Historically, firms have done very well in collecting a large volume of data. Unfortunately, the data are often collected and stored without proper consideration being given to how they will be used later. This paper aims to consider how firms can more effectively gather usable data.
The methodology used was a conceptual approach using real‐time examples.
The findings indicate that organizations do not lack for data – they lack high quality, analyzable data.
This paper does not provide an empirical sample. Future research should focus more specifically on the type of data firms collect and the reasons for collecting those data.
The paper shows the difference between simply collecting data and collecting data, which can be used at a later date.
The paper provides a blueprint for firms to enable more effective data collection and use.
