In organizational knowledge cycles there is continuous flow of information between sensemaking, knowledge creation, and decision making. The outcome of information use in one provides the context and resources for use in another. The example of the World Health Organization's smallpox eradication program illustrates a continuous cycle of…

Discusses information failures as precursors to, as opposed to outcomes of, disasters. Relates research in disasters and accidents, information use environments and information behaviors, and culture (i.e. information, safety, and organizational cultures) to highlight linkages and implications for research and practice. Illustrates connections…

Proposes a conceptual framework for studying the information-seeking behavior of executives when they scan the business environment. Research in management theory and information science is reviewed, and the principal elements of the framework are discussed, including the environment, acquisition of information, environmental information use,…

Defines environmental scanning as the acquisition and use of information about an organization's external environment to assist managers in planning. Highlights include a historical review; organizational theories; information needs and uses; managers as information users; and a review of research on environmental scanning. (Contains 124…

Presents preliminary results from a survey of how women in information technology professions use information sources. Investigates the effects of perceived source accessibility and perceived source quality on the selection and use of information sources. Discusses results of correlation analysis and regression analysis that also examined…

Discusses results of the final part of a study of the environmental scanning behavior of chief executive officers in two Canadian industries--publishing and telecommunications. The results of personal interviews were analyzed to determine their main sources of environmental information and how they made use of the information in decision making.…

Describes a study that investigated how CEOs (Chief Executive Officers) in the Canadian publishing and telecommunications industries acquire and use information about the business environment. Topics discussed include environmental scanning; perceived environmental uncertainty; information sources; information use in decision making; and a…

Reports on a study of how 13 chief executives in the Canadian publishing and telecommunications industries scan their environments for information and use it in decision making. Critical incidents of information use were analyzed according to their environmental sectors, information sources, and their use in decision making. (Contains 27…

Reports on a study of the information sources used in environmental scanning by chief executives of the Canadian telecommunications industry that investigated the relationship between perceived source quality and source use and the chief executives' perception and use of the company library and electronic information sources. (Contains 23…