Information is facts provided or learnt through someone else about something that conveys or represents a specific sequence and arrangement of things.
The main four types of information are:
Primary information is information that is raw and information that is first hand and original this could be Surveys, forms, questionnaires, and interviews.
Secondary information is second hand information that has already been seen and used by others for example past documents or references from schools, catalogues, indexes etc.
Quantitative information is information to do with numbers and statistics, information that can be counted for example the number of students in a class.
Qualitative information is information that is more personal to the user. This could be information such as contact details, name, gender, age and ethnicity
There are many different types of information sources which the restaurant can use to collect relevant information that they will need to make business decisions. The information can be gathered from the following sources:
People (customers, staff, managers, external agencies that the restaurant deals with etc.)
Statistics (This can be obtained from government sources such as websites and printed articles on food and restaurants, research companies that focus on food, restaurants and health)
Internet sites (Social trends, they could look at other similar restaurant websites, )
Books and eBooks
Magazines & Newspapers Food critics,
TV
It is important that information includes characteristics. This could be information that includes the following:
What are the characteristics of good information? (P2)
Information may carry many different characteristics; some of these characteristics are very helpful to the restaurant. Every time the business collects different information, it always makes sure that the information is good and reliable, which has good characteristics if that isn’t carried out, then it will lead the business to its end, and it will fail.
This is really important, because the information that has characteristics may benefit the business or the user through being reliable and accurate which will lead to having no errors when processing orders through the EPOS system or checking up the stock and finances so it will be easier to understand, or work out whether the information is worth the money because often the information is costly and getting the information that is useless to the restaurant will give it nothing but problems.
So when the restaurant collects information it must consider the following characteristics:
Accuracy
Information must be accurate at all times as inaccurate information will lead to problems or even the downfall of the restaurant.
For example, the restaurant might use a lot of money on useless information and it will go bankrupt, and not be in business. Also they could lose customers, because they will create a product that they don’t really like or they didn’t ask for it.
It is important that the information is accurate as of obvious reasons; if the restaurant was to get information that is incorrect it can cause serious problems for them. One example might be getting the wrong information about a new product or service, and therefore the information is not accurate, it is linked with reliability as often the information is not accurate comes from unreliable sources.
Reliable
The information must be reliable and from a reliable source, false information will lead to major problems for the restaurant which can have a devastating effect and again lead to it becoming bust.
For example, if they take information from someone who isn’t interested, they will not get a lot of information, and they will probably give false information. Also using third party resources that looks shady might be unreliable, this will also lead the restaurant go bankrupt, and go out of business.
Somewhat similar to the accuracy of the information
