8.3 Drawbacks of I.C.T
Some people are not familiar with new technology and computers and may not be able to use it effectively. Also users might not feel comfortable with using a computer system and might be unsure how to use it without proper instructions. Also people who have sight problems may mean that they could not see the screen easily. If the screen was put outside the sun may glare down at the screen, reflect and then cause the screen to be unreadable. If a not very sensitive touch-screen was bought then people who do not press the screen very hard may not get a good response from the computer. Also if the screen was outside it could become weathered if in an unsheltered area and could be ruined. The computer system may need editing on a yearly basis and this could end up being expensive. And updating it means that regular people would have to learn how to use it again which could lead to confusion. Training, staff in the use of Dreamweaver will also endure initial costs; however these could be offset without the cost of excessive printing costs of leaflets, which would’ve been carried out in the old system.
8.4 Benefits of ICT
If a page of the website needs editing or changing for any reason, it can easily be done via a computer with Dreamweaver on it. This is helpful because if it does need editing, the whole thing doesn’t have to be remade or printed in large scale, like the leaflet campaign. Also, once the system is up and running, and clear and easy instructions are displayed, most of the staff Mr Jones employs would be capable of using it, as the instructions run through each stage with users.
8.5 Effect of ICT in Enviro KM
Using ICT will affect the way that staff works dramatically. Contacting and informing potential volunteers via the telephone is time consuming and expensive and hence more time is spent on admin than charity itself. Hence, more people would have to be employed as actual ‘head of volunteering’ meaning more capital spent on human resources, hence less pay to existing staff. If the charity were to expand the website would get bigger and Mr Jones could create a staff login area, that staff could share ideas online, and could work at home. However, staff may not like the new technological way or working, and may realise that Enviro KM is not the right atmosphere to work in, which may lead to a high turnover of staff soon after the changes are introduced. Also now that Mr Jones has approved of the website, it can be uploaded using his server, firstly to train his and then he can publish it on the internet.
8.6 Training
Staff would need to be trained effectively how to use a computer if need be, and the specific programs would also need to be explained. They would need to be taught: the basic workings of how to use a computer, how to open Microsoft PowerPoint, how to view the presentation and how they could edit the presentation. On top of this they would have to be taught basic Dreamweaver skills. This is needed because it means all staff members will be computer-literate and if anything needs to be changed, a specific person does not have to be found to fix the problem. This training could be carried out by either sending the employees on an ICT course, or by giving them a copy of the User Guide which I have created. However, as the charity expands Mr Jones could consider employing website design specialists to do more web design tasks. However, currently I would advise Mr Jones to keep his original staff as they know the company system, and employing specialists would be very expensive, plus the current staff are used to the charity.
8.7 Appraisal of Enviro KM System
The system that I have created works well when tested, and will hopefully modernize the way Enviro KM operates, the system will reduce the amount of time spent on admin work, thus increasing time for actual charity. From the feedback with Mr Jones, it seems he is very happy with the system. However as with any system there are certain enhancements I could make:
- Passwords are planned to be installed in the system, for volunteers to ensure maximum security, however if the company flourishes, it will be a target for hackers, therefore I suggest that Mr Jones uses encryption, to solve this problem
- I would like to add some more multimedia and hence expand the website, with embed videos, games and maybe music he could do very easily, this would help the charity as it would attract younger users to the site and hence to the charity.
- Secondly, to increase user interactivity I would increase the number of quizzes, suitable for all age groups.
- Thirdly, to connect the website to a database, to have a members area.
- Fourthly I would have created a mailing list, to send out a newsletter online
- Fifthly I would have created an online carbon footprint calculator, which would be fun yet informative and make users aware of their individual carbon emissions.
- Packages, such as Google Analytics could be used to measure the success of the company’s, search, new media and offline advertising efforts.
