How organizational subsystems connect: Across functional areas (for example, marketing, finance, operations), subsystems are primarily connected and coordinated by which type of flow?

Introduction / Context:
Organizations comprise interdependent functional subsystems. Coordination among them is achieved by moving the right content to the right stakeholders at the right time. The generic term for this coordinating content is “information,” which includes data contextualized for decisions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Subsystems exchange statuses, forecasts, and plans.
• “Data” are raw facts; “information” is data in context.
• “Resource” flows describe physical movement; “decision” flows describe authority rather than content.

Concept / Approach:
Information flows connect subsystems by transmitting processed, meaningful messages (for example, sales forecasts to production planning; purchase orders to suppliers; inventory levels to finance). While data flows exist at a technical level, the managerial integration concept is commonly framed as information flows.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Differentiate flows: physical resources vs. informational content vs. formal authority.Identify which flow coordinates decisions and actions across subsystems: information flows.Choose the option “information flows.”

Verification / Alternative check:
Enterprise architecture and MIS literature consistently cite information flows as the glue aligning processes and decisions across functions.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Resource flows: Concern materials and cash, not the coordinating messages.
• Decision flows: Refer to authority and approvals, not the content being exchanged.
• Data flows: Too low-level; the managerial view emphasizes information (contextualized data).
• None: Incorrect because information flows are correct.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing raw data feeds with actionable information; lacking context leads to misalignment and rework.

Final Answer:
information flows