Sources of
Information
“where to find information”
People-based sources
Gathered through direct contact with other
people eg
 face-to-face meetings
 telephone conversations
Disadvantages - no formal record is kept of
the discussion which can lead to
misinterpretation or forgotten information!
Paper-based sources
Most organisations have access to electronic
sources of information but there are times
when paper-based sources are needed.
Eg if internet access is not available
Disadvantage – information goes out of date
quickly
Examples
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Reference books eg Whitaker’s Almanack,
Pears Cyclopaedia, Who’s Who
Roget’s Thesaurus
Dictionary
Timetables
Catalogues
Leaflets
For each paper-based
Newspapers
source identify:
Road maps
 the information contained
Hotel directory
 a business use
Source
Information
Use
Whitaker’s
Almanack
Covers UK and world affairs
for a particular year
Info on world events –
speeches?
Pears
Cyclopaedia
Info on General Knowledge
topics
Background info –
report?
Who’s Who
Who Was Who
Short biographies of famous
people (present and
deceased)
Info of people – reference
in presentation?
(Roget’s)
Thesaurus
Alternative words with the
same meaning
Speech writing to avoid
repetition eg nice!
Dictionary
Spelling, meaning and
pronunciation of words
Preparation of business
documents eg memo
Timetable
Departure and arrival times of
transport eg bus, train
Arranging a business trip
Catalogues
Up-to-date information on new
products, equipment, etc
To purchase new items
for the business
Source
Information
Use
Leaflets
General information about a
topic eg printing service
To provide information
and contact details
Newspapers
Information about current
affairs
Info to aid decision
making
Road Maps
Routes to get from A to B
Planning a route to attend
a meeting
Hotel Directory
Lists hotels and their facilities
Finding accommodation
for a business trip
TOP TIP
Recent exam questions have focused
on the use of paper-based sources
of information
(be able to name the source and
state what it would be
used for)
Electronic (ICT) sources
Those that can be accessed using ICT
equipment, eg:
CD Rom
 Database
 Spreadsheets
 Teletext
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Internet website
 Intranet
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What information
can you find in
each of these
sources?
CD Rom
Similar information to reference books
eg encyclopaedia. Goes out of date quickly
and can be costly to replace.
Database
Internal information including staff records,
customer/supplier details, training details – can
be searched/filtered to produce reports.
Spreadsheet
Teletext
Internal information including dept budgets,
sales records, price lists, etc – can be
sorted and graphs produced
Available through TV and the Internet to give
current information on general topics – eg news,
weather, road reports, etc.
Uses of the Internet:
 advertising the organisation and its products and
services
 e-commerce – taking orders on-line
 keeping up-to-date about competitors prices and
services
 using e-mail to contact customers and sales reps
 researching and booking travel, accommodation
and car hire
If you want to use the Internet as a PS answer
ALWAYS say “Internet website”
or give a specific website eg Travel Agent website
Features of a good website:
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Up-to-date web pages (up-dated regularly)
Easy to navigate – hyperlinks should be available
(eg www.sqa.org.uk) and a search facility is
useful
E-commerce should be available
Contact details of the organisation including email address
Easy to remember URL (website address)
FAQ’s section (frequently asked questions)
Find out the meaning of the
following terms:
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ISP
Download
Search engine
Hyperlink
Favourites
Advantages of using the internet
as a source of information
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Information is usually up-to-date
Using a search engine allows access to a wide
range of information – used if you don’t know the
correct URL
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Websites may give more detailed information
than a leaflet or brochure
Information is available instantly
Problems????
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Individuals can easily set up their own
website – there is no guarantee the
information is accurate
Websites need to be updated regularly if
they are to be reliable
Sometimes internet connections or websites
are unavailable
Really Useful Websites
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www.google.co.uk – widely used search
engine
www.bbc.co.uk– up-to-date news etc
en.wikipedia.org – general interest topics
(the online encyclopaedia)
Access this website and
read the “about Wikipedia”
section.
Intranet
This is an internal network used to share
information within an organisation.
It can only be accessed by the organisation’s
employees.
Intranet can be used for:
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Up-to-date company information eg internal
telephone directory
Up-to-date product information eg price lists
Daily or weekly staff bulletins and notices
Internal e-mail
Electronic diaries
Sharing software
Advantages of an intranet
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The same information is available to all
employees – policy documents, training packages
Information needs to be up-dated only once
Standardised documents can be stored and
accessed by all employees
Fewer documents are photocopied for circulation,
saving paper and costs