at each level; standardization and unification of document types and forms; overcoming the problem of incompatibility of data and creating data management systems (Murthy, 2008). The entire volume of knowledge recorded on material media and intended for internal use is called information resources. In the process of human development, a number of different mechanisms for information management were created. However, it is believed that a few years ago the process of information processing, data storage and transmission was time-consuming.  Nowadays information technology application improves the efficiency of data processing. There is evidence to suggest that many managers do not consider information resource management as the main sphere to develop.

Problem Statement

Therefore, the main purpose of this research is to understand to what extent it is important to improve and find the methods of improvement of the information resource management in the transportation enterprises? Although most companies mainly focus on the improvement of the financial resources it is important to find out the ways of the information resources management improving in the transportation enterprises because that can help to optimize the work of the company, minimize costs, and improve the quality of the decisions. The key steps of achieving the aim of this work include:

1. research of the ways and the main reasons of improving information resource management;
2. study of transport company documentary and performance;
3. analysis of results of research.

These tasks could help to analyze the importance of information resource management and to understand features of transport companies in this issue.

Delimitations

Thus, the study involves research of transport company and it does not include the analysis of information research management in other types of companies or in supply chain in general. The work is mainly focused on the practice of foreign companies and researchers due to the fact that they have more literature to study.

Professional Significance/Novelty

The improving of information resource management is important for companies for several reasons. First and foremost, information resource management may help managers to regulate the whole amount of the data which a company has. The second reason is that the information processing cycle is reduced due to the use of information technologies. What is more, standardization of documents and the process of data exchange may lead to a faster response from the manager to questions and problems that could appear in the company and, it is undeniable that it increases the effectiveness of the decisions (Olson, 2011).

Definitions For further study, it is necessary to clarify the term “Information technology”. Experts emphasize that information technology is the resource which are necessary for the collection, processing, storage and dissemination of information (Haynes, 2013).

Structure

This research proposal has been divided into three main parts. Firstly, literature review, secondly, study of different methods of improving information resource management, finally, analysis of the example. Conclusion and references have to be added as well.

Literature Review

It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the importance of the information resource management nowadays. Information resources have become one of the main resources of the companies. However, these changes have led to the problems of managing data of the company. Managers from all over the world try to find out the most effective ways to increase the company revenue by optimizing the process of obtaining, storing and processing information. Nowadays there are many studies on this issue.

Recent developments in information resource management have heightened the need for unified information space. Vasyhin (2010) and Horosilov (2004) in their works pay special attention to this issue. It is said that unified information space, for example, the Internet, may lead to effective storage and information processing. In addition, it can provide fast and efficient interaction of all participants of the supply chain. Here another important point can be highlighted.

An integrated approach plays an important role in the information resource management. The majority of authors address this issue in their works. Murthy (2008) note that there are different departments in an organization and each of them has its own goals, strategy, information technologies and flows of information. This system may lead to asynchronous operation of the company which in turn will lead to an increase in the duration of one cycle, the reduce of cooperation between different departments, increase in failures in the work of the organization and to money losses. In order to prevent this situation, it is suggested to ensure that each department strives to achieve the overall goals of the company and provide the free access to all company data.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in information technologies (IT) that are used for information resource management. Most authors consider this issue and analyze different information technologies. Vasyhin (2010) focuses attention on classification of IT and on the benefits for companies. Undoubtedly, the choice of IT that can be used in a company should based on its aims. Each company may use the combination of different types of information technologies to affect every sphere. Information technologies are being improved, new systems and methods are emerging, that leads to the importance of periodic verification of IT for understanding whether they meet the needs of the company.

Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in audit of information systems. Hingarh, Ahmed (2013) and Willard (1993) believed that the audit of information and information systems is the most important step in the information resource management. The authors pay attention that many companies do not understand the necessity of audit and always skip this step. However, the analyze of information that the company has may help managers to understand the current state of the company, to find out its strengths and weaknesses and to make operational decisions. The audit of information systems is important to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information.

It is believed that the model, which consists of five key elements, is designed to ensure effective management of information resources. Willard (1993) suggests the following model elements: identification, cost and value, development, exploitation and the responsible person. Identification assumes the classification of information. Managers have to understand the type of data they work with and where they may find it. Cost and value should help to make decisions about investments. The information which is available to the company have to be used as a resource for the development of the company. Information resources can be used to increase demand. Exploitation strives for maximization of value for money. The fifth key element is the responsible person who should coordinate the flows of information and who is responsible for identification. Thus, the combination of these five key elements lead to effective information resource management.

There is evidence to suggest that the proper information management is the key aspect of the future of the company. Murthy (2008) explains that there is a cycle of elements in information resource management which has influence on each other. Effective manage information imply the deliver proper information in accurate time. This lead to the decision making process, that is why the collection of the information should be automated. The author notes that there are a lot of different systems which can do this, but the managers have to pay their attention on the systems which suits to the needs of the company and which may be used in full potential. Usage of information technologies should be aimed at achieving success of all company and making the processes of the company as fast and easy as external conditions allow. The final element may lead to the proper manage future.

Many companies which are just starting out or are planning to enter a new market try to find out the strategy of their future actions and only after that analyze their resources. However, it is believed that the strategy should be formed on the basis of resource assessment. Horosilov (2004) suggests that this approach may help managers to understand better their clients, to find out the spheres where they can be suitable, where they can make the revenue. What is more, this approach may help to find out the information about their competitors and to think through their strategy, to create other ways, different from competitors, to promote their products and services.

Thus, the analysis of literature shows that there are a lot of information about the classification of information, about the importance of the information technologies and suggestions on information resource management. However, far too little attention has been paid to the nuances of information management in various functional areas of logistics. The gap which can be highlighted after analyzing the literature is that the authors give information in general and do address the issues of distinctive features of information resource management separately in transport logistics for transport companies. This work will be devoted to the analysis of the information resource management in transport company, identifying the features of information resources in transportation sphere, the distinctive features of the use of the information technologies and systems. It is planned to find out the ways to improve the efficiency of information resources management in transportation enterprises.

Methodology

This part of the proposal will include the description of the data, the methods of collecting the information and the methods of analysis. It should be noted that there are a lot of different methods of data analysis but in the study several methods will be used due to the limitations.

First of all, it is necessary to make a decision about the information which will be analyzed in the study. For the research, the transport company will be used. This company should be engaged in the transportation of goods as this is the specifics of the research topic. For further research, the information about the types of documents, the ways of analysis the data, the speed of information processing and the information systems should be received.

Several methods will be used to collect the information. Firstly, interviewing employees. This method involves questions for employees such as: “Do you use information systems for the information processing? Which one?”, “What types of documents are used in this company?”, “Do you have any problems with the information processing?”. The survey is carried out in person, by phone or when filling out the questionnaire. What is more, if it is possible, this kind of information may be collected by monitoring which within the framework of this study means search for answers to the above questions myself. The official documents of the company will be the sources of information in this situation. In the study these two methods will be used due to the fact that they may provide up-to-date information from the original source.

After the process of collecting information, it is necessary to analyze the data. The first method that will be used is a method of describing the flow of information through graphs of type “tree” (Landwehr, Hall, & Frank, 2005).  This method involves the construction of flows of the information and transformation of information when calculating individual indicators. As the result there is the graphical representation of data in the form of a tree. The second method is a method of information communication schemes (Gross, Yellen, & Zhang, 2013). It is necessary to display information sources, documents, and recipients of information. The third method is transport modeling which involves reflects the transfer of documents along the transport route. Although there is a large number of methods of analyzation these three methods were chosen for the study due to the fact that they may be used together and the third method is specific for the transport company. After the analyzation of information, the problem or problems of organization of work will be found out and the ways to solve them will be determined.

Anticipated Results

In this part of the work some anticipated results will be given. According to the methods the information about the company will be consolidated. It is expected to receive recommendations for the company to improve the efficiency of information resource management. These recommendations may be presented in the form of the plan which will show the specific actions for changes in the information resource management. The time for processing the transportation request, the amount of the information flows and the number of mistakes will be reduced. Moreover, the logistics service will be improved.

The anticipated results will confirm the thesis that it is necessary for the company to find out the methods of development of the information resource management. The company that will be analyzed will have the opportunity to improve information processing and reduce related costs. In addition to the company, counterparties also benefit from the information resource management improvement as the process of interaction with the company will be simplified.

The results of the study will be presented in different forms. Firstly, the diagrams will be presented to the dynamics of the costs. Secondly, the schemes of the information flows will be given. Thirdly, all information about the company will be presented in the table. What is more, the list of bottlenecks of the company will be compiled. Thus, the results will allow the transportation company to reform the information processing system.

Conclusion

In conclusionthe main aspects of the study will be outlined. The work done will confirm the importance of using the methods of improving the information resource management in the company which is specialized on the transport logistics. What is more, the key steps to achieve the main goal of the study will be completed namely the main methods and reasons of the improvement of the information resource management will be found, the information about the flows of documents and the types of process of the company will be consolidated, the results of the research will be evaluated.

The tasks of this study will be realized by applying different methods such as interviewing employees, monitoring, graphs of type “tree”, the method of information communication schemes and transport modeling. With the help of these methods the bottlenecks of the company will be found out, analyzed and transformed.

The results of this study could be used by the company in the future. However, it is not supposed to identify universal recommendations for all transport companies, so further research may focus on this. What is more, it will be useful to analyze the information technology that can be used to improve the information resource management and maintain the document processing process at a high level.

References

Gross, G. L., Yellen, J., & Zhang, P. (2013). Handbook of Graph Theory. CRC Press LLC, Inc.

Haynes, D. (2013). Information Sources in Information Technology. De Gruyter, Inc.

Hingarh, V., & Ahmed, A. (2013). Understanding and Conducting Information Systems Auditing. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Horosilov A.V. (2004). Mirovye informatsionny resursy [Information resources of the world]. Saint Petersburg, Russia: Piter.

Landwehr, N., Hall, M., & Frank, E. (2005). Logistic Model Trees. Business Media, Inc.

Murthy, C.S.V. (2008). Enterprise Resource Planning and Management Information Systems. Mumbai: Girgaon, Inc.

Vasyhin O.V. (2010). Informatsionny menedjment: kratkiy kurs [Information management: short course]. Uchebnoe posobie Sankt-Peterburgskogo Universiteta y Universiteta Informatsionnyx texnologiy, mexaniki y optiki, 119.

Willard, N. (1993). Information Resources Management. Aslib Information Vol 21, Inc.