ICT AS Module 1

Topic 1 Role of ICT

Topic 2 ICT in Business and Manufacturing
Topic 3 Role of Communication Systems
Topic 4 Processing of Data
Topic 5 Computers and the Law
Topic 6 Computer Professionals

Revision Notes based on other websites are here to help you with your
revision.
www.fatmax.org/as1 is an alternative site

Topic 1 Role of ICT

Capabilities and Limitations of ICT

ICT has become an integral part of almost all commercial and other
enterprises:

• Very fast processing (essential in banking)

• Vast storage capacity
• Rapid search and combination of data in many ways.
• Instant response
• Accurate results
• Rapid communication between individuals and organisations
• Improves a company image.

Question 1 How does ICT improve a company’s image?

ANSWER

Answer 1_1_1

How does ICT improve a company’s image?

Three points you could make here from this list:

• ICT is a productivity tool.

• ICT makes a company look up to date
• ICT will help customer service.
• A company can be accessible to its customers by a website.
• On-line ordering allows access out of normal business hours.
All of these provide organisations and individuals with rapid access to high
quality information that they can use in planning and decision making.
Twenty years ago, it might well take a fortnight to make an enquiry and get
an answer. Now it can be done in a few minutes.

Question 2 What is meant by high quality information? ANSWER

Answer 1_1_2

What is meant by high quality information?

Three points that are essential:

• Up to date
• Accurate
• Complete

ICT is very effective in allowing instant feedback on levels on commodities,

e.g.

• Funds in bank accounts

• Availability of seats in aeroplanes
• Stock levels in a chain of supermarkets
• Keeping track of books borrowed from a library.

The diagram below shows the instant feedback available from an on-line
booking system. In this example there is one seat left on the flight. It is
booked instantly by a customer. Shortly after (it could be a fraction of a
second later), a request for the seat comes for another customer. The
computer has filled the seat and the customer is told that the flight is fully
booked. Then the computer can allocate our second customer a seat on the
next flight. There is a slight possibility that the two requests come in at
exactly the same time. This is unlikely, but there are mechanisms to
prevent double-booking. The diagram below shows the instant feedback
available from an on-line booking system. In this example there is one seat
left on the flight. It is booked instantly by a customer. Shortly after (it
could be a fraction of a second later), a request for the seat comes for
another customer. The computer has filled the seat and the customer is
told that the flight is fully booked. Then the computer can allocate our
second customer a seat on the next flight. There is a slight possibility that
the two requests come in at exactly the same time. This is unlikely, but
there are mechanisms to prevent double-booking.
In a library, the system can provide information on:

• Borrowers names and addresses

• What books they have
• Which are overdue
• Location in other libraries of books that readers order.

The computer can also:

• Issue overdue notices

• Provide information for borrower enquiries.
• Provide the necessary information for auditing, planning, and
purchasing.
• Provide better security.
• Save staff time by releasing them from repetitive paper based tasks.

Question 3 Explain how a supermarket might use its ICT resources to

ensure that stocks are kept up. ANSWER

Answer 1_1_3

Explain how a supermarket might use its ICT resources to

ensure that stocks are kept up.

These are possible points. Each point is backed up by an example:

• Stock level monitoring - records the number of items held and

sold.
• Movement of stock - ensuring that oldest stock is sold first.
• Recording location of stock - so that staff can find it quickly.
• Reordering of stock - at a predetermined value, an automatic
order is sent to the supplier.
Remember: Point - and then example.

ICT systems also have drawbacks:

• Introduction of ICT systems can lead to a lot of extra work, especially

if the system is none-too-reliable (as in the early days), and manual back
up records have to be kept.
• Employees find themselves redundant
• New or redesigned accommodation.
• Faults in the software can lead to chaos, which can bring the
organisation to a halt. This is often a problem in bespoke or specialist
software written for the particular organisation by a software house.
• Inadequate hardware can cause communication logjams.
• Failure of a computer system means a catastrophic loss of
investment, i.e., it’s a damned waste of money!

Major failures of ICT hardware and software have damaged the public image
of the organisations and led to not a few scandals.

Working with ICT

The arrival of ICT on a wide scale has been a quiet revolution. Only thirty
years ago, there were no “Hole-in-the wall” machines outside banks. To get
cash, you had to queue in the bank and write out a cheque, then the bank
clerk would dole out the money. Long distance telephone calls had to be
connected manually by the operator. There were no computer games (but
it could be argued that people did much more practical things).
 When ICT was first introduced, there was a lot of worry about thousands of
people being made redundant:

• Those doing routine work such as filing in offices

• Assembly line workers

In reality more jobs have been created by computers:

• Call centres depend on extensive databases

• Printing and publishing companies have burgeoned
• Many people make their living in software and maintenance of
computer systems. The rapidly evolving nature of ICT systems ensures
that equipment that is two years old is past its sell by date, and that
which is ten years old is positively antediluvian!

Question 4 How has ICT altered the pattern of employment?

ANSWER

Answer 1_1_4

How has ICT altered the pattern of employment?

These are possible points. Each point is backed up by an example:

• Fewer jobs in clerical grades - computers have taken over

much routine filing work.
• Less assembly line work - repetitive assembly now done by
computerised machines.
• More work in ICT related fields - specialists are needed to
maintain equipment
• Call centre work has increased - use large databases.
• Many people work from home - connected to the office by a
computer link.

Remember: Make sure that your answer mentions how ICT helps.

The nature of work has changed:

• Accountants use spreadsheets

• Secretaries use word processing packages that save the need to retype
pages of script if text needs modification.
• Engineers can produce much more accurate drawings with CAD packages
rather than manual techniques.
• Maintenance of records takes up less time and space. A company’s
records can be accommodated in a couple of drawers rather than a room
full of filing cabinets (and the data accessed in a fraction of the time).
• Expert systems are databases of knowledge and expertise of prominent
people in their field. For example, a doctor can access the database for
help in diagnosing an unusual illness.

Question 5 Write down three ways in which the nature of work has
changed due to ICT, giving an example of each one. ANSWER

Answer 1_1_5

Write down three ways in which the nature of work has

changed due to ICT, giving an example of each one.

There are many possible points. Each point is backed up by an

example:

• Accountants use spreadsheets to do the accounts instead of

forms.
• Secretarial staff use word processing to produce letters
instead of typing. Many of these can be standard, using
database mail merges.
• Many employees use a database to look up information
instead of having to search through manual files
• Teachers use interactive whiteboards with presentation
graphics rather than notes and diagrams off the board.
• Engineers use CAD packages to help in their design work,
instead of the drawing board.
• Engineers use computer modelling techniques which saves on
having to build a duff prototype that doesn't work.

Remember: When you answer a question like this, you must NOT
give trade names such as Microsoft Access (a database management
system). You must state what the program does.
With the help of ICT, people do not have to work in the office at all. They
can do their work at a terminal at home, and submit their work to the office
through a telephone line. This is called teleworking. It has advantages:

• Easier to concentrate at home than in a noisy office (?)

• No commuting is needed.
• Greater flexibility to do work around home and family commitments.
• Cost savings by employers.
• Teams of teleworkers can be made in different locations
• Recruitment can be from a much wider geographical area.
• People can work outside standard office hours.

There is a downside:

• There can be difficulties in management of a workforce that’s not in

the office.
• There can be a lack of a corporate identity and ethos
• Employees can feel isolated and miss out on the social life of an
office.
• Employees might not be able to get help when they need it.
• Work can encroach on family life, or children can be a distraction.

Workers can be open to exploitation, and unions cannot easily operate to

help an employee in trouble.

Question 6 Explain two advantages and two disadvantages of teleworking.

ANSWER

Answer 1_1_6

Explain two advantages and two disadvantages of

teleworking, giving an example of each one.

There are many possible points.

Advantages:

• Employees can work from home via a computer link.

• Recruitment can be over a wide area.
• Fewer recruitment problems in areas where house prices are
high, which hinder the mobility of labour.
• A smaller office is needed, leading to lower overheads.
• Employees do not waste time commuting.

Disadvantages
 • Employees can feel isolated, and lack a sense of corporate
identity.
• Management of remote employees is more difficult.
• Work can be delayed being sent in if there is a systems
failure.
• Employees cannot get help when needed, and could make a
disastrous mistake.
• Family and other domestic pressures can be a distraction

Some companies have moved much of their operations from expensive

offices in London to cheaper parts of the country. Some organisations can
do a lot of their routine work with employees who live abroad. London
Underground has its daily data processing done in India. BT are now using
employees in India for directory enquiries.

Question 7 Explain the advantages that a company might gain by moving

its call-centres abroad. ANSWER

Answer 1_1_7

Explain the advantages that a company might gain by

moving its call-centres abroad..

There are many possible points.

Advantages:

• Wages are lower.

• Fewer employment regulations.
• Premises cheaper.
• Plentiful supply of good quality staff.

The shape of businesses is changing:

 • More people are going into business by themselves
• Larger organisations are becoming less hierarchical, with employees
working more in groups needing less supervision.
• The use of problem-solving skills, ability to use initiative and
familiarity with ICT is increasingly important in recruitment.
• Many people now use the Internet for contacting companies and
doing business with them.

Question 8 Discuss how business has changed under the impact of ICT.
ANSWER

Answer 1_1_8

Discuss how business has changed under the impact of ICT.

These are some possible points.

• More people are going into business by themselves.

• More business communication is by e-mail.
• Computer literacy is important in recruitment.
• Hierarchies are being broken down, with employees taking
more responsibilities.
• Businesses are more streamlined, with fewer more productive
employees.
Social Impact of ICT

ICT has become increasingly used in education:

• Datalogging experiments. One is shown in the picture.

• Computer modelling
• Interactive learning (what you are doing here)
• Presentations using PowerPoint
• Word-processing to produce student notes, and worksheets with a
much more professional appearance.
• Students increasingly use word-processors in essay writing and
projects.
• Multimedia and Internet resources are used widely for research.

Question 9 List two advantages and two disadvantages of using ICT in

education. ANSWER

Answer 1_1_9

List two advantages and two disadvantages of using ICT in

education.

There are many possible points.

Advantages:

• Teachers can produce professional looking documents using

word processing and presentation graphics.
• Teachers can present a greater variety of material on CD-
ROM.
• Data logging can be used instead of tedious repetitive
readings.
• Interactive worksheets (like this) can easily be set up.
• Pupils like working with computers.
• Internet is a vast library of information
• Computers are very patient, so pupils can work at their own
pace.

Disadvantages

• Computer resources can be impersonal.

• A good teacher knows the pupils as individuals and can direct
appropriate support, which a computer cannot.
• Computers can be seen to be "dumbing down" skills.
• Pupils can be off task more easily, looking at other internet
sites.
• Pupils can be frustrated when they cannot use the software.
• Time can be wasted if there is a systems failure.

Remember to mention the role of the ICT equipment.

Banks have always been leaders in the use of ICT:

• Telephone and Internet banking

• Cash-point machines
• Debit cards have made cheque writing an infrequent event.
• Magnetic Ink Character Recognition speeds up the clearing of
cheques.
• Credit cards used to make telephone and Internet purchases.
• Salaries and bills are paid automatically by direct debit.
• Smart cards.

Many people shop on the Internet. You can make purchases at any time
from any point in the world. Some organisations will deliver to your door.
However there are drawbacks:
 Goods are delivered by couriers and that can take a long time. It is
often quicker to go to a shop and take the goods away with you.
• You cannot inspect or ask about the goods before you buy.
• Many people are concerned about security of credit card details.
• Orders can be lost, even though the money transaction has not.
• Fraudulent trading is made easier.
Question 10 List two advantages and two disadvantages of using the
Internet to shop. ANSWER

Answer 1_1_10

List two advantages and two disadvantages of using the

Internet to shop.

There are many possible points.

Advantages:

• You can do it from a computer at home, no need to go out.

• Customers can shop about for the best prices from home.
• Ordering is easy. All a customer needs to do is to select
goods with a few clicks of the mouse and fill in an order form.
• Businesses can have pictures of their goods.
• Businesses do not need to have large premises with many
staff, thus saving on overheads .

Disadvantages

• Possibility of fraudulent trading. Traders take the money but

don't send the goods.
• Credit card fraud is possible. Many sites have security built
in.
• Customers cannot see the goods for themselves.
• Goods have to be dispatched which can take some time.
• Getting faulty goods back is a problem.

Computers and Society

As a society, we have become very dependent on the use of computers.

Although the benefits are many, there are some drawbacks:
 • Some people become obsessed and this can damage their social
relationships.
• There is a substantial proportion of the population that still do not
have access to ICT, and there are worries about an information
underclass.
• People feel threatened by the burgeoning of computers
• Information has been misused by a variety of individuals and groups
who disseminate loathsome material on the Internet, such as extremist
propaganda or pornography, or use the information for criminal activity.
• Some people spread malicious programs such as viruses, Trojan
Horses, and worms that make a damned nuisance of themselves in
people’s computers, wiping out vital files.
• The millennium bug was a very real threat, with fears of major
computer failures. In the event, Saturday 1st January 2000 was not
accompanied by the total breakdown of all our modern systems. This
was due to government and business foresight in tackling this problem.

Question 11 What kinds of threats are there to computer systems from

within an organisation or from outside? ANSWER

Answer 1_1_11

What kinds of threats are there to computer systems from

within and from outside an organisation?

The most obvious threats are:

• Malicious programming - viruses, worms, and Trojan horses.

Internal threats from within the organisation include:

• unauthorised modification of data;

• erroneous modification of data;
• theft of equipment and data.

External threats include:

• fire;
• theft from persons outside the organisation, whether of data
or hardware.
• blackmail;

Computer failures can be embarrassing and cause inconvenience. Software

bugs can corrupt databases. People’s accounts can be wiped out. People
cannot withdraw cash. However in vital situations, they can be dangerous:
 • Computer failures in fly-by-wire aircraft will make the machine
adopt the flying qualities of a house-brick, and it will fall out of the sky
with the pilot able to do nothing about it.
• Air traffic controllers have had to go back to little bits of paper when
their computers have failed.
• A computer failure in an intensive care ward is likely to put the life
of the patient at risk.

It is worth remembering as well that all these computers work because they
are looked after. Massive disruption can result from failure of computers,
whether as a result of power failure, or corrupted software, or failures in
hardware. If ever there were another war in the developed world, the
computers would be the first targets.

Question 12 Give two situations in which a computer failure could be

dangerous. Explain your answer. ANSWER

Answer 1_1_12

Give two situations in which a computer failure could be

dangerous. Explain your answer.

Give the point then the explanation:

• In an intensive care ward, failure of the computer monitoring

equipment could prevent doctors from seeing the
deteriorating condition of the patient. (NB. The computers
do not keep the patient alive; they are monitoring the
 condition of the patient and will give an alarm is a
deteriorating condition is detected.)
• Air traffic control use computers to plot the courses of
aeroplanes. A failure could result in a mid-air collision.
• Failure in the computer equipment supervising chemical
processes could result in the plant becoming unstable.
• Failure in a fly-by-wire aircraft will make it unflyable. (These
planes are usually aerodynamically unstable, which means
that even if he could control the machine from his joystick,
the pilot would find the plane almost impossible to fly
safely.)

Information and the Professional

As well as technical knowledge and skills, the kind of personal qualities

shown by an ICT professional would be summarised as:

• Communication Skills, the ability to explain what you are

doing to a range of people from the highest level to the most non-
technical
• Initiative, taking risks or going beyond the call of duty. This is
highly regarded by many employers (or not if it all goes pear-
shaped).
• Management Skills, of schedules, resources, and people.
• Design Skills, creative and critical thinking are as important as
technical knowledge.
• Problem Solving Ability, especially with customer support,
after-sales, or in programming.

Many professionals work in teams, with each person allocated a part of the
problem to work on. Clearly each member must pull his or her weight.

ICT professionals have a professional body, the British Computer Society

whose role is to maintain standards throughout the profession. Membership
entry is by examination. The BCS has produced a comprehensive set of
standards of training and development of those working in ICT called the
Industry Structure Model. It can be used to:

• Compose customised job descriptions from standardised roles.

• Establish training needs for individuals and organisations
• Provide training to recognised standards.
• Assess competence
• Plot career development
• Establish staffing needs
• Identify skills shortages.
Question 13 Write a job advertisement for an ICT administrator for your
company. ANSWER

Answer 1_1_13

Write a job advertisement for an ICT administrator for your

company.

This kind of question seems quite waffly, but the examiners are
looking for specific points. You must relate the job description to
the role as ICT administrator, giving an ICT-based explanation of
the point. These are some of the points you should raise:

• Communication Skills, the ability to explain what you are

doing to a range of people from the highest level to the most
non-technical, who will not understand computer jargon.
• Initiative, taking risks or going beyond the call of duty.
Initiative can be shown in judging what new ICT systems to
adopt for new roles. This is highly regarded by many
employers (or not if it all goes pear-shaped).
• Management Skills, of schedules, ICT resources, budgets and
people. The last three are expensive items which can be less
productive or even go wrong if badly managed.
• Design Skills, creative and critical thinking are as important
as technical knowledge. These are very important when
considering ICT solutions
• Problem Solving Ability, especially with customer support,
after-sales, or in programming.

An ICT administrator should have a qualification accredited by the

British Computer Society. S/he should have a good working
knowledge of the Industry Standard Model, showing skill in:

• Compose customised job descriptions from standardised roles.

• Establish training needs for individuals and organisations
• Provide training to recognised standards.
• Assess competence
• Plot career development
• Establish staffing needs
• Identify skills shortages.

Presentation: Topic 1 Role of ICT

 Computers in Education (prepared by one of my
students)

Now try the Topic Quiz

1. In which one of the following ICT processes is instant feedback
to the user absolutely essential?
1. ? A theatre-goer booking a theatre ticket (x-
processing may be done a few seconds later)
2. ? A customer depositing money in a bank account? (x
– processing is done at the end of the day)
3. ? An air-traffic controller plotting the course of a
number of aeroplanes
4. ? A clerk processing order forms for a mail-order
warehouse. (x – processing is done in batches of 50
orders)
2. Which one of the following is a drawback of ICT?
1. ? It gives instant feedback (x-this is an advantage)
2. ? A fault in the programming can cause output
errors.
3. ? A bank customer is refused a cash withdrawal from
a cash machine because there are insufficient funds in
their bank account. (x-this is an advantage)
4. ? A library can trace who has borrowed a particular
book. (x-this is an advantage)
3. Which one of the following causes most concern when ICT
systems are introduced?
1. ? Customer service would be quicker. (x –this is the
point of ICT)
2. ? Software houses would produce programs that
worked badly. (x –this can happen, but software houses
don’t set out to produce bad work)
3. ? Companies would waste money (x- this can
happen, but the objective in using an ICT system is to be
more productive)
4. ? Traditional jobs would be lost.
4. Which one of the following statements is NOT true about the
introduction of an ICT system.
1. ? More jobs have been created. (x-this is true)
2. ? A system that is five years old may well be
outdated. (x-this is true)
3. ? Spreadsheet programs are widely used by
accountants. (x-this is true)
4. ? Maintenance of computer files is much more
difficult and time consuming than paper records (x-this
is true)
5. Which one best describes teleworking?
 1. ? An employee can do his work on a computer at
home and send it in to the office.
2. ? An employee can work in the office and send his
work home to his computer. (x - this may happen, but is
not the point of teleworking)
3. ? The employee works at home and rings a secretary
who copies down the work. (x – a computer is essential)
4. ? Teleworking is another way of saying that a worker
is actually unemployed. (x – the person is employed but
working from home)
6. Which one of the following statements is true about call centre
working?
1. ? Call centres depend on accurate paper records. (x-
call centers are highly computerized)
2. ? Call centres are so computerised that they cannot
handle queries other than those that are in the option
menus. (x – this may seem to be the case, but most do
allow you to talk to a real person)
3. ? Some companies have moved call centres to low
wage countries like India to save costs.
4. ? Call centres in low wage countries cannot give
accurate information to customers. (x – they can,
provided that the information is on a well-maintained
database)
7. Business patterns are changing. Which one of these changes
is NOT due to the increased use of ICT?
1. ? Larger organisations are becoming less
hierarchical, with employees working more in groups
needing less supervision. (x – this is a result of ICT)
2. ? The use of problem-solving skills, ability to use
initiative and familiarity with ICT is increasingly
important in recruitment. (x – this is a result of ICT)
3. ? More companies are going backrupt due to loss of
records dutring the change-over to ICT systems from
paper-based systems.
4. ? Many people now use the Internet for contacting
companies and doing business with them. (x – this is a
result of ICT)
8. Which one of the following statements about the social impact
of ICT in education is correct?
1. ? Computers have caused a dumbing down of
enducational standards. (x – despite what you read in
the gutter tabloids, this is not the case. Indeed the
popular press has done more to dumb things down than
anyone else)
2. ? Teachers use ICT widely to produce a wide range of
professional looking resources for their students.
3. ? Teachers are no longer needed. (x – a teachers is
needed to help to explain things that are difficult.)
 4. ? Students have lost social skills as a result of using
computers (x – other sensational articles in the gutter
tabloids, there is no evidence to support this)
9. Many people shop on the internet. Which one of these
statements is true about a shop that trades exclusively on the
internet?
1. ? It is most likely to be there to commit fraud by
taking money, but not delivering the goods. (x –
although some sites are set up as scams, the vast
majority are honest traders.)
2. ? They are cheaper because the warehouse employs
no people; selection of goods is done by computer-
controlled robots. (x – there will be people working in
the warehouse)
3. ? Customers receive their goods instantly on
payment. (x – not true; the goods may be dispatched
instantly, but may take several days to arrive)
4. ? It is more convenient to use the internet because
you can do all your purchases with your computer.
10. Which one of the following is the most likely to cause a
major risk to life?
1. ? The wiping out of customers' bank account details.
(x – very inconvenient, but less likely to cause loss of
life)
2. ? An extremist website promoting religious hatred
and terrorism (x- loathsome, but in itself not a risk.
However the followers of such an organization could be
at a risk)
3. ? The spread of a computer virus. (x – vital computer
system will be protected against all malicious coding.)
4. ? Failure of an a computer in a fly-by-wire aircraft.