Running head: ACCURACY OF DATA INPUT

Accuracy of data input Intro
Printed questionnaires
Since we are working with a document that was created digitially, then printed on paper making it analog, the trick will be finding a method that easily converts the questionnaire's answers back to digital. Options are limited, since we would be relying on the individual's handwritten marks. The ability to scan test using scantrons has been around for a while, and has proven to be an efficient and effective way to quickly grade test. However, scantrones, or OMRs, rely on the testee to fill in bubbles using only #2 pencils. For the purposes of our questionaire, this would work, but #2 pencils would have to be supplied with the questionaire. A better method would be using OCR technology that scans and recongnizes the document based on light properties. With this method, the questionaires could be filled out using any analog input device, pencils or pens.
Telephone survey
Telephone surveys used to be conducted primarily by a pool of telemarketers that would use terminals to input the user's responses to questions. However, automated voice technology has enable a greater number of calls to go out that ask the user questions based on prerecorded questions. Because of this method, automated survey's rely on user input from touchtone key input, or automated voice response. Automated voice response systems has improved, but they rely on the background noice from the user’s side to be quite. So, for now, the best data input system for telephone survey’s would be the reliable touch tone input.
Bank checks According to Stair and Reynolds (2006), banks have adopted the magnetic ink character recognition, or (MICR), to help automate the scan process of checks. This system enables banks to quickly scan checks and input there values in the bank database. What this system does not do is read the handwritten fields such as the To, and Amount. Because these fields are typically handwritten, OCR technology typically does not do a good job of accurately converting these fields from analog to digital. More and more, bank transactions are being done electronically which makes the process of tracking transactions much easier. However, until people completely stop using checks, banks will rely on MICR to track the checks while manually inputting the TO, and AMOUNT field.
Retail tags Barcoded tags for any retail product has been the data input preference for many years. Barcodes are easy to create, and the scanners are relatively cheap. A new type of data input option has recently entered the market, Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID. These tiny microchips transmit data to a centralized checkout system that in-turn eliminates the need for an actually person to checkout the customer. However, the cost of these systems are not yet practical, at least at small-medium retail stores. Barcode data input systems will be the preferred until the cost of RFID comes down.
Long documents OCR technology takes a scanned document and digitally recongnizes the characters while converting them to editable text. OCR generally does a good job recongnizing typed characters, but falls short any document that was handwritten. In either case, quality control would need to be employed after scanning a long document to OCR to ensure the accuracy of the conversion. Newer software will take an the imaged scanned and convert which parts the OCR thinks is text over the image. This method is great if your concern is to able to search the contents of the document.
Conclusion
Choosing the right data input method for different sceaniors can be elusive and should be researched for every different sceanariors. Some of the above examples had newer input methods available, but the older methods are typically more reliable and cost effective. Managers should excersise constraint when looking at using newer methods and wait for proper testing to be done prior to making the switch. The most important conclusion is that managers need to know exactly what the data input requirements are, and what they will be used for.
1. Stair and Reynolds (2006) [Insert the paraphrased material].
2. [Insert the paraphrased material] (Stair & Reynolds, 2006).
3. “[Insert the quotation]” (Stair & Reynolds, 2006, p. ).

References
Stair, R. M., & Reynolds, G.
W. (2006). Fundamentals of Information Systems. : Thomson Course Technology.