For each of the tasks I will give examples of my work and explain step-by-step how I completed each task.
Task 1.
Objective: Send letters to local hotels, requesting information about whether they can cater for a party of approximately sixty people. It would also be helpful to find out information such as pricing and any special offers available.
Step One.
Firstly, I had to obtain the names and addresses of local hotels. To achieve this, I visited the Yellow Pages website, , and searched for HOTELS in PEMBROKESHIRE. This gave me a list of hotels, which I entered into a temporary database.
Step Two.
I then began to type the letter. Figure 1 shows my first draft of it. I didn’t really think about presentation for this, but just focused on getting the spelling and grammar correct.
Step Three.
After I had checked the first draft, I experimented with different font styles, to hopefully improve the presentation. Figure 2 and Figure 3 show two styles that I tried.
Step Four.
I decided that the original draft looked better than any of the enhanced version, but it looked too ‘squashed together’, and only took up half of the page. To solve this, I inserted blank lines between lines and left a space at the bottom for my granddad’s signature.
Step Five.
After I was satisfied with the appearance of the letter, I merged it with my database of hotels. Figure 4 shows that I inserted the <Company>, <Address 1>, <Address 2>, <Town>, <County> and <Postal Code> fields from my database into the document.
Step Six.
After this had been done, I merged the letter with my database and sent it to each hotel. (Figures 5 – 9 show copies of each letter that I sent to the hotels.)
Task 2.
Objective: Create a database of guests. The database should include their names, along with contact information.
Step One.
Using Microsoft Access, I compiled a database of guests.
Step Two.
I also printed these out, so my granddad could check them.
Step Three.
Figure 1 shows that when I first printed out the sheets, they appeared on two pages. Although this was not a major problem, it would be more convenient if the list was on a single page.
Step Four.
To solve this, I changed the page layout from portrait to landscape. The database now just fitted on one page. Figure 2 shows a copy of this.
Step Five.
After looking over the second copy (Figure 2) I noticed another problem. The data in the <Address 1>, <Town> and <County> fields was too long and had been cut off. To solve this, I increased the width of the fields and the data now fitted.
Step Six.
Because I had increased the width of some of the fields, the database was now too long again and took up two pages. To solve this I decreased the widths of other fields, and the database now fitted on a single page. Figure 3 shows a copy of the final printout of the guest list.
Task 3.
Objective: Create invitations for the event. They should be made to a suitable and tasteful theme, and the information should be enough to inform guests of the main arrangements (venue, time, etc.), but they should not contain too much information so that they become overwhelming and hard to read – as that would spoil them.
Step One.
Leigh Duffy 10R IT Coursework Summer Term, 2002.
