1. Chapter 3 Evaluating Information
Information Systems for Business: An Experiential Approach
Second Edition
France Bélanger, Craig Van Slyke, Robert E. Crossler
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

2. Practice: Focusing Story (p. 36)
Give two examples of instances where you encountered biased information. What made you think the information was biased?
What are some of the consequences of relying on biased information?
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

3. Practice: Learning Activity 3.1 (p. 36)
Develop a list of characteristics of “good” information.
How can this list be used to evaluate information?
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

4. Information Evaluation
The systematic determination of the merit and worth of information.
In traditional media, editors and publishers evaluate the quality and correctness of information.
On the Internet, there are few “gatekeepers” who decide what can be posted (and provide quality control).
Therefore, the information consumer must perform this evaluation
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

5. Practice: Learning Activity 3.2 (p. 39)
We all face a daily torrent of information. The more “connected” you are, the more information you face. Think about yesterday and how you dealt with the information you faced.
What strategies do you use to determine what information is important and to reduce the amount of information you deal with?
How successful are these strategies?
How could you improve your approach to information filtering?
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

6. Information Overload
Being faced with more information than one can effectively process.
The more information we have to sift through, the less attention we have to devote to other tasks.
It reduces productivity, increases stress, and can lead to physical health problems.
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

7. Managers Value Information…
To improve decision making
To justify decisions
To verify previously-acquired information
To “play it safe” by making sure they do not miss any relevant information
In the belief that the information may be useful later
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

8. Dealing with Information Overload
Withdrawal: disconnecting from sources of information (e.g., not checking , turning off the TV, not surfing the Web)
Filtering: knowing what information we need and what information merits attention and use
Requires knowing how to evaluate information, a critical skill in today’s information rich world
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

9. Information Quality
Bad information can lead to bad decisions  “Garbage in, garbage out”
Dimensions of information quality
Intrinsic quality: important dimensions of quality regardless of the context or how the information is represented.
Contextual quality: dimensions that may be viewed differently depending on the task at hand.
Representational quality: how the information is provided to the user.
Accessibility quality: whether authorized users can easily access the information.
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

10. Information Quality Dimensions
Intrinsic
Accurate
Believable
Objective
Consistent
Understandable
Contextual
Relevant
Timely
Complete
Current
Figure 3.1 Information Quality Dimensions
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

11. Information Quality Intrinsic Dimension
TABLE 3.1 Information Quality Dimension Definitions
Intrinsic Dimension
Definition: Extent to which the information is:
Accurate
Correct, free from error and reliable
Believable
Regarded as true and credible
Objective
Free from bias
Understandable
Easily comprehended
Consistent
Compatible with previous information
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

12. Information Quality Contextual Dimension
TABLE 3.1 Information Quality Dimension Definitions (Cont.)
Contextual Dimension
 Definition: Extent to which the information is…:
Relevant
Applicable and useful for the task at hand
Timely
Available in time to perform the task at hand
Complete
Of sufficient depth and breadth for the task at hand
Current
Sufficiently up-to-date for the task at hand
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

13. Information Quality vs. Costs
Context of information quality matters
For example, stock price information is often delayed for free information services; this is acceptable to casual investors but devastating for a day trader
High quality information, however, is costly
The goal is information that is of sufficient quality to carry out tasks effectively.
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

14. Practice: Learning Activity 3.4 (p. 45)
You are thinking about investing in real estate. While doing some initial research you obtained the following sources of information:
A 2004 book on investing in residential real estate
A local real estate broker
A database of historical sales prices from your local tax collector
Rank these three sources based on how willing you would be to rely on the information from the source. Briefly justify your rankings.
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

15. Evaluating Information
Is the information useful?
Is the information believable?
Useful?
Relevant
Appropriate
Current
Believable?
Credible
Objective
Supported
Comprehensive
FIGURE 3.2 Information Evaluation Framework
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

16. Evaluating Usefulness of Information
Relevance: degree to which the information is pertinent to the task at hand.
There are varying degrees of relevance, which are context-dependent
Appropriateness: degree to which the information is suitable for your purpose.
Needs an assessment of the level of detail and depth of information needed; which are context-dependent
Currency: degree to which the information is up-to-date.
Requires deciding how current the information needs to be
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

17. Evaluating Information Believability
Credibility: whether the source of information can be trusted.
Formal publications, widely published authors, tend to have more credibility
Objectivity: whether the source of information appears unbiased.
Language that is more fact-based and neutral is more likely to be objective
Supported claim: whether the information provided is supported and whether this support is of good quality.
Involves looking at the reasonableness of the claim and whether it is testable
Comprehensiveness: depth and breadth of the information.
Breadth: whether all aspects of a topic are covered
Depth: the level of detail provided.
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

18. Reflection
How do you think information evaluation skills will be helpful in your future career?
Describe a situation where, looking back on it, you spent more time gathering information than you should have. How do you know when you’ve gathered enough information?
Why is information quality an ethical issue?
How do you decide how much effort to put into information quality/evaluation?
Why is context important to information quality and evaluation?
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016

19. Copyright 2016 Prospect Press
All rights reserved.  This material may not be copied or distributed without permission from Prospect Press.
Bélanger, Van Slyke, Crossler © Prospect Press 2016