To normalize or not to normalizeand the extent to which you carry out normalizationis often a combined decision for all parties involved. If there is a compelling enough need for a certain piece of information to be stored where it isn't necessarily falling strictly within the definition of a normal form, such storage should be considered. Further, normalizing decisions need to be based on the use of the tables and the database. Often, with a decision support system or a data warehouse, extreme denormalized information, particularly in a fact table, is to be strongly desired because of the time variant component of the data warehouse.
As with anything in a team-oriented environment, these decisions are a departmental decision (or even a corporate direction decision). Hopefully, these guidelines help you to understand normalization and help you make more informed decisions.