Information Literacy And Its Impact In Business

Introduction

Information literacy has been identified as one of the most important parts of the learning competence of a student. The ability of a student to find, evaluate and use information is a vital necessity for information competence and literacy.In this text I look at how the issue of information literacy impacts on practice and leadership in business.

The concept of Information literacy

In most scenarios, information literacy has been defined as a competence in information search, evaluation as well as distribution. Experts claim this competence whose development takes a lifetime.According to Eisenberg et al. (2004), a person who is information literate is able to effectively utilize information required once he has correctly recognized and located it. Information literate people can also be said to be those individuals who know how to learn because they are aware of where to find information and how to use this information they have found in a practical way. These individuals can be said to be actively involved in lifelong learning. In the modern world, many schools have designed their programs in such a way that students now increasingly acquire the skills required of them in a society that is now considered to be more information conscious than before (Goad 2002).Now more than ever before, there is the appreciation in the business world that employees in the modern world need to be well versed on information and use it to succeed in both the personal and professional setting.

  Information literacy and business

Various researchers have shown that most of what a student learns is forgotten within a very short duration of time. It has also been argued in some quarters that a big chunk of information acquired in graduate school will be considered old within a short duration of time. With that in mind, employers cannot be sure whether the skills being taught in the classroom are adequate enough to leave a mark or applicable in the corporate setting.According to Christine et al. (2000), Information literacy is a vital step towards kaizen, what is commonly known as continuous improvement I total quality management. It has often been argued that information literacy should be given more than the attention it is currently receiving (Christine et al. 2000). It should probably be given as much information as was the case with computer literacy ten years ago. This is widely informed by the fact that mobilization of knowledge does not depend on computer literacy and IT competence only.Information literacy has come to be considered very vital for business success. To succeed in today’s dynamic world, a business depends on professionals with the proper orientation when it comes to information literacy. This acts as a competitive advantage for a business to succeed in the competitive market place. According to Goad (2002), the absence of information literacy skills in the business can spell doom for an organization. In most cases this will result in lost business opportunities and lack of efficiency.

Improving information literacy

The most important thing a business should consider in any attempt to improve information literacy in the business setting is to first carry out an analysis of the current information literacy level in the Organisation. After that the company should settle on the implementation of a practical corporate as well as individual knowledge bases. This can be done in a number of ways and it all depends on the organization’s position, resource base and orientation.If the business already has employee training and development processes, it may be important to have a look at them. This includes their comprehensive review.

Conclusion

It is highly likely that in the 21^st century information literacy will take the front seat in the business setting as Organizations become more sensitive on content use by individuals in their payroll.

References

Christine, B., Candy, P. (2000).Information literacy around the world: advances in programs and research.New South Wales: Centre for Information Studies, CharlesSturtUniversity.

Eisenberg, M., Lowe, C.A., Spitzer, K.L (2004). Information literacy: essential skills for the information. Libraries Unlimited

Goad, T.W. (2002). Information literacy and workplace performance. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002

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