There are many different systems and tools to manage and process information. In Cadburys and in many other companies, they use different tools to process their information. They could use Microsoft Office Word to enter their information and store it. To then process their information they could use database software such as Microsoft Access, this would be good for large databases and reporting. Microsoft Excel would be good for a flat file database as it is just simply a list, it would also be good for use on figures, i.e. prices of products, how many product sold, in goings and outgoings.
For all the data that Cadburys research, they could use a process called predictive modelling. This is when raw data from the market, i.e. the shops that sell their products, turns into information that the company needs. Once that has been done, the information is then analysed and then a statistical prediction is made for the sales of that same product. Predictive modelling is made up of a number of predictors which predict certain results for different products. However, there are variable factors which can change the end result. In other words, the company itself is using methodology in order to predict how the future sales for the product will turn out. For example, a predictor could look at the customer’s data and use it by looking at their age, gender and recent products purchased. This is called a cross section of data. This would help the predictors by looking at a product a consumer might have liked and then make another product that is almost the same. This is so that the business can profit more in sales.
In order to go through the process of predictive modelling, the company needs to apply data mining. This is when all the data is deeply analysed to pick up certain relevant pieces of information so that the business could find more things than a simple analysis would. With this the business could have the ability to target key attributes, target opportunities, identify data clusters and it would be helpful to the HR in identifying the characteristics of the business’s most successful employees. Data mining may be deep at looking into information but it is a quicker and more reliable process. For example, if the company had a database full of information and they just wanted to pick out a certain piece of data, data mining would be able to get that certain piece of data that the company is looking for. In addition, it can identify clusters by instantly discovering groups/segments within a data set i.e. data mining can look at a product and see who actually buys a certain product. Also, HR Revenues could use it to help their decision making on successful employees.
Below there will be a comparison table of all the tools that a business could use to process information. Software | Research info/ letters | Databases | Figures | How a business would use the tool | Microsoft Word | YESThis would be really good to use if the company are writing letters to whomever and if they want to jot down their research electronically. As it is documentation software. They would also be good to use for memos and faxes. | NOIf the company wanted to create databases, then it would be a lot harder to do with this type of software as you would have to mess about creating tables. | NOIn MSWord it would be really difficult to calculate figures as it doesn’t have a calculation method, and you would have to add it all up yourself. Therefore, the figures could be miss-calculated. | It is mostly used for the use of text, such as letters, memos and faxes. Also it can be used for clip art images, however the quality of the images are poor. | Microsoft Access | NOThis would not be the correct software for writing letters in or keeping research information. This is because it is set out as table format with grids, field names, sums, numbers etc. | YESIt would be a really, good software to use for databases as it is made for