- E-mail
- Messaging
- Video Conferencing
- Faxing
E-mail stands for Electronic mail. It is a way of sending messages and attached documents through the Internet. The advantages of e-mails are that they are quick to send, not very expensive and you can also attach documents to them. The disadvantage is that the e-mails can transmit viruses. This will be helpful to the center as staff can send them to members, or other staff to alert them - e.g. equipment, or in-case of an emergency, offers that appeal to members, etc.
Messaging is very common with young and aged people. The Internet provides instant communication with messaging software - e.g. MSN and chat rooms. The advantages are messages can be stored and it’s not very expensive. This will be helpful as staff can chat - e.g. if a meeting has been cancelled, you can tell them immediately, if they are on the Internet.
Video Conferencing is quite good as it can be viewed anywhere in the world. The advantages are you can transmit an interactive image and voice communication and there is less need for staff to travel. The disadvantage is that the equipment is expensive and the receiver also needs the same equipment. For example, staff can have a video conference with the equipment store, network manager, etc.
Faxing is produced with a fax machine. The machine scans the paper document and converts them into digital format. The digital version is then converted into analogue format and sent over an ordinary telephone line to another fax machine. The receiving machine then converts the analogue information back into the digital format then reproduces the same copy of the original document. The advantage is an instant transfer of documents. The disadvantage is that the receiver must have a fax machine. This could be helpful to send some documents to other leisure centers, or to equipment stores, etc.
Before communicating through ICT, almost all written communications were sent by post. This was a big disadvantage as it took days for documents to pass between companies.
Health and Safety issues can be a concern when using computers for a long period of time. The common things are headaches, back problems, muscular and joint problems, RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), etc. Most of these are caused by the wrong adjustment of the computer, working on the computer for a long time and not exercising or taking breaks regularly. By having the screen at the wrong angle can lead to back problems. The solution to prevent most of these problems is to provide an ergonomically designed office chair and also arrange to have the screen at a comfortable viewing angle.
Moral
The moral effect of introducing ICT into the system is that it has brought insecurity to people working on a computer. Even though computers have improved living and increased jobs worldwide, people are still misusing them and causing trouble.
There are two main ways in which computers are open to damage.
Viruses are computer programs that can damage or remove any data held on a computer and stored computer programs. A virus can be spread across networks, floppy disks and the Internet. They attach themselves to computer programs which are then saved, with the virus on it. Using the Internet, viruses can attach to emails and spread themselves to various email addresses stored on the computer (the address book). Viruses are fairly critical, as they can erase or harm and data held on the computer.
Hacking is when someone tries to break into other computer systems; this is unauthorised access to files. Hackers deliberately try to cause damage to the computer system they are attacking. They often do this by deleting important files or altering data. This is quite dangerous, because if it happens to the leisure center, then
the entire member’s data, financial records could all be erased.
To protect the computers from computer crime, you can install:
- Anti-Virus programs
- Firewalls
- Encryption
Anti-Virus programs are set up to scan files when they are opened, copied, or downloaded form the Internet. The only problem is that you have to keep updating the programs at least every six months, as lots of new viruses are made every day.
Firewalls are made to block harmful forces away from the computer. You can use a firewall to prevent any unnecessary and unpleasant websites and hackers. It filters information coming through the Internet into your private computer system.
Encryption is protecting data files that contain confidential or sensitive information while sending over the Internet. This is done by coding, or encrypting the data so that nobody can read it, unless special decoding, or decryption software is used. This is to stop other Internet users from getting the information and using it.
All this software will be helpful for the leisure center, because it will prevent any unwanted information from other companies or web sites and also it will be much safer having it, because there will be a less chance of losing any data.
Back-up copies are very useful and important because if any data gets stolen, lost or damaged it can be retrieved again. Back-up copies should be kept safe, secure and in a heat/fire-proof safe. They should be kept in an isolated room away from the computers. This is done so that the back-up copies are safe and in no danger in case of any disaster – fire, flood, etc. It is important to make back-up copies of data regularly, otherwise it will be impossible to retrieve restore the information back to its original condition.
Passwords and levels of access are often used to limit access to data on computer systems, therefore minimising any misuse of data. People usually use passwords to protect individual files; therefore another person cannot open the file if they don’t know the password. You can also restrict access to data by physically locking doors or providing swipe cards and using different usernames.
Levels of Access can prevent unauthorised access by allowing different users different passwords to access data. For example, at the lowest level of access, a password will allow just read-only access to some data. This means that data can only be used but not changed.
The next level of access could be read-write access to some data. This means that data can be used and changed.
The highest level of access would be a password that would allow you to use, change and even delete data on the computer system. This level of access would usually be given to a manager, or the system administrator.
CCTV would make people aware that they are on camera; therefore they will not misuse the Internet or alter any data. Although this is an advantage, the downfall is that you would be invading their privacy.
The Data Protection Act was produced to prevent people using unnecessary information from customers and it has reduced the number of crimes that use to happen in the past. The Data Protection Act had not been produced until 1984; it has been made quite recently. Now, it is illegal to send personal data to any other organisations without the consent of the data subject. If this principal had not been made; then companies may have been sending confidential data to other companies, therefore interfering and humiliating the data subject, therefore staff and members should be familiar with the Data Protection Act as it is very important.
Cultural
The cultural effect of introducing ICT to the system is that it has brought new ways of working and has created more opportunities for parents. It has also changed and improved technology.
Teleworking is when people work from home instead of travelling to work. From the office, or the leisure center, an internet link can be allowed to access and upload work as required. E-mail and messenger services can be used to send messages to other staff members or customers.
The advantages of working from home are:
- No stress of travelling to the office – This prevents sitting in traffic jams, the noise, relying on public transport, etc.
- Travelling time saved and cost of travelling saved – This saves time and also reduces the amount of pollution.
- Greater flexibility of working hours – This means that the worker can spread their working times out.
- Saves cost of Office space and bills are reduced – If there are less people working in the office, less space is needed, therefore less electricity, etc.
The disadvantages of working from home are:
- Possible of isolation and social contact – The worker may miss their colleagues. The workers may feel more comfortable working in groups.
- Difficulty to build teams and create ideas between workers – If there aren’t enough ideas produced, the business could be let down.
- Cost of the computers and internet connection charges – This could be fairly expensive, as the worker may need video conferencing equipment to communicate with customers.
If workers from the leisure center work from home, there is a possible benefit for the leisure center. There may be some difficulties with staff, as they may not live locally and they aren’t eager to travel to the center. This can be solved by letting them work from home, and also the workers may accept a lower salary in exchange. This has been a benefit to this generation, as teleworking was never an opportunity in the past.
Online Shopping has become a very popular way of buying things from home.
This is very useful for the leisure center, as people can book sessions for beauty treatments, sport courts, etc, using an online system on a website specially made for the leisure center. Also, to improve the leisure center, they can use the web page to display offers, new equipment, etc.
Cashless Society
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Direct Debit cards are when money is taken out of your bank account electronically.
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Credit cards are similar to debit cards, except you receive a bill at the end of each month. From the bill, you can pay all the money off straight away; or you can pay the minimum amount stated. However, any bills not paid off usually draws attention to large interest payments.
To make these cards more secure, banks have changed them to ‘smart cards’, or ‘integrated chip cards’. This means that the data is held on a small silicon chip instead of a magnetic stripe. This is an advantage, as it makes it very hard for criminals to copy the data and get money.
These are a good benefit, as members and customers can use these cards in case they haven’t got enough money with them, or if they want to book any appointments for beauty or health treatments, etc. This way, if they want to cancel any appointments, the money can go back onto their accounts.
