info need and supply gaps
TRANSCRIPT
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LOGO
Information supply and Information
needs gaps
Two examples of cases where there are strong differencesbetween information supply and information needs in an
organisation.
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INFORMATIONData that have been shaped into a form that is meaningful and useful to humans
ORGANISATION
INFORMATIONNEEDS
INFORMATIONSUPPLY
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C ase 1: Engineers and the Web
Study of Engineers in SMEs working on NPD (new product development)
Information need and supply gap exists in different phases of the NP
Research
NewProduct
Develop
InformationAcquisition
Phase
InformationUtilisationPhase
Info Need vs. Supply
Gap
Barrier
Opportunity
Info Need vs. Supply
Gap
Unsolvedinformation gap
remains
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General View of Engineers Need vs. Supply
General Information Need
Broad spectrum of information :
market
technological
organizational knowledge
(Faulkener & Senker, 1995)
InformationSource/Supply
Customers and suppliers(Jetter, Kraaijenbrink, Schro der, & Wijnhoven,
2005; Johnson & Kuehn, 1987;White, Bennett, &Shipsey, 1982) .
Preferred Sources
Personal over impersonal(McGee & Sawyerr, 2003; Tenopir & King,
2004) ,
Informal over formal(Julien, 1995; Tenopir & King, 2004) ,
Internal over external(Robertson, 1974) .
Decision Points
Accessibility(Fidel & Green, 2004;
Gerstberger & Allen,1968)
Trust(Hertzum2002)
Taskcomplexity
(Bystrom & Jarvelin,1995)
Minimizingeffort
(Hardy, 1982) .
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Information Acquisition Gap in NPD
Information Need
Vague, looking for inspiration
Information that doesnt yetexist
Specific but from a distinctviewpoint
Not only documents, peoplebut also physical productsand components
Info from a particular person
Immediate access
Info about the product rather than the actual product
Information Supply
Specific but helped uncover new information
Specific info not categorised in the way engineerswere looking
Information and ordering in separate domains
Persons in organisations not traceable
Info about the actual product
New OpportunityFurther develop this to createcompetitive advantage
Barriers
Property right
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Information Utilization Gap in NPD
Information Need
U sing information from another domain
Low or high level of aggregation
Constant interplay betweenapplication, function and form
Engineers require functions for solutions
Correct, complete and certaininformation
Information that can becompared
Information Supply
Solutions for specific domains
Information aggregated at a differentlevel to the need
Known form of the solution but notknown the function to reach thesolution
Information perceived by the user and
claimed by the source
Information provided is not the exactlyneeded
Information that had to betranslated in order to be
compared
The Gap
Domain
constraints
Aggregation level
Abstractionlevel
Quality
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C ase 2: Folk Music Users and digital librarysystem
Study of information needs of users andthe implications for designing a digital
library system
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C auses
Information need Information supply
Difficult to define and
satisfy
Variables e.g. social,work environment
Level of intelligenceof seeker
Quality of informationrequired
Quantity of information
Situational-gap-use
Account for psychological,affective and cognitive
need of users
Account for variables
Account for users
intelligence levels
Ordering and structuringthe supply of information
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Solutions
Conducting an interview with users of the library. The informationneeds grouped by:
Subject and NatureFunctionDate
Speed of DeliveryV iewpointPackaging
Should be user centered rather than collection centered
C ollaborative recommendation system
Metadata should be fully descriptive
Full cataloguing
Use-tagging where materials are tagged with their uses
Information Supply
Information Needs
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C onclusion
Despite abundance of information available today, gaps continue toexist between user information need and supply due to someelements that can be highlighted below
Aggregation, categorisation, abstraction level of information notmatching user needsQuality not matching requirement
Lack of consideration for users intelligence level, psychological,affective and cognitive needsSolution to fill the gap maybe to offer new dimensions such as below
Collaborative recommendation systems where people can getinformation from other peopleU se tagging to create link between information and its application
However as information need and supply increase are notnecessarily in synch, careful evaluation of users needs in order tosatisfy their requirement to supply the relevant information continuesto be key
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References
Case StudiesKaraaijenbrink, J (2006). Engineers and the Web: An analysis of real life gaps in information usage. Information Processing and Management, 45 (2007),1368-1382Inskip, C et al (2007). A study of information needs of the users of a folk music library and the implications for the design of a digital library system.Information Processing and Management, 44 (2008), 647-662.
Others:Bystrm, K., & Jrvelin, K. (1995). Task complexity affects information seeking and use. Information Processing & Management, 31(2), 191213.Faulkner, W., & Senker, J. (1995). K nowledge frontiers: public sector research and industrial innovation in biotechnology, engineering,ceramics, and
parallel computing . Oxford: Clarendon PressFidel, R., & Green, M. (2004). The many faces of accessibili ty: engineers perception of information sources. Information Processing & Management, 40,
563581Gerstberger, P. G., & Allen, T. J. (1968). Criteria used by research and development engineers in the selection of an information source . Journal of
Applied Psychology, 52(4), 272279.Hardy, A. P. (1982). The selection of channels when seeking information: cost/benefit vs least-effort. Information Processing & Management, 18(6), 289293.Hertzum, M. (2002). The importance of trust in software engineers assessment and choice of information sources. Information & Organization, 12, 118.Jetter, A., Kraaijenbrink, J., Schrder, H.-H., & Wijnhoven, F. (2005). K nowledge integration: the practice of knowledge management in small and mediumenterprises . Heidelberg: Physica- V erlag.Johnson, J. L., & Kuehn, R. (1987). The small business owner/managers search for external information. Journal of Small Business Management, 25(3),5360.
Julien, P.-A. (1995). New technologies and technological information in small businesses. Journal of Business Venturing, 10, 459475.McGee, J. E., & Sawyerr, O. O. (2003). U ncertainty and information search activities: a study of ownermanagers of small high-technology manufacturingfirms. Journal of Small Business Management, 41(4), 385401.Robertson, A. (1974). Behaviour patterns of scientists and engineers in information seeking for problem solving. ASLIB Proceedings, 26(10), 384390.Tenopir, C., & King, D. W . (2004). C ommunication patterns of engineers . Piscataway, NJ: IEEE Press.White, B., Bennett, R., & Shipsey, R. (1982). Information and the small manufacturing firm . Edinburgh: Capital Planning Information Limited.Laudon, K.C., Laudon, J.Management Information Systems, Sixth Edition (2000)
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LOGO