The terms data, information and knowledge are often discussed as a progression. Ask students to identify a number written as such: 4018651000. They will likely have many guesses such as a social security number. Then, ask them to identify the same number if you write it out as follows: (401) 865-1000. They will know it is a phone number. The point is that the data (the raw number) ‘became’ information when it was seen displayed in the proper context. The format provided meaning. However, students only knew this because they had a priori knowledge of what a North American phone number would look like. Engage them in this discussion and then pose the following discussion questions:

a.) Does this mean we can only gather data if we know what to look for? If so, where does knowledge come from?

b.) What implications does this thought have for actual data collection (marketing data)? For instance – how much a priori knowledge must we have to make data gathering useful ?

Your initial post is due by Day 3 of Week 12. You are required to respond to two (2) other student’s post by Day 6 of Week 12.

Make sure all your post and responses are minimum of 150 words. APA formatting is required along with scholarly sources.