LO5 flow of information

Question 1

what are the sources of information types? 5.1

Answer 1

internal and external source

Question 2

what is an internal source? 5.1

Answer 2

Information that comes form within an organisation, such as financial reports, data analysis or employee surveys.

Question 3

what is an external source? 5.1

Answer 3

Information that comes from outside an organisation, such as government reports, financial data of competitors or price lists from suppliers.

Question 4

what are the types of data? 5.1

Answer 4

primary, secondary, qualitative, quantitative

Question 5

what is primary data? 5.1

Answer 5

Data that has been created and collected by yourself or another employee within an organisation. For example, interviews or questionnaires sent within the company.

Question 6

what is secondary data? 5.1

Answer 6

Data that has been created and collected by someone outside of the organisation, such as national census data collected by the government or surveys taken by a competitor. Some secondary data may need to be purchased.

Question 7

what is qualitative data? 5.1

Answer 7

This is descriptive data, often composed of text, that can be observed but not measured. For example, survey responses where customers are asked why they visit a particular shop.

E.g.
“why do you visit this supermarket?”
- Because it is close to home
- I like the easy access to parking
I’ve always gone here

Question 8

what is quantitative data? 5.1

Answer 8

This is measured data, often in the form of numbers, percentages or statistics. For example, survey responses of the amount of time it takes to reach a shop.

E.g.
“how many minutes does it take you to get here?”
- 10
- 15
- 30

Question 9

what is a data flow diagram? 5.2

Answer 9

A data flow diagram is a visual representation of how data is transferred within a system or organisation. Data flow diagrams are often abbreviated to just DFD.

Question 10

names of data flow symbols 5.2

Answer 10

External entity (e.g. employee, customer) (rectangle or circle)

Process (e.g. calculate pay, review application) (rounded rectangle or rectangle with a line in the first third and near the top)

Data storage (e.g. staff database, customer database) (open rectangle with a line in the first third or closed rectangle with a line in the first third)

Data flow (arrow)

there are alternative symbols you can use

Question 11

what is a level 0 data flow? 5.2

Answer 11

shows the transfer of data in a simple manner. Processes maybe generalised and not shown separately, for a more basic overview.

Question 12

what is a level 1 data flow? 5.2

Answer 12

shows the transfer of data in a simple manner. Processes maybe generalised and not shown separately, for a more basic overview.

Question 13

what are the rules when drawing a level 1 DFD? 5.2

Answer 13

• data only flows in one direction
• every data flow connects to at least one process
• every data flow is labelled with data itself, not the action
• at least one input or output for each external entity

Question 14

what are the impacts affecting the flow of data information? 5.2

Answer 14

Information characteristics e.g. information is entered incorrectly, causing delays.
Human error e.g. information is lost or staff don’t follow protocol.
Communication breakdown e.g. meetings postponed or emails unread.
Hardware failure e.g. network connection breaking or system failure.

all these can cause an organisation to be delayed or inefficient