The Jobel Consultancy Company specializes in helping organizations to benefit from the implementation of Computerized information systems. On a typical client project, staff from Jobel Consultancy Company will review the use of Computerized information systems within an organization, identify how staff should be using the Computerized information systems, obtain the proposed Computerized information systems and then ensure that the revised Computerized information systems meet the requirements of the users.

As the newly appointed experienced management accountant, your responsibilities include ensuring that information systems of the company support its strategic direction and advising the Board of any changes that could be made to the overall company strategy. Prior to your appointment, the board recognized that growth in its existing market was limited and required some diversification to meet the consultancys objectives of sales and profit growth.

An intranet has been established utilizing a package which provides databases for technical information bulletin boards, electronic mail and customer contact information. The intranet is used by the management accountant frequently throughout the day, mainly to answer e-mails, but also to check information on the technical databases and bulletin boards. You also receive information from:

Professional staff who visit client organizations in the form of verbal queries and written reports

Various journals specializing in Computerized information systems

Administration staff who produce client proposals for review prior to sending out consultants to potential clients

Telephone queries directly from clients regarding the status of different projects

The internet, where different client and competitor websites are reviewed on a daily basis by the management

accountant

Your first project is to provide a report to the board summarizing the companys current strategic situation compared to its major competitors and suggesting alternative strategies for diversification

Required:

a. As a management accountant, it is important that you are able to focus on this project. Briefly explain the concept of Information Overload, then explain Four (4) machine learning barriers that will make it difficult for the management accountant to be able to adopt machine learning systems to overcome the problem of Information Overload. (10 marks)

b. Evaluate Five (5) characteristics that should apply to the information being given to the management accountant to ensure that the information is quickly and accurately understood.