The aim of this task is to produce a report for the managing director of Chello Hotel to show how communication methods are used to transfer information.

• Letters
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Exam papers
• Brochures
• Photographs

Screen based

Screen based communication is any information of which is displayed on a screen this could include video, multimedia and web-based information. For example, mobile phones when they receive a text message or train times on a screen/television.

The advantages of using screen based communication are that a large number of people can watch the presentation for example, and receive information from it.

Other advantages could be data can be produced using screen based communication and editing with ease. Without screen based communication you wouldn’t be able to work from home.

How can screen based communications be used by the Hotel

Chello Hotel can use screen based information within their televisions and computers. Screens could be put up around the Hotel with certain information displayed depending on where they are. This does however; require a screen to be used as the output in order to present the information.

SMS

This type of communication applies to mobile phones which also ties in with screen-based communications. Messages are entered into the phone and are then sent to another phone. Nowadays people needn’t worry about having a phone with SMS capabilities as this is now standardised throughout the mobile phone business. It is also helpful that some house phones now offer these capabilities too.

A disadvantage of SMS is each message is limited to a certain number of characters; therefore a texting language has developed over time which uses abbreviations and numbers to get the message across in a shorter message.

Examples

• w8 = wait
• 4 = for
• 2 = to
• tmw = tomorrow

How can SMS be used by Chello Hotel

Chello Hotel can be used to send out messages to guests who have given this information offering special deals to them and future guests. This is a common way of communicating so would be beneficial to most, but some people do not own a mobile phone or they do not want to release their personal number due to potential third party use.

Radio

Radio is a type of audio communication. It is broadcast to the public on several different channels which are ever increasing. Radio can either be local, national or even international depending on the type of audience the company would like to target and the particular information that they would like to get across, e.g. music or sports. Channels like these are on-way communication.

Another use of radio communication is two-way radio. This allows both groups to send and receive information, however, this is can only be used as information can only be sent one at a time. Also, both parties must be set to the same channel or frequency in order for it to work properly.

Not all channels can be used by the general public as some channels are reserves for emergency services and the police; therefore the general public have a limited number of channels, also known as Citizen Band (CB) Radio. This is frequently used by motorists to communicate with each other, for example about traffic conditions.

An advantage of radios is that information can be received by any radio tuned to the same channel as the transmitting radio. This is a major advantage to the emergency services as they can dispatch the information via broadcasting it out to all of the active vehicles and gives a better chance of a being quicker to the scene.

Another advantage is that they can work where mobile phones do not. This is useful for rescue services attending to mountains or out at sea.

A disadvantage of radios is that they don’t have that greater range so can only cover a very local area.

How could Chello Hotel use radio communications?

Members of staff at Chello Hotel could use radios to communicate cheaply and regularly. This would save time having to find someone to talk face to face and information is passed more quickly. The Hotel could also provide radios in guest’s rooms for audio entertainment.

Television

Television is similar to radio as the information is broadcast to the general public. However, information communicated comes in the form of video and audio. This makes the information more inviting to the viewer and it is more likely that they will retain the information because they have seen it and heard it.

Another similarity of radio is that televisions have several channels also which broadcast different types of information. These include: general channels, news, sports, films, music or weather programmes.

Recently over the past few years, there has been a rapid increase in the amount of digital television being manufactured, bought and watched. This availability has enabled viewers to interact with some programmes and can therefore access more information.

And just like radio, not all of the channels are used as some are reserved to broadcast teletext. These types of pages provide viewers with textual information that can be accessed if they have a television with a remote control and a teletext decoder.

Television can also aid the police and several other services with the use of Close Circuit Television (CCTV). Its main use is for security purposes and cameras are placed in public areas such as shopping centres and banks. And advantage of CCTV is that events that have been recorded can be viewed again and passed onto the police as evidence.

Where Chello Hotel could use televisions?

CCTW cameras can be fitted in order to monitor people’s movement around the Hotel grounds for security purposes. Televisions could also be placed in guest’s rooms for their own entertainment.

Telephone

Nowadays, telephones offer a wide variety of information to be transmitted through their use, for example audio, written, graphical and even video information to be conversed. A big advantage of the telephone is that it is two-way; you can listen to the other person and speak to them at the same time.

Mobile phones have no become more general and it is not only the upper class people that can own them now. This means that people who own a mobile phone can now be contacted almost anywhere.

An advantage of using a telephone is that you can ring, and talk to, people without actually having to meet them. This is good because it also means that people can be communicate with each from long distances, as well as short.

Another advantage for someone using a telephone is that everyone phone line has a different number, meaning that people can be contacted individually. This is good as it means if someone wants to get hold of another person they only have to type in their specific ‘telephone’ number.

A disadvantage of using a telephone is that they are not face to face communications so it is impossible to see the body language of the person on the other side of telephone.

A final disadvantage of using a telephone to communicate is that it can be expensive, if long distance calls can be made. This is where VoIP, Voice over Internet Protocol, phones come in useful as they sue the internet to make phone calls which work out much cheaper than using a normal telephone.

Where could Chello Hotel use telephones?

All of the guest’s rooms could incorporate a telephone which could be used for room service, emergencies or basic contacting to other guest rooms.

Email

This type of information is written information that is only communicated electronically; this is often via the Internet or modern mobile phones. Unlike SMS, emails don’t have a restricted limit on the amount of characters that you can use in one email. This means that it is possible to send attachments; these can be in the form of documents, pictures, sound or video files.

An advantage of email is that the recipient does not have to be available to receive the email as these can then be saved on the recipients email account in their inbox and ready to view later. This means that this is becoming an increasingly useful method of communication. This is true to say as you can send an email to more than one person, and again, there are no limits to amount of people that it can be sent to. Also, emails can be sent to people from all over the world regardless of time differences as these often make telephone communication inconvenient.

A disadvantage of emails is that if someone doesn’t have a person’s email address saved in their ‘known’ contacts list, this could often mean that emails are unread due to the fact that they have been caught up in the junk emails. These types of emails are often deleted as there can be a large number of unsolicited emails, known as spam, that people blindly look past and delete. 

How can e-mail be used in the Hotel?

Chello Hotel could set up email accounts for members of staff on a local intranet to allow them to communicate with things that are not as important that would be communicated over radio or phone.

Where the Hotel could use e-mails

Emails could be used at computers with internet access which could be allocated in the public areas for all to use. Also a couple of computers

Chello Hotel could have access to the internet on all of the computers. This would be behind the receptions, in the main offices, and in the seating area for the visitors to use.

WWW (World Wide Web)

The World Wide Web communicates web-based information via a web browser. If you know the site that you want to visit, then you can enter it into the address bar. However, because there is so much information on the internet; several times people opt to use a search engine to find relevant information more easily.

As technology is updated, the numbers of people with the relevant technology to access certain things like the WWW increases. Web-based communications is always an easy way to send and receive information as several online translators are available for the public to use for free, making it easier to understand information in a different language.

And now because of the ever changing technology, web-based information can now be accessed using WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) from a mobile phone, enabling people to receive information anywhere with internet coverage.

How can WWW be used in the Hotel?

Chello Hotel can use the WWW to advertise themselves on the internet and also upload recent events or offers to attract more customers. Their website can then be set as the homepage on all computers used within the Hotel so that current guests might come again.

Technologies that support communication

Reported below are several technologies that support the above forms of communication.

Personal Computers

Personal computers can only be used to communicate information if they have the necessary software and hardware. Personal computers mainly use visual information; the quality of this can be adjusted and improved with the use of a graphics or video card. A printer will allow you to produce paper-based communications using different types of software including word-processing, spreadsheet, graphics, desktop publishing and database.

People can also find computers a lot of help if their computer has a modem, cable modem, broadband modem or router which will allow access to the WWW, email and web browser.

Modern computers now have areas for inputs for headphones or to connect a set of loudspeakers in order for people to hear audio information. There is now opportunity for people to communicate by telephone through a PC is they have a microphone and appropriate software to do so.

How can a personal computer be used in the Hotel?

Personal computers can be used with Chello Hotel to allow the staff to use many different types of communications. The computers could also be open for use to the visitors. This could be to allow them to view web pages, or possibly e-mail their friends and family.

Touch Screens

A touch screen allows people to interact with a computer without the need for input devices, for example keyboard or mouse. The interaction is direct as the user just has to touch the desired spot on the screen to navigate them round the system.

Other advantages include less space is needed, less possibility of theft and greater data security. These are all useful for future use as people are forever looking for the next technical piece that is compact and mobile for people to take anywhere.

Surprisingly, there are several different types of touch screen. However, the most commonly integrated into technology is the resistive touch screen. This requires a certain level of pressure on the screen given out by the user. This is because of the different layers within the screen, the plastic membrane over the screen that is separated by small clear dot-like spacers from a glass layer. The plastic and glass layers are both conductive, but the spacers are not. Therefore, when you press the screen, contact is made between the plastic and glass layers so then an electrical circuit is created and a signal is sent to the computer.

Advantages of touch screens are that they don’t take up too much space and are not easily damaged. They allow the user to make choices by touching an area on the screen to access the information they need.

Examples

• Tourist information screens
• Car supermarkets
• PDA’s

How can touch screens be used in the Hotel?

Touch screens could be used with Chello Hotel by the visitors. They could be used for entertainment purposes, internet activity purposes, or even research purposes such as an interactive version of the Hotels questionnaire. Also touch screens could be used for the dining of the Hotel, this means staff would just have to choice the correct meal on the touch screen and it will run the price through automatically.

Where the Hotel could use touch screens?

The Hotel could have a touch screen located in the entertainment area, seating area, and the reception area. These are the three places that they are most likely to get used as these places are where the visitors may be bored. They are also places which people would instinctively thing of to try and find certain things.

Digital Broadcasting

Since the 1990’s, digital broadcasting has become more widely available and is set to replace analogue broadcasting with a few years.

This information can be broadcast by cable, satellite or using terrestrial broadcasting – using the aerial used for receiving analogue broadcasts. The signal must then be converted back to pictures and sound, this is called decoding. Nowadays the decoder is built into the television set using an integrated digital television (iDTV).

Advantages include the improved quality of pictures and sound, more programmes to be available including more interactive services. Another advantage is that you will rarely encounter an interference with the signal, and you don’t have to constantly tune into channels; once a channel is found it will be saved.

Disadvantages include having to own a decoder to retrieve the channel and these can cost a fair bit of money, making it unfair to the public who are on a low income.

How can digital broadcasting be used in the Hotel?

Chello Hotel could reserve specific channels which have been requested by guests and then charge them to watch it. These could include everyday programmes, sports and films; therefore the Hotel can make money from what the guests view.

DVD

A DVD is an optical storage medium: a disk that stores data. DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disk; this means that they can store video and audio information, such as a full-length film. The DVD has been around for quite a few years and has just about replaced the old video storage device: VHS.

DVD’s are used in conjunction with any screen-based technologies in order to view the content. This means that in order to view the best quality, the screen used has to be a high standard too in order to recognise the benefits.

An advantage of DVDs is that they are being used to view video which can have menus, multiple languages, high quality video and sound, and tracks, unlike the VHS previously used. This allows simple use of the DVD video as well as the use for more people whom understand different languages to the default.

Another advantage of a DVD is that although it is known for storing high quality video data, it can store any possible data that will fit onto it. An average DVD disk can hold 4.7 GB and this can increase depending on the type of disk wanted.

A disadvantage of DVD’s is that like CD’s, they can be scratched very easily and are expensive to replace unlike to older version, VHS.

Another disadvantage of DVD’s is that when they are produced, they are categorised into regions and can only be played if the correct player is owned. This means that people can buy any DVD, however when they try to play it, it won’t work because the DVD player doesn’t have the appropriate converter.

How a DVD can be used in the Hotel?

DVD’s can be used in the Hotel to back up computer data as a wide variety of software and documents can be stored on one disk taking up minimal space. DVD’s can also be used to store a video of the Hotel including information which can be displayed in the reception area. This DVD could also be sent out to future customers who have already booked or have shown an interest in a stay at Chello Hotel.

There are many more possibilities, as the Hotel could also buy in DVD’s to rent to the guests during their stay. These can be of free charge or to make more money, Chello Hotel could charge guests a small fee.

Mobile phones

Mobile phones are used as communication tools to keep in touch with family and friends, and for business. They can be used efficiently as long as the user and the receiver are in a location with network coverage.

Mobile phones house several types of communication which are:

• Written (SMS and emails)
• Graphical (MMS)
• Audio (verbal communications)
• Web-based (WAP)

An advantage of mobile phones is that they can use a variety of communication: they can be used to try and ring someone; if they don’t answer, the person can be sent the message via SMS or MMS so that they receive and will find it when they look at their phone.

Another advantage is that with modern mobile phones, you can have an email service set up so you can receive them on your phone. This also means that the internet is readily available too. And with mobile phone technology getting better quickly, this type of communication is getting ever more popular.

A disadvantage of mobile phones is that they cannot store as much data as a computer can due to their size. This is not convenient for people who are always on the move for business purposes and cannot access a computer quick enough; therefore either having to delete data every so often or to deal without a vast amount of it that is required.

Another disadvantage is the amount of signal available in some locations. In main city areas this very rarely drops below the full band of signal that you can get. However, people who live or work further out, past the city suburbs - in the countryside perhaps, will probably never receive full signal and can often experience low signal or even none at all. This can have an impact of the quality of the phone call or even disrupt it completely.

A few other disadvantages are listed below:

• Mobile phones can be expensive
• They can damage your ear
• People use the phone while they are driving, and this can cause road accidents
• They can cause brain cancer
• It costs money
• If it breaks, you lose all of your information
• They can get lost easily and they need to be recharged
• Having to answer inconvenient phone calls, i.e., from your boss.

Where the Hotel could use mobile phones?

Mobile phones can be used be the guests and staff at Chello Hotel. Guests can use their own mobile phone to contact the Hotel or even leave comments about their stay. Staff members at Chello Hotel can use them to make quick phone calls if it is urgent, or can leave another member of staff an SMS to complete an unimportant job.

Internet

The Internet is a world-wide network of computer networks. The Internet can be found in a variety of forms in many different places which are used by the public for various different things. The Internet has several features, some of which are:

• WWW (World Wide Web)
• Email
• Bulletin Boards
• Chat Rooms
• Blogs
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

The information from the internet is shown in a screen form of communication which can process various types of data.

How can the internet be used in the Hotel?

The internet can be used for many different reasons in the Chello Hotel. Here is a list of ways the internet may be used:

• WWW browsing
• E-mails
• Chat Rooms
• Bulletin boards
• Shopping
• Researching information
• Entertainment
• Downloading software
• Uploading a website
• Contacting customer

Where the Hotel could use the internet

Chello Hotel could, and should, use the internet on all of the computers within the Hotel. This includes computers; at the reception, in the offices, in the entertainment area, and in the seating area. This are all prime locations for which both the visitors can the staff could use.

WAP

Wireless Application Protocol is a way of sending information such as web pages to and from devices such as mobile phones. Because download speeds on mobile devices are slow, WAP provides a way of minimising the data sent; this allows a faster connection because the data has been modified.

WAP is a screen based technology which is able to manage written, graphical, multimedia and audio types of information; however written works best on it.

An advantage of WAP is that it can be used anywhere as long as the device being used has network coverage, this will cover most places in the world.

Another advantage of WAP is that they are on devices such as mobile phones, so they can be used so long as the mobile phone has a phone signal.

A disadvantage of WAP connection is that is possibly the most impractical form of internet connection as small devices have a limit on the amount of web pages that will work correctly whilst using it; plus it can be very slow and expensive to use.

How can WAP be used in the Hotel?

The only possibly way that WAP shall be used within Chello Hotel would be for personal reasons of the person using, with their own personal device. This is because WAP is not popular within the business and it’s not good to spend a long time on such a small device. Also, the time spent on a WAP device will be around the same cost as if you spent the time on a computer with a better internet connection.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi, also known as ‘wireless broadband’ simply means broadband without wires. Wi-Fi has become very popular because once you have a base station, any number of desktop or laptop computers can be connected to your broadband service without the need for any cables or installing extra phone lines.

So if you have a second computer in an upstairs room, or a laptop as well as a desktop, the same broadband service will be available on all your machines at the same time.

How can Wi-Fi be used in the Hotel?

Wi-Fi can be used within certain area of the Hotel, to allow the customers to have access to the internet wirelessly. It could also be used to connect the computer systems around the Hotel. This will allow each computer to be connected to each other to allow faster file sending and sharing to be done. To do this every computer will have to be connected to the wireless router, which should be located in the main area that the internet will be used.

Where the Hotel could use Wi-Fi?

The Wi-Fi connection should be placed throughout the Hotel so that it can be used anywhere within the Hotel. Doing this would probably mean having several access points to the internet connection. However it will allow a connection to the internet anywhere within the Hotel.

Conclusion

After having researched and written all of the above technologies, I think that the most suitable type of information to encourage Chello Hotel to use would be multimedia. Multimedia is the only type of information that seems the most attractive and will therefore attract more customers than any other type of information. Another good feature of multimedia information is that it can be produced in many different forms: leaflet, movie clip, presentation etc. it is also helpful that the information shown can be used in the Hotel as well as in public and advertising areas.

Screen based is the best method of communication that I found and would tie hand in hand with multimedia as this too is a method which aims to attract. By using screen based methods, the Hotel can also customise this and make it look professional to tailor their needs.

The main type of communication that Chello Hotel should use would be access to an internet connection on a personal computer. Personal computers allow many types of information to be communicated so staff especially can access any type of information that they want to on their personal computer. It will also be helpful to Chello Hotel to use personal computers as this method of communication also allows internet connection so staff can be contacted anywhere with an available signal.

Evaluation

What is the purpose of the report?

The purpose of this report is to encourage Chello Hotel to use a variety of communications after the owner gains a deep knowledge of the technologies available that can be used to communicate. Within each subsection, the owner will also be aware of the possible areas of where the technologies can be used and what for; this includes advantages and disadvantages after an explanation of each communication or technology type.

How well does the report meet its purpose?

The report meets its purpose as it explains in detail the different types of information that can be communicated using a variety of communications which can be used to aid communication. For each technology, I have explained each individually as well as stating the advantages and disadvantages of each, some in more detail than others; at the end of each section explains how Chello Hotel can use the technologies and in some cases what is needed to provide that certain technology.

I think that this report meets its purpose to a very high standard as each point has been covered and it is made clear what the communication or technology is and Chello Hotel can judge for themselves which ones to use due to the vast amount of advantages and disadvantages included to aid the choice.

What are the good things about the report?

A good point about this report is that is very detailed and explains almost everything which may seem foreign to potential readers so that they are fully aware of the situation and can understand the report to the best of their ability. This means that a prior knowledge of most communications and technologies is not required before reading this report.

Another good point about this report is that it follows the house style of all of the other Chello Hotel documents. This makes Chello Hotel look more professional as the house style is still kept although none of the information contained in this report will be broadcasted to the public. By using the house style constantly also has other benefits as new staff members can also get used to a professional company that they are used to very quickly and their work and appearance is made clear from the start.

The final good point about this report is that there is a consistent layout throughout. The entire document is justified; the body is size 11, black font. The only aspect of this report that differs is the variety of headings used. There is the main heading at the top of the document, followed by distinctive subheadings which are easy to follow and then finally subtitles beneath these to allow guidance through the document to be easier for the reader.

What are the bad things about the report and how could they be improved?

The first bad point about this report is that it is very lengthy so readers might not be bothered to read to the end of the report in order to have fully justified reasons about with communications and technologies to use. This could be improved by cutting straight to the point by either using shorter sentences or excessive bullet points to get the same ideas across. Therefore, not as much detailed information would be contained within the report and some areas that have been written about might require prior knowledge to understand the full concept.

Another bad point about this report is that the entire document has excluded all images which could potentially aid the understanding of the subjects being talked about. This could possibly be a good aspect also, as the document would be even longer if pictures were included.

What went well when making the report?

Information was readily available to interpret in order to complete this report to a high standard. A lot of the information used was found from the AS Level for OCR Applied ICT book (mentioned in the bibliography).

Another easy aspect of the report was setting the layout of the report. Because the task is mainly written text, I already knew that the layout would be consistent throughout the report. This also makes it look more professional when displayed to an outsider.

What was difficult when creating the report?

When I was creating the report, it was difficult to keep up with my organisation as the amount of writing that needed to be completed was a great deal. Plus, the researching beforehand and realizing where basic information could be found in order for people who find this topic alien could grasp the concept more easily.

Overall, the aspect which proved most difficult to overcome was timing. Organising my time sufficiently was hard as I came across new information to add into the report everyday.

What could be done differently if this task was done again?

If I were to do this task again, then I would carry out more research at the start of the task in order to have sufficient knowledge of coming up with more unique and rare advantages and disadvantages that would be applicable to Chello Hotel itself.

By researching beforehand about the different technologies and communications, this could actually tackle my time management skills as by having a better knowledge of the contents of this report, I wouldn’t have had to stop ever so often to research whilst trying to complete the task.