Do not buy second hand software, unless you can scan the disc for viruses first.
Be careful about downloading software from the internet. This is the easiest way to spread a virus.
Try to avoid sharing disks between computers, this increases the risk of catching a virus.
Perform regular checks on your computer to scan for viruses.
I recommend that a business should use emails to share information. It is quick, easy and efficient. I think that before opening an email received, the email should be scanned for viruses. So it is very important that all the company computers have up to date anti-virus software installed. Regular checks should also be performed on each computer to check for viruses. If a computer which is part of a big corporation is infected, it could corrupt the whole system. Some email services give the option of having ‘reports’. When an email is sent to the sender to inform them that the recipient has received the email. An email is an easy way to send alot of information quickly. Which will save alot of time compared to writing a letter. This is also uses less paper, which helps the environment and saves money. A good idea for a business would be messaging between a LAN (Local Area Network). Which is when the computers are linked together by cable, enabling many computers to communicate. Most business’s computers are LAN networked. This enables files and software to be shared, so one piece of information could easily be sent to another computer. This would be used for inside the business, where as the emailing over the internet would be used to send information to outside of the company.
Steve Edwards uses a questionnaire in the form of an application form to help him place work experience applicants. To explore this further we investigated the system in our classroom. Everyone in our class filled in an application form applying for a work experience placement in Airbus UK. The application forms were handed in and then given back to us. Some people were refused work experience as they had filled the in the form incorrectly, this showed us that every detail matters. If I were applying for a job in the future, filling in my application form incorrectly could cost me the job. We filled them in so we would be able to put them on a computerised database to explore how difficult it was.
Once I had completed my application form I created my own database with separate fields concerning each piece of information. I chose what fields to use by thinking which information would be most important. I chose obvious ones like Reference, Name, Address, Department placed in etc. For fields such as age and reference, I had to format the field to number. For date I selected the number format then selected date. I made sure the database had all the information about the applicant that is needed. I put the information from the application forms into my database. I input 20 applicants which included my details and some of my fellow pupils. I thought my database was very effective and easy to understand and well presented.
Some problems occurred when I was entering the data, some applicants had not filled in their questionnaires fully. This caused gaps in my database. This shows how important it is to fill in an application form correctly. For a database in a business this would cause problems. Firstly the applicant may not get the job or position if they have not filled in the application form correctly, which is a waste of the companies and the applicants time. Also when performing searches on the database, you may not get all the results if every field is not filled in correctly. After I checked through my Database I printed off a copy.
I then performed a sort to put my data in ascending alphabetical order by Surnames. I did this by selecting the record option then going onto the sort records option. Using the drop down box I was able to select which field I would like to put in ascending or descending order. I selected ascending order and applied the sort. I used this sort as it would be easier to find a person by surname if it was in alphabetical order. I applied another sort to put the Department placed in ascending alphabetical order and then age. This would make it much easier to see how many people in each department or to find a certain person in that department. Also there may be certain things that people under the age of 16 could not do, so it would be easier if they were grouped by age. The sort option was very easy to use and organised my data. I would recommend using the sort facility to a business. It was very quick, compared to the time it would take to look through a filing cabinet manually. I printed off a copy after everything I did.
I then performed 3 filters on my database. My first filter was to show female applicants only. To perform a filter I left-clicked the tools option from the menu. I then selected the filters option. I am given the option to write in my filter name. Firstly I select the field I would like to filter from the drop down box under ‘Field Name’. For this filter I selected the gender field. I then select my ‘Comparison’ from the drop down box. Such as ‘is equal to’, ‘is greater than’, ‘is less than or equal to’ etc. For this filter I selected ‘is equal to’. In the ‘Compare to’ box you write the word you are filtering for. Such as ‘Female’. I then left click the ‘Apply Filter’ button. I then preformed a filter to show the applicants from the Holywell area who were starting work experience from 06/07/2004. I used this filter as I thought Airbus would be able to provide transport for the applicants. If they decided to do this it would help people in the same area doing work experience at the same time transport may be arranged. The last filter I performed was to show applicants who were placed in design, doing 1 week of work experience and are under the age of 16. Filters are easy to use and very effective. Using a filter I could find any information from my database very quickly. It would take me a lot longer to search through the database manually looking for a record. Also the information in a filing cabinet is in order by just one criteria, for example surnames in alphabetical order. If you wanted to find out people or a certain age, or that live in a certain town, you would have to search manually for a long time. This wastes company time and resources. Where as using a filter I can search for as many as 5 different pieces of information in one filter. I printed off a copy after everything I did.
The great advantage to using a database is that I have all my information in separate fields so it is easy to find. I would recommend a database to be used for a business. You can perform calculations in some. You can also search for any specific information in a matter of seconds. You can back up a database so that even if the database is lost or there is a problem with the computer the information is not lost. Compared to a paper-based system, if the paper-based files are destroyed, there may be no means of retrieving the information. You could use a database to print out labels for mail without having to sort through files to find it. The data can be stored so it is easy for you to understand, such as numerically or alphabetically. Another main advantage is the use of mail merge. Using a Database and mail merge you could produce many letters in a small amount of time. You can also store a large amount of data on one database. I can also compile a report from my database by using the ‘Report View’ option. Which saves alot of time and means I wouldn’t have to write out a report manually, or even do any additional typing. It takes the information straight from the database.
I decided to use mail merge to see how a company would benefit from using it. I then created my own standard letter. Such as Steve Edwards would send to the work experience applicants. I wrote a letter to inform the applicants who had been refused. I got my ideas for the letter in class as our teacher showed us examples of the letters Steve Edwards uses. I left spaces for Reference, Address, Name and the reason for the letter. I then used Mailmerge to add this information from a filter on my standard letter. To begin with I performed a filter on my original database for the people that are refused work experience. To use mailmerge I had to write my standard letter in Microsoft Works. I left the typing cursor where I needed the first information, in this case the address. I selected the ‘tools’ option from the task bar menu. I then selected ‘Form Letters’ from the drop down box. There are 6 field names to choose from, At first I select ‘Database’. This gives me the option to ‘Choose a Database’ from every database I have saved on my computer. I select the database with a filter for refused pupils. I then select the ‘Add Fields’ option and select Reference, Name, Address and Dept placed in. After each selection it is added to the standard letter, I have to be careful the information is going where I want it. I then select the ‘Printing’ option and select print preview to check my mailmerge has worked. I had 2 letters for pupils refused.
The application form we individually filled in is an example of a paper-based system. In a company the application forms would be stored in a filing cabinet.
I would recommend using a computerized system for storing data. Such as a database. It is easier to store data on a computer than it manually. An example of a storage paper-based system is a fling cabinet. Where data is stored on paper in some kind of order. This takes time to input the data and then to find data. Using a database you can find any piece of information in a matter of seconds, compared to the amount of time it takes searching through a filing cabinet a data-base it much more efficient. This would be very useful for a big company such as Airbus for whom time is an essence. This makes the staffs jobs easier as they do not have to go to as much trouble to find information, it also means that every bit of information is at hand, which saves alot of time. The fact you can compile a report or use mailmerge is also a huge advantage for a company, who would need to send letters to employees and make reports often. To send a letter to an employee from a company that uses a paper-based system, means you would have to look through the filing cabinet for the details and then write a separate letter for each person. Another disadvantage of a paper-based system is that if a letter or information is handwritten. This takes time to write out and there’s always the risk that the handwriting may not be clear and their could be spelling mistakes, where as a word-processing program has a spellchecker function. It is however time consuming to enter data onto a computer initially, as you have to type it all out, whereas if it was an electronic document and had originally been typed on the computer you could email or scan it into other computers. Data that is word-processed is an advantage for a business as they have alot of data to store. Airbus cannot afford to make mistakes and using a computer decreases the risk. Another advantage of electronically stored data is that it can be ‘backed up’. Which means all the data can be saved, so even if the computer breaks or catches a virus the information is not deleted. This makes sure the data is safe. Often if a filing cabinet is destroyed, such as a fire, all the data is lost. This is a great advantage to a company as there is alot of data that is important. Using passwords and setting up firewalls can protect your data. Firewalls protect network computers.
A computerised system for a company would be quite expensive, but it would save money in the long run. With a computerised system, you would save alot of time and probley gain more business as the company can expand using the computers. Also fewer employees would be needed. Which would save alot of money for the employer, but it will also put alot of hard-working people out of their jobs. The staff would also need training to use the system which can be done by sending the staff on training courses. This is an advantage to the staff as they will gain more skills, but also an advantage to the employer as the staff will be better at their job, therefore they will do a better job.
When businesses hold personal data they have to abide by the rules of the D.P.A act. The Data Protection Act means we have the right to see any information about ourselves, within reason. As computers and networks are able to share information there needs to be control over it. People do not want personal information such as our age or medical records to be available to anyone. The act covers manual and electronic data. The Health and Safety at work Act ensures health and safety at work, it covers places of work such as offices. This covers the employers responsibilities, employee responsibilities and computer health and safety. Employees failure to comply to these laws and regulations could cause the employer to have to pay compensation. If a member of staff is injured they can claim compensation because the companies has not complied with the safety rules. Checks are also performed regularly by inspectors and if health and safety at work regulations not followed the business could be taken to court.
I created my own presentation comparing computer based systems to paper based systems. I thought that this was a clear cut way to display my information. The ‘PowerPoint Presentation’ program was fairly simple and easy to use. I inputted my information onto separate slides. For my first slide I had to the title ‘GCSE Business Coursework’. Then on my second slide I explained what the presentation was about. On each of the following slides I listed the advantages then the disadvantages of paper-based systems and computerised systems. On the final slide I wrote a conclusion. I was able to insert graphs, images, pictures, bullet points into my presentation. I could also alter the colour and font to make my presentation look more appealing. The slides are then viewed in a slideshow. You can alter the time spent on each slide, either click to the next slide manually or set a timer so the computer does it itself. You can also control the way the information appears on the slide.....
I was very pleased with the results. Using PowerPoint presentation software allowed me to make an informative, striking presentation with minimal amount of fuss. I would defiantly recommend the use of PowerPoint presentation software to a business or company. It is much better than the standard stand-up flip chart presentation or using an overhead projector. It is much easier to prepare and saves alot of time. Using PowerPoint is very good for the environment as usually in a presentation alot of paper is used. There is very little manual work to be done. With a presentation using an over head projector, you have to switch the sheets for each new page, with a flip chart you have to turn the paper, there is also talking to be done. With PowerPoint, the slides can be changed by the click of a button and u can even set a timer. The PowerPoint software is easy to use and looks very professional.
When I received my completed questionnaires from Steve Edwards and his colleagues, I put some of the information into a tally chart. I chose six fields: Used Computerised, Used Manual, Preferred Computerised. Preferred Manual, Wanted Computerised Improvements and Wanted Manual Improvements. I drew up a graph to show those who used Computerised systems compared to those who do not. The graph clearly showed me that computerised systems are much preferred. I made my graph by hand, but also created a few different ones using the computer. I used two different programs, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Works. I found Works more professional looking. I also made a graph comparing what system was preferred and whether improvements were wanted.
