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GCE Applied ICT Unit 3 Organisations and Information Systems Report on Evans Enterprises By Jonathan Mould For Specialist

t Solutions Candidate Number: 6099 Centre Number: 71571

Speciali st Solutio ns

CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1

1.1 Background to Organisation................................................................................1 1.2 Organisational Structure.....................................................................................1

2 Communication methods

2.1 Internal Communication......................................................................................4 2.2 External Communication.....................................................................................4 2.3 Non-Verbal Communication................................................................................5 2.4 Verbal Communication........................................................................................5 2.5 Formal Communication.......................................................................................6 2.6 Informal Communication.....................................................................................6

3 Problems

3.1 Administrative Problems.....................................................................................7 3.2 Staffing Levels....................................................................................................9 3.3 Use of ICT..........................................................................................................9

4 Paper Based Documents

11

4.1 Stock Control....................................................................................................11 4.2 Job Application Forms.......................................................................................14 4.3 Human Resources Time Management...........................................................17 4.4 Accident Report ...............................................................................................18

5 Use of ICT

20

5.1 Intranet.............................................................................................................20 5.2 Internet.............................................................................................................21 5.3 E-mail...............................................................................................................22 5.4 Databases........................................................................................................23 5.5 E-Commerce.....................................................................................................24 5.6 Management Information Systems....................................................................24 5.7 Electronic Data Interchange..............................................................................25 5.8 Computer Systems...........................................................................................26

6 On-Line Documents

28

6.1 Event Booking Form........................................................................................28 6.2 Customer Feedback Form................................................................................33

CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 7 Management Information Systems 39

7.1 Bookings Report...............................................................................................40 7.2 Staff Overtime Hours .......................................................................................41

8 Legislation

43

8.1 Data Protection Act...........................................................................................43 8.2 Health and Safety at Work Act..........................................................................45 8.3 Design, Copyright and Patents Act....................................................................46 8.4 Computer Misuse Act........................................................................................47 8.5 Conclusion........................................................................................................48

9 Conclusions and Recommendations

50

9.1 Conclusions......................................................................................................50 9.2 Recommendations............................................................................................51

10 Personal Evaluation 11 Appendices

53 55

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

1 Introduction
1.1 Background to Organisation
Perfect Parties was set up in 2005 by ex-hotel manager Elizabeth Evans. The company organised childrens parties in the local church hall, providing entertainment, equipment and catering. Through advertisements in the local press and shops and through word-of-mouth the parties soon became popular. With a start-up grant for a small business and a bank loan, Elizabeth Evans moved the company to its own premises and hired three staff. Margaret Bryce was made manager of the company. As the business continued to expand more staff were hired. These new hires included Paula Morrison, the catering manager. In 2008 Elizabeth Evans had a new idea for the business and Exceptional Events was born. This branch of the company had its own offices and staff, managed by Peter Morgan. This company is divided into two departments; Celia Boyd manages the Research and Client Liaison department, and Charlie Harris manages the marketing department. It provides professional events for other companies, including the city council. Recently the overall company name was changed to Evans Enterprises with the familiar branch names kept in use. Elizabeth Evans is currently planning to expand to provide wedding services under the branch of Wonderful Weddings.

1.2 Organisational Structure


Elizabeth Evans is currently the CEO of Evans Enterprises. The CEO is the chief executive officer of the company and is the highest ranking officer with responsibility for total management of an organisation. The company consists of three branches: Perfect Parties, Exceptional Events and Wonderful Weddings as shown in figure 1.1 on page 3. The manager for Perfect parties is Margaret Bryce and Exceptional Events is managed by Peter Morgan. They report directly to Elizabeth Evans. At Perfect Parties Margaret Bryce is assisted by Julie Mitchell. Paula Morrison is the catering manager and the catering assistants, Francis Burke and Louise McShane, report to her. The rest of the staff: Karen Davies, Emma Davey, Brian Johnston, Susan Rodgers and Mark McKenna report to Margaret Bryce. Under the management of Peter Morgan, Exceptional Events is staffed by Celia Boyd, Charlie Harris and Rachel Devine. Celia Boyd manages the Research and Client Liaison department, Charlie Harris manages the marketing department and Rachel Devine is the secretary.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 Chain of command is the order in which authority in an organisation is delegated from the top level management to all employees. Instructions flow down the chain and accountability flows up the chain. The chain of command for Evans Enterprises has four levels. Elizabeth Evans has overall control of the company and is at the top of the chain. The next level has the managers for Perfect Parties and Exceptional Events. Then there are the managers for individual departments and assistant managers. The last level has the employees. The chain of command works well for the company as all staff have someone supervising them and know who to report to. Span of control describes the number of people directly underneath someone in the chain of command. If an organisation has too small a span of control then staff time and resources will be wasted. If an organisation has too large a span of control then staff will have too many people to manage and employees may not receive effective management. Managers may also suffer from stress, having too many people to manage. It is also possible that having too many people to manage can distract from long-term planning and running of the business. Julie Mitchell, assistant to Margaret Bryce, has the largest span of control with six people to oversee. Elizabeth Evans has a span of control of two managers. Paula Morrison also has a span of control of two people. Peter Morgan has a span of control of three people. The spans of control in the company are effective as the managers are able to control staff in their own department and Elizabeth Evans is able to oversee the organisation as a whole. When Exceptional Events was set up, Elizabeth Evans transferred Peter Morgan from Perfect Parties to be manager of the new branch, Julie Mitchell was promoted to assistant manager and Karen Davies was hired to replace Julie Mitchell. All the promotions the company has made have been due to expanding the business. Taking into account past promotions and the plans for Wonderful Weddings it is likely that Margaret Bryce or Julie Mitchell will be made manager of Wonderful Weddings and another staff member promoted to their position. It is also possible that Wonderful Weddings will need additional managers for departments such as catering.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

Organisational Structure for Evans Enterprises

Elizabeth Evans CEO Evans Enterprises

Peter Morgan Manager of Exceptional Events

Margaret Bryce Manager of Perfect Parties

Julie Mitchell Assistant Manager

Rachel Devine Secretary

Charlie Harris Marketing

Celia Boyd Research and Client Liaison

Paula Morrison Catering Manager

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Francis Burke Catering Assistant

Louise McShane Catering Assistant

Karen Davies Employee Fig. 1.1

Emma Davey Secretary

Brian Johnston Employee

Susan Rodgers Employee

Mark McKenna Employee

Tom Cooke Cleaning Staff

CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

2 Communication methods
Communication is the exchange of information between individuals or organisations.

2.1 Internal Communication


Internal communication is between staff within the organisation. Communication is needed in order to make a profit. Making a profit involves placing advertisements, sending and receiving invoices and meeting with clients etc. Evans Enterprises uses an internal memo system for the staff to leave messages for each other. These messages could concern what work has been completed and what work needs to be done. Foe example, staff organising a childrens party would send memos to Paula Morrison telling her how many children are coming to the party so that she can organise catering accordingly. The staff also use e-mail to contact each other. Emails would be more formal than memos and could be used for sending documents between staff. For example, when the city council asked for reports on meetings, the report would have been produced by the secretary, Rachel Devine, who could then email it to Peter Morgan so that he could send it to the council. The staff need to communicate with each other so that they are not overlapping their work e.g. two employees arranging to meet a customer.

2.2 External Communication


External communication is the exchange of information between the company and the customers/clients. This communication is essential so that events can be planned and managed in a way that satisfies the client. The nature of the events organising business requires frequent and efficient communication between staff and clients. Evans Enterprises uses telephone calls and face-to-face meetings with customers to make arrangements. These would concern how many people are coming to a party, what type of catering is required, legal issues etc. It is important that the company communicates with clients so that they are provided with accurate costs and details.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 When organising an event the staff would use the Internet or e-mail to order supplies and telephone calls to book entertainers. The supplies for events would be purchased online so that the best price can be found. Usually these websites use an online ordering system or provide an e-mail address so e-mail and online are the best ways for the staff to order supplies. The staff would use telephone calls to book entertainers as it is the fastest way to do so. They are able to provide information and answer questions instantly. In this way, the communication is fast and effective compared to e-mail, for example where the staff might need to send several e-mails to communicate the same information.

2.3 Non-Verbal Communication


Non-verbal communication is anything that is written or typed. It can be internal or external. Nonverbal communication includes e-mails, memos, letters and notes. For example, Evans Enterprises may send letters to its customers to confirm bookings and invoices after an event. These would be examples of non-verbal communication. Evans Enterprises uses e-mail, notes and an internal memo system for staff communication, and sends letters and invoices to clients. These could include confirmation letters, staff agendas, meeting details and other documents. For example, managers of Evans Enterprise may send e-mails to Elizabeth Evans to report on progress or staff performance.

2.4 Verbal Communication


Verbal communication is spoken. It can be between employees; internal, or between employees and clients; external. Verbal communication includes telephone calls, face-to-face meetings and video conferencing. It can be formal e.g. Evans Enterprises meetings with the council or informal e.g. staff discussing arrangements for events such as how many people are attending a party. Evans Enterprises uses verbal communication for making arrangements with clients and booking entertainers. When organising parties, office staff would phone clients in order to collect information needed such as the type of party, the type of catering needed, the time and date of the party. Verbal communication is effective for the company as it allows staff to communicate instantly.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

2.5 Formal Communication


Formal communication follows defined structures or procedures. These are normally documented in policies within the organisation. It can take place between employees or between employees and staff. Formal communication includes letters, face-to-face meetings, telephone calls and e-mails. For example, Evans Enterprises may send out confirmation letters to clients who have booked an event. This would be formal communication. Evans Enterprises uses formal communication for meeting with clients such as the city council, where the minutes of meetings were recorded. This was done because the council required progress reports and a formal recording of meetings was necessary to provide this. Formal communication is also used to manage staff. An example of this is the staff time sheet. The staff complete the sheets once a week. The time sheets are used by all staff to record the hours they work and calculate pay due. The time sheet is shown in more detail in section four.

2.6 Informal Communication


Informal communication does not follow a specific procedure and takes place in an unplanned way. Informal communication includes notes, e-mails and memos. An example of informal communication in Evans Enterprises is notes which are passed between staff. The staff may write notes for each other concerning details of events. For example, if a staff member is out the office and a client phones the office, another employee may take a message for them. They would then write a note for the staff member. There may also be some informal communication between staff and clients while events are in progress. They would communicate about the running of clients events or direct them to the correct room etc.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

3 Problems
3.1 Administrative Problems
Evans Enterprises currently has a number of administrative problems. If an organisation has problems then this could lead to a reduction in efficiency and profitability. It is important that any problems in an organisation are resolved to prevent loses. The company has a booking form for Perfect Parties but these are not always used and staff record information on notes or give Elizabeth Evans information verbally if they are busy. Sometimes bookings were not recorded at all. Elizabeth Evans transfers these bookings into a Word document manually and also records catering information in Word. If bookings continue going unrecorded this will result in a loss of business and a loss of profit. Details of entertainers are recorded in a written list kept by Elizabeth Evans. As more details were added the list has become untidy and unorganised. If the list is not re-organised then it will become more difficult to find a suitable entertainer for an event and this will result in time being wasted and therefore reduced efficiency. Invoices from suppliers are recorded in a spreadsheet but Elizabeth Evans does not know how to perform any calculations. Not all invoices have been recorded in the spreadsheet. Not recording all invoices will lead to inaccurate accounting. This will cause problems for example underestimating costs for an event could reduce profit. If Elizabeth Evans was able to perform calculations in Excel then she could work out the most cost effective approach to ordering supplies. Elizabeth Evans does not always record details of meetings and on a number of occasions has failed to attend meetings which is a setback to clients and could cost client loyalty and possibly other custom if Evans Enterprises becomes known for being unorganised. This will ultimately lead to a loss of profit. Staff arrangements for both branches are managed by Margaret Bryce at Perfect Parties. Paperwork is brought over weekly from Exceptional Events weekly but this has proved to be inefficient. If paper work is not brought over or is incomplete it can lead to a delay in payment for staff. This could lead to negative staff relations and frustration with the company.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 There are also problems with internal communication and organisation. For example, when organising an event for the local council, Elizabeth Evans booked a hotel for the delegates even though Peter Morgan was supposed to do this. Although a double booking was avoided, if this lack of communication continues it could lead to extra costs and loss of profit. Lack of communication can also negatively impact staff relations. If managers such as Elizabeth Evans, Peter Morgan or Margaret Bryce complete tasks which have been delegated to other staff and do not communicate, employees could feel undervalued or unreliable. This could cause employees to become unhappy working within the company and could eventually decide to leave. This will cause the inconvenience of hiring new staff. The new staff will need to be trained and familiarised with the company and this will cause a temporary decrease in efficiency. The guest list for the city council event was badly managed by Rachel Devine. The guests were recorded on a written list which soon became unorganised and illegible. She also assumed that if a guest did not return an acceptance slip then they would not be attending. In reality, five guests arrived who were not on the list. If events continue to be badly managed then it is unlikely that Evans Enterprises will receive repeat business and word could spread about badly managed events, damaging Evans Enterprises reputation. Evans Enterprises has started using an internal memo system for leaving messages for other staff members but these were not always received on time, for example when staff are out of the office and do not return before going home. This will contribute to the problems associated with lack of communication. If staff are not receiving messages on time then this could cause organisational problems.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

3.2 Staffing Levels


Evans Enterprises currently has an appropriate number of staff for the size of the organisation. The employees usually know what work they are supposed to be doing and who to report to if they have a problem. An exception of this was the task of booking a hotel for the city council event although this was caused by a lack of communication, not staffing levels. Managers are fairly effective at managing staff and the performance of other employees reflects this. Departments within the organisation, such as catering, have a manageable number of staff and are managed well in order to perform their specialised tasks efficiently. It was Elizabeth Evans intention to rotate staff between Perfect Parties and Exceptional Events in order to add variety to their work but this has not yet happened. If staff are rotated between the two branches, the rota will have to be carefully planned to ensure that staff know where they are supposed to be working, what event they are working on and other details. It is unclear whether Charlie Harris and Celia Boyd will be rotated as they are in charge of specialised departments. Rotating staff between the branches may cause problems as planning a professional event requires different skills and qualities than planning a childs party. When Wonderful Weddings is launched more staff will need to be hired and so more managers will be required. There may be promotions from one of the other branches or staff may be employed directly by Wonderful Weddings. Specialised wedding planners, caterers and other staff will also be required.

3.3 Use of ICT


Using ICT brings numerous benefits to an organisation including organising data more easily, accessing records faster and faster communication. ICT is currently being used within Evans Enterprises although its full potential has not been realised. The office of Perfect Parties has one computer and a printer. Elizabeth Evans uses Microsoft Word to record details of supplies needed for parties, catering stock and party bookings. The bookings list is not organised like a diary and careful checking is needed to ensure that everything is organised. It would be much more efficient to use a database to record bookings.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 The written list of entertainers is becoming unorganised and illegible as more information is added to it. There are two copies of the list; one in the office and one in Elizabeth Evans home. This is an inefficient way of storing information. It would be much better to transfer the list to computer and make it available to all staff. Elizabeth Evans uses Microsoft Excel to record income and expenditure but she does not know how to perform any calculations. This is an ineffective way of managing the accounts. If Elizabeth Evans was able to perform calculations then she could work out the best buying strategies and pricing plans for the company. Having badly organised accounts could cause an organisation to lose profit because of being unable to calculate profits and spot trends in their information for example which parties make the most profit. Staff details are managed on paper at reception and then transferred to computer at the end of the week. Data would be more accurate and up-to-date if it were managed by computer. The data transfer would be instant and so there would be no delay in staff payments. Having a computer based system would also reduce secretarial work as payments could be worked out automatically. The problems at Exceptional Events are similar to those at Perfect Parties. The company has provided three computers, two laptops and a printer. Although these are used for email and creating reports e.g. for the council conference, these resources are not managed as well as they could be and the company still heavily relies on paper. Elizabeth Evans has realised that the company would benefit greatly from having a web presence but has not yet taken any steps to set this up. She would like customers to be able to find information on the company and make on-line bookings. Benefits of having a website include: an increased customer base, cheap and effective advertising and improved customer-client communication. Having a website would also give Evans Enterprises the opportunity for e-commerce. This is the sale of goods or services over the Internet. In the case of Evans Enterprises they could make use of an online booking form or sell party supplies.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

4 Paper Based Documents


In this section four paper based documents which would be used in Evans Enterprises have been provided. The content of the documents will be described and the use of the documents explained. Full size copies of the documents can be found in the appendix.

4.1 Stock Control


It is important that Evans Enterprises keeps a record of the stock used at various parties and events. With more than one event being organised at a time, it would be important to record the stock needed at each event so that the stock can be ordered in time for the event. It is likely that the secretary of Perfect Parties, Emma Davey would take the job of organising the stock. The stock request form for Evans Enterprises is shown below in figure 4.1. The form consists of a heading, the table and text.

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Fig.4.1

CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 The purpose of the document is to allow the Evans Enterprises staff to order the stock that is needed for the event which they are organising. The staff look up items in the Stock Catalogue and use it to complete the document. They then sign and return the form to the secretary who will obtain or order more stock if necessary. Shown below in figure 4.2 is a sample page of the stock catalogue. Note that the information common to both documents is Item I.D, Item Name and Unit Price.

Fig. 4.2

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 At the top of the document is the title Evans Enterprises Stock Request alongside the Perfect Parties logo. The title is bold Arial, size 16 and centred on the page. This is the style that is used for the headings on all Evans Enterprises documents. The title allows the document to be quickly and easily identified for what it is. Then there is the text Copies of the stock catalogue are located at Perfect Parties reception. This text is Arial, size 12, aligned left. This text was included to provide information which is needed to successfully fill in the document. The main body of the document is taken up by a table with 5 columns and 17 rows. 17 rows were included as this maximises the space available on the page but still provides enough space for the form to be completed. The headings of the columns are Item I.D, Item Name, Unit Price (), Quantity, and Total Price (). At the end of the table there are two cells for entering the overall total for Quantity and Total Price (). The headings of the table are Arial, italics, size 12. These cells have blue shading. This forms part of the Evans Enterprises house style. The headers of tables and document borders are done in this colour. The Quantity fields were included to increase the efficiency of the process and so that the staff know exactly how much stock they should be receiving. The Item I.D column has been included to avoid confusion and mistakes when the staff are ordering stock. For example, a staff member may request party hats but not specify a colour. The item I.D, which is unique to each item, will clarify exactly which stock is being requested. The pricing fields were included to help with accounting. Underneath the table there is the text Please sign and return this form to Rachel Devine. The stock requested will be returned as soon as it is available. This text is also Arial, size 12, aligned left. Again this instruction has been included so that the document can be successfully filled in. There is then a space for the employee signature, the date and department and then, in the footer is the text Evans Enterprises and Stock request. This text is Times New Roman, size 12. The department must be selected so that accounting and delivery of stock is efficient. The date and signature will allow Evans Enterprises to track the stock which is being ordered. The document does not include references for the name and date of the event or the customer. This was done because staff may be organising multiple events simultaneously and so the stock

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 being requested may not relate to one single event. Allowing the staff to use a single form for all their stock needs for any event will reduce wasted time and resources e.g. paper. The Stock Order Form and the Stock Catalogue are documents which allow Evans Enterprises to keep their stock organised. When the company begins using ICT more they may create an online stock control system or simply make the paper documents available to the staff using an intranet.

4.2 Job Application Forms


In Evans Enterprises, as in any company, there will be a change of staff from time to time. The company may be expanding, e.g. the opening of Exceptional Events, or when employees leave and their positions need to be filled. When a company needs more staff it will usually advertise available positions in the local press and invite candidates to complete an application form. In the case of Evans Enterprises, they will need to hire more staff when Wonderful Weddings opens. Figure 4.3 on the following page shows the front page of the job application form. The remainder of the document can be found in the appendix. In the header there is the Evans Enterprises logo. It is there so that the audience recognise that it is an Evans Enterprises document. The document title is at the top of the page. It is printed in capitals in Arial, bold, black, size 16. It has a blue shading effect. This is part of Evans Enterprises house style. Next there are instructions for the completion of the form printed in black Arial, size 12. Candidates are asked to tick a box to indicate which position they are applying for. This has been included on the front cover to speed the sorting of returned forms into different categories.

Next is the title which gives the section number and section title. This is formatted in the same way as the main document title. This format of black Arial, size 14, bold with blue shading will from here on be referred to as the title style. Next there is a table in which the applicants fill in their personal details. The text in the table is black Verdana Ref, bold, size 12. This is the table style. The cells which ask questions have a blue background while the cells in which the applicants answer have a white background. The final four questions of this section require yes/no answers; for these the candidates need to delete as appropriate. There are printed instructions advising them to do this. The same style is used throughout the document.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

Fig. 4.3 The candidates are first asked to provide basic personal information; their name, address, phone numbers and email address. This information is needed so that Evans Enterprises can contact the applicants. Then candidates are asked if they are eligible to work in the U.K. This is asked so that Evans Enterprises does not illegally employ people. The document also asks if the candidate holds a driving license. This information is useful because the staff may need to travel as part of their work and knowing who can drive will help Evans Enterprises organise this. The final question asks if candidates have been convicted of a criminal offence. This information is required as the staff will often come in contact with children and young people. They may be restrictions depending on the offence which Evans Enterprises must be aware of.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 The second page is for the applicants employment history and education. Space is given for two previous employers although candidates are only required to provide details for one. Candidates are asked to enter the name and address of any employers as well as their job title and an overview of their responsibilities. This information provides Evans Enterprises with an overview of candidates previous jobs. This may be useful when deciding who is suitable for the positions available. There is then the education section where candidates must give details of their qualifications. This information allows Evans Enterprises to see which candidate is best qualified and most likely to be best for the positions available. The third page is for candidate to provide information about their training, experience and skills. The training section is for candidates to provide information about any training which did not result in a formal qualification. This information is required so that Evans Enterprises can to see which candidate is best qualified and most likely to be best for the positions available. The experience and skills section provides a box for candidates to write about why they think that they are suitable for a job with Wonderful Weddings. This information allows Evans Enterprises to consider who is most suitable for the job and helps the managers decide which applicants to invite for an interview, the next step in the recruitment process. The final page of the document consists of the references section and the declaration and signature section. Candidates are required to provide two references as part of their application. The form asks for the contact details of the two referees and the nature of their relationship with the applicant. Evans Enterprises will use this information to contact the referees to discuss the applicant. Companies ask applicants to provide references in order to find out if an applicant is trustworthy, punctual and has other qualities they may be looking for. Asking the references gives them a less biased opinion than asking the applicant themselves. The applicants then sign and date the form to declare that the information they have provided is accurate. Information for the candidate regarding the storage and use of the data is provided. A horizontal line was printed on the form to indicate that the form is complete and the applicant is thanked for filling in the application form.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

4.3 Human Resources Time Management


Fig. 4.5 Personnel in an organisation are as important as stock. Without the correct staff the company would cease to function. It is important to ensure that everyone is well trained and is satisfied with their job. Staff records must be kept with training records, hours worked, meetings attended etc. This document, figure 4.7, is a time management sheet which the staff of Evans Enterprises are required to complete. They are required to do this so that the company has a record of their activity. This is useful for the reasons explained below.

Fig. 4.7 The purpose of this document is to record the staff business activity so that hours worked and the correct pay can be calculated. The information may also be analysed to see how staff are spending their time and how improvements could be made to the running of the company. It is also possible that this document could be useful to Evans Enterprise if there is a dispute with a client. The company has a paper record of who was working on an event, the time spent on individual tasks and who is responsible for particular areas of the event. This information would be valuable if a client was dissatisfied with the service they received, for example. The document is printed on white, landscape A4 paper and starts with the title printed in black Arial, size 16, bold, centred. Under this there is text instructing the staff to complete the sheet and return to Margaret Bryce at the end of the day, as well as space for the date to be entered. This text is printed in black Arial, size 12. Then there is the time sheet table with the headings

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 Client, Task, Start time, Finish time and Total time. These headings are printed in black Arial, size 12, italic. The cells containing these headings have a blue background colour. This colour is part of the Evans Enterprises house style. There is then space for the staff to fill in the information. In the footer there is the company name and the document name printed in black Times New Roman, size 10. The Evans Enterprises logo is in the header. The document has a blue line border which forms part of the Evans Enterprises house style.

4.4 Accident Report


From time to time accidents will occur. These could involve customers, employees or both. The company is legally obliged to keep their premises safe for workers and the public. If an accident does occur the person involved could claim compensation. For this reason it is important that records are kept of accidents and how they are dealt with. Shown below in figure 4.8 is the accident report form used in Perfect Parties. A full size copy of the document can be found in the appendix.

Fig. 4.8

The purpose of this document is to record the details of any accidents which occur. It is printed on white A4 paper. The Evans Enterprises logo is in the header and the company name and document name are printed in the footer. They are printed in black Times New Roman, size 10. The document has a blue line border, as part of the house style. The title at the top of the page is

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 printed in black Arial, size 16, bold. Underneath the title there is space for an accident reference number to be entered. The reference number is required so that the forms can be sorted and filled. Then there is the table where the information is to be filled in. The questions are simple and allow the form to be filled in quickly and easily such as Is this person staff or a guest? and Was first aid given? The information is required so that the accident and the action taken can be reviewed. The management can then decide if the company dealt with the accident appropriately or if further precautions need to be made. The document will also serve as a record of the accident which can be used by the company in the case of legal action; a compensation settlement for example. The question cells have a blue background while the others have a white background. This is in accordance with the Evans Enterprises house style. The text in the table is printed in black Arial, size 12, italic. Under the table there is space for the date and the signature of the person filling in the form. Once the document has been completed it will be filled and stored securely so that it can be accessed at a later date if necessary. The accident report forms may be reviewed by the management periodically so that the effectiveness of safety measures can be analysed. Ensuring that the company premises are safe is important to the business as it will reduce the possibility of legal proceedings against the company and will prevent the company from developing a bad reputation. This is very important as the public image of Evans Enterprises will directly impact its bookings.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

5 Use of ICT
In this section the use of ICT will be discussed. Using ICT can help improve the efficiency of a company. There are a number of benefits to an organisation when using ICT such as easier organisation, more accurate work and more effective communication.

5.1 Intranet
An intranet is a local area computer network which utilises the Internet Protocol (IP) to share information within an organisation. An intranet can host web services, e-mail and file transfer in a similar way to the Internet. While the services offered by the Internet and an intranet are similar, the difference between the two can be understood as private and public. An intranet is a private network which can generally only be accessed by employees of the organisation. The network is protected from unauthorised access by a network gateway and firewall. In some cases the intranet would be made publicly available and protected by a user login and password. This would allow employees to access the network from home. Having an intranet brings a number of benefits to an organisation. These include increased productivity as employees are able to access the information they need from any computer in the organisation. The intranet also saves time; information is conveyed to employees as and when needed. Having the information available on the intranet allows employees to access it when needed instead of being distracted by e-mail. Another benefit of an intranet is improved collaboration. With documents available on the intranet employees can work together in teams more easily. If Evans Enterprises were to use an intranet they could store many documents on it. In particular having a bookings system would greatly benefit the working of the company. When an employee is making a booking with a client they can consult the calendar to check the available dates and times. They can then create a booking which will update instantly. This will help avoid double bookings and allow for better management of the organisation. Evans Enterprises could also publish staff newsletters and other announcements on the intranet. There would be no need to publish printed information such as memos, saving resources like ink and paper. This will save the company money and increase the eco-friendliness of the company. Page 20

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An additional benefit of a company intranet is the sharing of the paper based documents such as the accident report and time sheet discussed in the previous section. The staff can download and print out a form when they need it rather than a large number being produced by the secretary and distributed among the staff. This will save on printing resources and make the company more efficient.

5.2 Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks; in other words a network of networks. The Internet offers a number of services such as the World Wide Web, File Transfer Protocol and e-mail. Evans Enterprises could use the Internet to increase their effectiveness and efficiency. To make the most of the benefits of the Internet, Evans Enterprises would have to set up a website. Their web address would be www.evansenterprises.co.uk or www.perfectparties.co.uk or another similar address which is logical and easy to remember. It is important that the website is easy to find. Evans Enterprises would ensure their webpages are SEO optimised for search engines. This involves editing content and adding keywords to the HTML of the website to make it more visible in search results. The Internet is a very good marketing tool. Having a website will give Evans Enterprises a web presence which is often a more effective and less expensive strategy than traditional advertising. For example, if someone was organising a party they are more likely to search for party planners or similar online than they are to search for an individual company. If the Evans Enterprises website is among the results for this search then they have a good chance of receiving business from the person. As well as having a website, Evans Enterprises could create an advert to post on other websites. This would link back to the Evans Enterprises website, increasing awareness of the company. The advert can also be targeted to specific areas as well as being displayed to users who have visited other party or event planning websites.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 Evans Enterprises may wish to create social media accounts on websites such as Facebook and Twitter. An Evans Enterprises Facebook page would act as an extension of the main website but with the advantages Facebook offers such as tailored advertising and having a more personal feel. An Evans Enterprises Twitter account would be used to give short updates from the company. These do not always need to be specifically concerning the company but could be links and other content which may be of interest to Evans Enterprises clients. Both the Facebook and Twitter methods of marketing rely on engaging the client. The company could use these platforms to host competitions, ask questions, start discussions and generally interact with their customers. Studies have shown that organisations which use social media platforms to engage with their clients have more success with gaining repeat business. Clients who feel personally involved through the use of the social networks are more likely to do business with a company again than those who are not contacted. Another use of the Internet is Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) or conference calling. This involves using the Internet, a microphone and often a webcam to hold a virtual conference. This would benefit Evans Enterprises when they are dealing with clients who are not based near the Evans Enterprises offices. Instead of one or both groups travelling a long distance in order to attend meetings, they could hold a conference call instead. This would save time and money e.g. travelling. It is also more practical for both groups.

5.3 E-mail
E-mail is an electronic method of exchanging information between an author and one or more recipients. It operates across computer networks such as the Internet or an intranet. E-mail operates on a store-and-forward method meaning that the sender and the receiver do not need to be on-line simultaneously. This is useful in business as messages can be left for employees who are out of the office. In Evans Enterprises E-mail could be used to communicate effectively with clients. E-mail would be used for responding to enquiries from clients. Contact details and some basic needs for the clients event can be gathered by E-mail before planning commences using other communication methods.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 E-mail could be used in Evans Enterprises for internal communication between staff. E-mail is useful for communicating with staff that are out of the office and also for sending files such as documents and pictures. E-mail is free to use and generally secure so it will improve the companys efficiency. As E-mail can be accessed from anywhere with an Internet connection, staff can access their messages from home and while travelling. E-mail will save time and resources when sending paperwork between branches. For example, the staff time-sheet for Exceptional Events could be scanned and E-mailed to the main office of Perfect Parties. This would save the staff time and make the process more efficient.

5.4 Databases
A database is an organised collection of data used for one or more purpose. A database can be used for analysing data and problem solving. In Evans Enterprises databases could be used for storing information relevant to all aspects of the business such as staff details, client details and stock control. An example of problem solving using a database in Evans Enterprises would be sending out event invitations. They could store the details of the attendees in a database and then use a query and mail-merge to personalise the invitations. The database and mail-merge can then also be used to print addresses on envelopes. Using this technique saves a lot of staff time as they do not need to type individual invitations. This greatly improves the efficiency of the organisation. An example of Evans Enterprises using a database for analysing data would be reviewing bookings information. If all the bookings are recorded in a database then the data can be sorted by event type, time and so on. This data can then be compared with profit data and staff working hours to discover who the different factors of events affect the staff and profits. After analysing and reviewing the information, the managers may be able to make the company operate more efficiently. Evans Enterprises could use a database to store the contact details of entertainers and suppliers, as well as customer and event details. This would solve the problem of written lists becoming unorganised and illegible. These databases could be made available to the staff using a company intranet. This would result in improved efficiency for the company as the staff can access and update information instantly and there is no need to make paper copies for the staff.

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5.5 E-Commerce
E-commerce is the sale of goods or services using the Internet. In the case of Evans Enterprises the service would be party organising but the company may wish to expand in the future by selling party goods such as hats etc. through their website. To engage in e-commerce Evans Enterprises would have to set up a website. Once the website is set up the company could use it to take bookings from customers. A sample bookings page will be created and examined in section six of this report. The bookings page would be publicly available 24 hours a day by a wide range of people. Having the bookings page online will give it and the company a large web presence which will increase sales. Sales will increase because customers who do not have time to visit the office during the day can make a booking at a time which is convenient to them. Using e-commerce will also save resources for Evans Enterprises. The bookings form is online and will send the information to a database on an Evans Enterprises computer. This data can then be accessed by the staff through the intranet. There is now less need for paper documents in the booking process. Evans Enterprises will likely continue to send out confirmation letters to clients but in the future this may be phased out in favour of e-mail. The online nature of the bookings process will result in fewer mistakes from human error. The data will be checked using validation and verification methods and with less human interaction in the process, mistakes are very unlikely. It will also save time for the Evans Enterprises staff. To facilitate e-commerce Evans Enterprises would have to train some staff to manage the website and databases or hire a dedicated web and database developer or manager. They would process the orders and make the information available to the other Evans Enterprises staff. The payment process could remain unchanged by the introduction of e-commerce to the company. The bookings page may incorporate an online payment system but some customers might prefer to pay in person after their event. Evans Enterprises would need to conduct some market research on the payment preferences of their clients before committing to one system.

5.6 Management Information Systems


A Management Information System takes data from a number of different sources and converts it into useful information which can be used as part of decision making. Organisations must be as effective and efficient as possible; for this reason MIS reports are invaluable for a companys

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 management. MIS reports allow the data and information to be analysed and compared easily. The MIS can also use data to predict future growth and patterns. Evans Enterprises would be able to take advantage of an MIS at all levels of management. At the strategic level, Elizabeth Evans would be able to view bookings and profits trends. The MIS reports would show her where Evans Enterprises is making the most profit and which type of event is most popular etc. Elizabeth Evans could then use the MIS to predict future bookings and adjust pricing and expenditure accordingly. These reports would most likely be produced at the end of each quarter. The MIS would make these tasks easier as it can sort, group and graph data quickly. At the tactical level, the branch managers; Peter Morgan and Margaret Bryce would be able to view staff working hours, expenditures and other information relevant to the running of each branch; Perfect Parties and Exceptional Events. They would then be able to use the MIS to experiments with different working hours, stock suppliers etc. to see how this would affect the profits of the branch. They can then make informed decisions so that the branches are operating at maximum effectiveness. At the operational level, Julie Mitchell and Paula Morrison would be able to review information such as event accounts and invoice forms. The MIS would be able to produce the information in an appropriate format; for instance a graph. They would be able to review individual events and decide how to make more profit etc. at the next similar event. MIS can also be used in conjunction with paper based documents. For example the information collected by the time management sheet discussed previously could be entered into an MIS which could then analyse the information and the managers could investigate ways to make staff working time more effective. They can review the tasks associated with each event and the time staff spend on them before making improvements to the working of the organisation.

5.7 Electronic Data Interchange


Put simply, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the interaction between two or more computers. EDI is a set of standards for communication between computers. It allows companies to exchange documents using a computer system instead of a paper based system. Evans Enterprises could use an EDI to make their operations more effective and efficient. Any paper document can be exchanged using EDI. The staff time sheet described previously is a paper based document which has to be transferred between branches by hand. If this document was converted to EDI format there would be less time and effort needed for this. Staff would complete

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 their time sheets using a computer and the information would be sent to a central database or other document instantly. This saves time and makes the company more efficient. Another possible use of EDI in Evans Enterprises is event bookings. Currently bookings are recorded on paper; this system is vulnerable to human errors like double bookings or inaccurate information. Using an EDI for bookings would be much more efficient and less prone to errors. A typical booking using EDI would work like this; a member of Evans Enterprises staff talks to a client on the telephone. The staff member uses the EDI to query if the desired date and time are available, the EDI returns the results. If the date and time are available the staff member uses the EDI to create a booking. The EDI then enters the booking into the main calendar or diary which is updated instantly. With this system the only exchange which is open to error is between the staff and the clients. The EDI works to make sure that double bookings and other errors are not made. The EDI also saves time as the booking is recorded instantly whereas for a paper based system, the staff would have to write down details on paper, and then transfer these details to a booking form before the information is transferred to the diary. This information may also be transferred to the managers, caterers and other staff. With the EDI the information is updated instantly and available from any computer in the Evans Enterprises office; a much more effective system.

5.8 Computer Systems


The computer systems in the Evans Enterprises offices should be networked. Having a networked system will bring many benefits to Evans Enterprises. The first benefit is the access of data. Using a network with usernames and passwords for each staff member means that the staff can access their documents from any computer connected to the network. This means that the staff do not need to work at the same computer everyday. This would be particularly beneficial if a team was put together to work on an event. The team members could meet together in a meeting room but still have access to all their files by using laptops connected to the network. The files and folders of each staff member would be more secure than on a stand-alone computer as they are protected by the username and password. Having all of the files and folders stored on a central server allows Evans Enterprises to easily perform backups of all the information on the network. This is important as data is one of the most valuable items any organisation owns. If data was lost then Evans Enterprises could lose profit and possibly future business if they lost customer or event details. Page 26

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As Evans Enterprises consists of two separate branches; Perfect Parties and Exceptional Events they would most likely set up two Local Area Networks (LANS); one for each office. These could be linked over the Internet is necessary. Evans Enterprises may wish to allow staff to access the network from home. They would need to set up a gateway to allow remote access to their network to achieve this.

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6 On-Line Documents
Sometimes companies will provide documents online. This enables, for example, customer or potential job applicants to communicate with the company at a time which is convenient to them. There are many on-line documents such as order forms, reports, product information, etc. In this section two webpages which have been designed for Evans Enterprises will be described and analysed.

6.1 Event Booking Form


An online booking form has been created for Evans Enterprises. It is shown below in figure 6.1. The purpose of the document is to allow customers to book an event with Evans Enterprises. Having a web presence with an online booking system will bring numerous benefits for Evans Enterprises such as an increased customer base and having information about the company available 24/7. The audience of the document is the potential customers of Evans Enterprises.

Fig. 6.1

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 This is the heading of the document. The Evans Enterprises logo is on the left. It was included to show that the document is part of the Evans Enterprises website. In the centre there is the text which thanks the customers for choosing Evans Enterprises and instructs them to complete the form. The text is size 10, black Verdana. This font was chosen because it is clear and easy to read. Verdana is a Sans Serif font. This font style was chosen because Sans Serif fonts display better on computer monitors than Serif fonts.

Fig. 6.2 In the upper right corner of the webpage are the interactive buttons which link to the other pages of the Evans Enterprises website. The font of the buttons is also Verdana and the background colour is blue. This is part of the Evans Enterprises house style. The background colour of the webpage is white. This was chosen to give the document a clean look and to make the text easy to read. Underneath the heading section is the booking form and banner picture. The booking form is aligned to the left; the picture to the right. The picture is made up of four individual photos representing some of the services Evans Enterprises offer. The form and picture are set out so that customers using smaller monitors will not need to scroll across the page to see the complete form while customers using widescreen monitors will not see white space beside the form. This is illustrated below in figure 6.3.

Smaller monitor Larger monitor

Fig. 6.3 The booking form will now be analysed section by section.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 The first section of the form is for the event details. The font used in the form is Verdana. This was used because it is easy to read on the screen. The font is size 16 and in bold for the headers and size 12 in normal type for the questions. The header section has a grey background colour.

The first question is about the type of event. For this question a dropdown box has been used. This was done because there are only three possible answers to the question. Including the dropdown box makes the information easier to process as Evans Enterprise can sort various form entries by event type.

Fig. 6.4

Fig. 6.5

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 The next question is the time and date of the booking. The customers can enter the information in the text boxes or by clicking on the calendar icon. This opens the date selector box as shown below. The next question is about the number of children and adults attending. This information is required so that Evans Enterprises can plan the event according to the numbers attending. For these questions the information is entered into textboxes. These textboxes use validation to limit the information which can be entered into them; they only allow numbers with no more than three digits. Validation has been used to aid the processing of the data. Only allowing numbers means that all the data for the different entries is in the same format i.e. all digits not some with digits Fig. 6.6 and some with words. The next question asks the customer if they want to order any extra services for their event such as a photographer or printed invitations. The question uses a tick box system. This was done because the customer may wish to select none, all or some of the options.

Fig. 6.7

Fig. 6.8

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 The next section is the personal details section. This is formatted in the same way as the previous section of the form. The first question is the name field. It is split into two text boxes; one for the first name and one for the last name. The E-mail field is also a text box. The default setting gives an example email address and this field is validated to only allow email addresses. If this is entered incorrectly the question is highlighted in red as shown6.9 Fig. below. The phone number question is split into two text boxes; one for the area code and one for the phone number. These fields use validation to ensure that only numbers are entered. Fig. 6.10 The final question is about when the customer would prefer to be contacted by Evans Enterprises. The question has used a radio box option as the customer can not select more than one option. At the end of the page is the submit button with the text Book your Event. Fig. 6.11

Fig. 6.12

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6.2 Customer Feedback Form


An online customer feedback form has been created for Evans Enterprises. The purpose of the document is to allow Evans Enterprises to evaluate how they are performing by analysing the feedback of their customers. The audience for the document is the customers whose event has already happened. This document would be accessed through the login section of the Evans Enterprises website. Customers are given login credentials by their event planner. As well as the feedback form, customers can monitor the progress of their event. The document is not publicly available on the Evans Enterprises website as they would not want the form to be filled in by noncustomers because this would give inaccurate information and the document shows a discount code on completion of the form. The document uses validation to ensure that all the form fields are completed. The document has a white background and it was decided not to include images alongside the form so that the page has a clean and clutter free look. This allows customers to focus on the form and complete it faster. The document is shown below in figure 6.13.

Fig. 6.13 Page 33

CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 The document will now be described section by section. Shown below is the heading of the document. It includes the Evans Enterprises logo, introductory text and interactive buttons which link to the other pages of the Evans Enterprises website. The logo has been included so that the users recognise that the page is part of the Evans Enterprises website. The text is size 10, black, Verdana. This font was chosen because it is clear and easy to read. Verdana is a Sans Serif font. A Sans Serif font was used because they display better on computer monitors than Serif fonts. The text asks the audience to fill in the form and informs them that there is a discount for customers who fill in the feedback form. Fig. 6.14 The interactive buttons are also Verdana, black, size 10. The background colour is blue which forms part of the Evans Enterprises house style. The next section is the personal details section of the form. The heading of this section is formatted in Verdana, size 16, bold and black. The header has a grey background. The question text is black Verdana, size 12. This font and colour were chosen as they make the text easy to read. This formatting style was used for all sections of the document to give it a consistent appearance. The first field is for the customer name. This is split into two text boxes; one for the first name and one for the last name. The second field is the e-mail field. This uses a text box which has a validation rule only allowing valid e-mail addresses to be input. The feedback form has been split into different sections for each stage of the customers event. The first section is the Booking Phase. The formatting is as described previously. Fig. 6.15 The first two questions use drop-down menus. This is because only the set booking options are possible. While it is possible that customers may have heard about Evans Enterprises other than the three main ways listed, it was decided to use the drop-down box to simplify the analysis of the information. Other options can easily be added to the menu when needed, for example if the company produces a radio advert then this option would be added to the menu.

Page 34 Fig. 6.16

CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

The next question asks How easy did you find booking with us? The customers answer this using a radio-button rating. The buttons correspond to the numbers one to five, with one being the worst and five the best.

Fig. 6.17

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 The next question is a yes/no question about the performance of the office staff. The customers select their answer using the radio-button.

In both of the above questions, radio-buttons were used because it is only possible for one of the options to be selected. Fig. 6.18 The next question asks the customers to rate the services on offer. They do this by using a 5 star rating system. This is shown below. Having a star system could be useful for Evans Enterprises for advertising purposes. They could advertise their services as being rated 5 stars by customers, for example. This would be effective advertising as a star rating is universal i.e. everyone understands it. The final question in the section asks about the booking experience as a whole. The question is answered using a slider which ranges from 0 to 100. The user can click on or drag the slider to the value they want to give. Fig. 6.19

Fig. 6.20

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 In the next section, the users are asked about the event planning stage. For the questions in this section the customers use a radio-button to select how much they agree or disagree with the statement. This is shown below in figure 6.22. The last question in the event planning section asks for a rating for the planning process as a Fig. 6.21 whole. Again, the customers use a slider to answer.

Fig. 6.22

Fig. 6.22

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 The next section is about the event itself. In this section the customers are asked to rate the staff, the facilities and some other general aspects of Evans Enterprises. The user selects how much they agree or how satisfied they were with the services by selecting the radio-button which corresponds to their view. This section is shown in figure 6.23 below. The last question in this section asks the user to rate their overall event experience, again using a slider.

The final section of the document asks customers about their post-event experience. They are asked to Fig. 6.24 billing process using the worst/best system and their experience of Evans rate the Enterprises using the star rating system. The star system was used here because of the benefits as described previously. There are then questions about repeat bookings and recommendations. These use a radio-button yes/no option as only one of the options can be selected. The final question field is a text box for any other comments the customer may have. When the user presses the submit button the form is replaced with the thank you message. It informs customers that their form has been received and gives them their discount code. The rest of the page remains. This is shown below in figure 6.26.

Fig. 6.23 Fig. 6.26

Fig. 6.25

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7 Management Information Systems


A management information system (MIS) converts raw data from a number of sources into useful information which is needed to manage organisations efficiently and effectively. This information is then presented in an appropriate form such as a graph or table to the managers of the different levels of the organisation. The managers can then use the information to make decisions regarding planning, directing and controlling the organisations activities. The three levels of management in any organisation are strategic, tactical and operational. Strategic is the highest level of management and looks at the overall performance of an organisation. The managers at this level use summary data such as profit trends and booking trends. In Evans Enterprises Elizabeth Evans would be a strategic manager. Tactical is the middle management which focuses on each department. The managers here use summary data for each department such as purchasing for the department and staff overtime for the department. In Evans Enterprises Peter Morgan and Margaret Bryce would be the tactical managers. The final level is operational level which focuses on day to day activities using detailed information such as event accounts and invoice forms. The operational managers at Evans Enterprises would be Julie Mitchell and Paula Morrison. There are a number of advantages which may encourage organisations to use a Management Information System. An MIS allows managers to highlight the companys strengths and weaknesses with the help of revenue reports, staff performance reports and other such documents. They can then improve their business process and operation. External information such as customer feedback can be analysed so that the business tailors it service to its clients needs. In Evans Enterprises an MIS would provide reports on the number and type of bookings in a month, the hours worked by the staff and other information relevant to the running of the business. They would then be able to adjust pricing, staff hours and other factors to achieve the maximum profit. For example, if the MIS reports showed that there were fewer bookings being made for Sundays then the managers would reduce the number of staff working at that time.

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7.1 Bookings Report


A bookings report MIS document has been created for Evans Enterprises which shows the bookings information for 2011. The purpose of the document is to present the bookings information in an appropriate form so that the information can be analysed. The report is shown in figure 7.1 on the following page. The bookings report would be used by top level management i.e. Elizabeth Evans and the other managers. The report will allow the managers to analyse how the company is performing and make adjustments to the organisation and running the company so that it is more effective and efficient. It is important that the organisations performance is reviewed regularly in order to stay competitive. The report starts with the title which is formatted in Arial, size 12, bold. This is the title style for all Evans Enterprises MIS documents. The Perfect Parties logo is located in the top-right corner of the report. Next is the table of data. The headings for the table are printed in bold Arial, size 10. The rest of the data in the table is printed in Arial, size 10. The table shows the number of bookings each month. This is split into four different sessions per day; 9am-12pm, 12pm-5pm, 5pm-8pm and 8pm onwards. There is also a total for each month. All twelve months are included in the table as well as a total for the year. Underneath the table of data are two graphs. The first is a line graph showing the total number of bookings for each month. The number of bookings is on the y-axis and the months are on the xaxis. A dotted line has been used as the data is not continuous. This graph can be used to review the bookings for the year; to identify trends and make plans for next year. For example, the graph shows that the number of bookings increases in December, most likely due to office parties and other festive celebrations. With this information, the managers at Evans Enterprises can make plans for next year such as adjusting staffing and pricing etc. It can also be seen that the number of bookings is increasing as the year progresses. This is evidence that Evans Enterprises is becoming more popular as a company and more people are making bookings with them.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 The second graph is a pie chart showing the percentage of events taking place in each session. This information shows the management of Evans Enterprises which times are most popular. They can then plan to have more staff working during these times and make other adjustments to the operation of the company to make it more effective and efficient. The document was produced using a spreadsheet programme. The graphs and totals in the table are updated automatically as data is entered into the table. This is useful as it will give a running total as the year progresses. At the end of the form the date and the user who last updated the report is shown. This is also updated automatically. The report therefore is extremely versatile as it can be viewed or printed out at any time to provide a review of the companys performance. The data in the table can also be manipulated easily to aid analysis.

7.2 Staff Overtime Hours


A second MIS document has been created for Evans Enterprises. It shows the hours of overtime which were worked by the staff of Perfect Parties during 2011. The purpose of the report is to present the information in a format which allows it to be analysed by the managers i.e Elizabeth Evans, Julie Mitchell and Peter Morgan, of Evans Enterprises. The managers can use the report to review the hours worked so that they can make improvements to the running of the organisation. The document is set out and formatted in the same style as the bookings report. This house style has been created so that all the MIS reports produced by Evans Enterprises have a consistent feel and look. This will aid recognition that the report is a document belonging to Evans Enterprises. The report is shown in figure 7.2 on the following page. The report starts with the title so that the audience instantly know what the document is about. Next is the table of data which shows the number of overtime hours worked by each of the staff of Perfect Parties. The table also calculates the total for each month and the total for each staff Fig.7.1 member. The total for each month has been used to produce the line graph beneath the table of data. The graph has the months along the x-axis and the hours of overtime on the y-axis. A dotted line has been used as the data is not continuous. The graph would be used by tactical level managers to review the overtime hours of the staff.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 The graph shows peaks during July and August, October and December. The peaks during July and August are due to staff holidays. The staff holidays are rotated so that not all the staff are on holiday at the same time. The staff that are not on holiday will have extra work to do and staff returning from holiday may have work to catch up on hence the increased overtime hours. There is a slighter smaller peak during October due to the extra work of Halloween celebrations. The largest peak is during December when Evans Enterprises will be very busy with office parties and other festive celebrations. The management of Evans Enterprises can use the information gained from the MIS report to help make key decisions such as when to hire part-time staff and other such management issues. The MIS report was created using a spreadsheet program. This allows the totals in the data table to be calculated automatically. It also allows the graph to be automatically updated when new data is entered into the table. The username and date of the last update are printed automatically in the footer. It is most likely that the report would be updated at the end of every month so that the management have the most up-to-date information possible. The report is extremely versatile as it can be presented at any time with the latest information and the data in the table can be manipulated easily to aid analysis. As the examples have shown, Evans Enterprises would greatly benefit from using a Management Information System. The system would be able to produce reports on key issues such as bookings and staff working hours. The reports would present the data in an appropriate form so that it is easy to identify trends and make comparisons. The system would aid the managers at the strategic, tactical and operational levels in their decision making. The system would assist the managers in making decisions that will improve the operations of Evans Enterprises so that the company is as efficient and effective as possible in order to achieve the maximum profit levels.

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8 Legislation
Evans Enterprises, like all organisations, are required to obey legislation relevant to the running of the business. The legislation involves data protection, health and safety, copyright and the use of computers. In this section the laws and how they affect the company will be discussed.

8.1 Data Protection Act


The Data Protection Act 1998 protects personal data which is automatically processed. Personal data is defined as data which relates to a living individual who can be identified from the data. The act covers both paper and computer based data. The act gives individuals statutory rights concerning their data and requires data users to be open about their use of it. The act states eight data protection principles which must be followed. The principles state: Personal data must o o o o o o o o Be obtained and processed fairly and lawfully. Be held for specified and lawful purposes. Be adequate, relevant and not excessive. Be accurate and up-to-date. Not be kept longer than necessary. Be processed in accordance with the data subjects rights. Be kept secure. Not be transferred to countries without adequate data protection.

The act involves three groups; the Information Commissioner, the Data Controller and the Data Subjects. The Information Commissioner is a government official who has overall responsibility for the implementation of the act. The Data Controller is the person in an organisation who determines the purposes for which personal data is collected and must notify the information commissioner that they are collected data. This person is responsible for ensuring that the act is not broken by the organisation. In Evans Enterprises, Elizabeth Evans may be the Data Controller or she may delegate the task to another member of staff, most likely one of the managers. The Data Subjects are the individuals to whom the personal data relates. In the case of Evans Enterprises the customers are the Data Subjects.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 Elizabeth Evans must take action to ensure that Evans Enterprises does not violate the Data Protection Act 1998. In order to ensure that the data is obtained and processed fairly and lawfully the company must inform clients that their data is being collected and used. In the case of online or paper based contact forms this usually takes the form of a tick-box whereby clients consent to their data being stored and used. In the case of telephone bookings it is usually understood that the details given will be recorded. However, Evans Enterprises may still require staff to inform clients that their details are being stored or there may be a recorded message played at the start or end of the call. Evans Enterprises collects personal data when a booking is made. They collect data such as names, address, telephone number etc. The main purpose of collecting this data is to enable Evans Enterprises to contact the customers. They may also keep details for marketing purposes such as sending out leaflets and special offers. The companys Data Controller must inform the Information Commissioner of their purpose and must also inform customers that their data is being stored and used. The information that Evans Enterprises collects must be adequate and relevant but not excessive for the purpose. For example, the company needs to collect contact details but does not need to know the employment status or salary of their clients. To ensure that the information collected is accurate Evans Enterprises will have a validation and verification system for information entered into a database. Keeping the information up-to-date may be more difficult as customers might only do business with Evans Enterprises once. Customers who do return will be asked if their details have changed so that the information is as up-to-date as possible. To ensure that the information is not held longer than necessary Evans Enterprises will delete customer data five years after it is last used. The same will be done for the details of any staff that retire or leave the company. Evans Enterprises has a legal obligation to keep the data secure. To do this, databases will be password protected and computer workstations will require a username and password authorisation. The room in which the server is stored will be locked and only accessed when

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 necessary. If information is being sent over the Internet, for example between Perfect Parties and Exceptional Events, it will be encrypted to protect it. The Data Protection Act 1998 will cost Evans Enterprises money to ensure that they abide by the law but it is a necessary procedure which all organisations must follow.

8.2 Health and Safety at Work Act


Computers are responsible for a range of health hazards such as stress, RSI, eyestrain and backache. Employees are required to spend an increasing amount of time using computers in their work. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to provide a safe working environment. In particular employers must: Perform an analysis of work stations in order to evaluate the safety and health conditions to which they give rise. Provide training for employees in the use of workstation components. Ensure employees take regular breaks or changes in activity. Provide regular eye tests for workstation users and pay for glasses.

As Evans Enterprises increase their use of ICT the time employees spend using computers will also increase. Therefore Evans Enterprises will need to ensure that workstations are safe. Evans Enterprises will need to provide the following in order to create a safe work environment: Display screens which have: o o o A stable picture and no flicker, Easily adjustable brightness, contrast, tilt and swivel, No reflection from screen.

To provide this, Evans Enterprises will need to purchase high quality monitors for staff use. Keyboards which are separate from screen and tiltable. Desks which are large enough to accommodate the computer and any paperwork. Chairs which are comfortable and adjustable. Foot rests must be available on request.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 Lighting must be adequate so that there is no glare or reflections on computer screen.

Evans Enterprises will need to install high quality lighting and blinds to prevent screen glare. Noise, from printers etc, must not be loud enough to distract attention and disturb speech.

Evans Enterprise will need to purchase appropriate printers for office use. Heat, humidity and radiation emissions must be kept at adequate levels.

Evans Enterprises will need to install a climate control system to control this. In order to provide this safe work environment, Evans Enterprises will need to purchase high quality monitors, keyboards, chairs and desks. They will also need to install climate control, appropriate lighting and blinds. Providing a safe work environment is a legal requirement but will also improve the morale and performance of Evans Enterprises staff.

8.3 Design, Copyright and Patents Act


The Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 makes it illegal to: Copy or distribute software and music without paying for it. Run pirated software. Transmit software over a telecoms line, thereby creating a copy.

The Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 affects the computer software that Evans Enterprises needs to run in order for the business to function. These programmes include word processors, spreadsheets, databases, email clients, presentation software and desktop publishing. Evans Enterprises needs to be careful to avoid breaking the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 when obtaining this software for the company. Evans Enterprises must ensure that it does not commit software piracy which is the illegal copying of computer programs and operating systems. The responsibility of adhering to the act will lie with Elizabeth Evans or another manager who has had the task delegated to them. When purchasing the software Evans Enterprises will need to purchase a software licence, also know as an End User License Agreement (EULA). This is an agreement between the purchaser, in this case Evans Enterprises, and the software company which gives Evans Enterprises permission to

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 install and use the program. As the company needs to install the software on more than one computer, they will need to purchase either a multi-user licence or site licence. A multi-user licence allows the program to be used by a set number of users at one time while a site licence covers any number of workstations within one site i.e. the Perfect Parties office or Exceptional Events office. A site licence will likely be most flexible for Evans Enterprises needs. It will allow them to increase the number of workstations if needed and can also install software on the company laptops. A site licence allows the laptops to be moved between offices and also taken home by employees. Evans Enterprises may need to purchase two site licences; one for each office. Evans Enterprises should purchase their software licences from authorised dealers so they can be sure that their copy of the software is genuine and the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 is not being broken. Software licences can be quite expensive and so Evans Enterprises will need to look at their budget to evaluate if they can afford to install professional software on all their workstations. Some software can be bought in bundles at a discount and there are freeware packages such as OpenOffice which are functional yet free. While a freeware solution may work for party planning using word processing etc. the marketing department and the website development will require specialist software which will have to be purchased.

8.4 Computer Misuse Act


The Computer Misuse Act 1990 was created in response to the growing threat of hacking to computer systems and data. Hacking is finding a weakness in a computer system and exploiting it. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 seeks to prevent: Unauthorised access. Unauthorised access with intent to commit another offence. Unauthorised modification of data such as writing viruses.

These are know as levels 1-3 and are the three offences which a person can be charged with. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 protects Evans Enterprises computer system from unauthorised access. For example, if a staff member accessed the Evans Enterprises computer system using a stolen password and looked at the salary of a co-worker then they would have committed unauthorised access which can be penalised by 6 months imprisonment and/or a maximum fine of

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 5000. If the staff member then went on to reduce the pay due to that employee and increase their own, then they will have committed unauthorised modification of data which is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment and unlimited fines. While the offences are punishable by law, the loss of data and revenue to Evans Enterprises will have a large impact. Evans Enterprises must take action to protect their computer systems from attack or accidental damage. The workstations should be protected with a username and password system with levels of access. This means that sensitive information such as staff details can only be accessed by top level management i.e. Elizabeth Evans and Peter Morgan while lower staff can only access the files and folders which they require. The server should be secured by being kept in a locked room and only accessed by qualified staff when it is necessary. The files should be backed up at regular intervals so that they can be recovered if needed. A widely used backup system is Grandfather, Father, Son. In this system, the data is backed up each day and saved as the Son backup. The Son backup is replaced each day. At the end of the week the data is saved as the Father backup which is replaced each week. At the end of the month, the data is saved as the Grandfather backup which is replaced each month. This means that on any given day there is a copy of all the files from the previous day, week and month. Evans Enterprises will need to invest some money on the maintenance and protection of their computer systems but this will be worthwhile as the information stored on their computers is possibly the most valuable item on Evans Enterprises premises. If data was lost or stolen the consequences could have disastrous effects on the business so Evans Enterprises should invest in their security systems.

8.5 Conclusion
Implementing the use of ICT in the business may be more complex than Elizabeth Evans initially thought. The company must ensure that it adheres to the conditions set down by the various acts which apply to the use of ICT. As the previous sections have shown there is a great deal of work required to ensure that Evans Enterprises does not violate the terms of the acts which could result in fines or even prison sentences. As the company continues to expand, Elizabeth Evans will have more work to do and so will have less time to deal with ICT issues. For this reason, it is likely that Elizabeth Evans will appoint an ICT manager; either by advertising for a new hire or giving the position to one of the existing staff members. Delegating this task to another staff member would

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 take pressure off Elizabeth Evans giving her more time to work on expanding the business such as the plans for opening Wonderful Weddings. Not only would the ICT manager be able to ensure that the law is kept but they would also be able to assist the staff with any ICT problems they have and provide training on health and safety when using computer workstations.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

9 Conclusions and Recommendations


In this section a summary of the current problems in Evans Enterprises will be presented and recommendations as to how the company can improve will be offered.

9.1 Conclusions
Evans Enterprises is in a solid position as a company. Elizabeth Evans business plan was good and the company quickly became popular. Three years after the business start-up Elizabeth Evans decided to open a new branch which also quickly became popular. Evans Enterprises has grown from a home business to an expanding company with two branches. The company is receiving an increasing amount of business and building a satisfied client base. The company will likely become more popular and profitable when Wonderful Weddings is launched. However there are a number of problems which will cause damage to the operation of Evans Enterprises if left unresolved. These problem areas will become more detrimental to the company as it expands and so must be dealt with promptly. The first problem area is communication; between clients and staff as well as between staff members. Bookings were often recorded as notes and communicated verbally. Some bookings were not recorded at all which is unacceptable as it negatively impacts the company image as well as causing a loss in profit. On a number of occasions the company failed to attend meetings with clients which was a setback to the clients and gave them a negative experience of the company. The lack of communication between staff has also led to tasks such as booking venues being performed twice. This is inefficient, costing the company time and money. Elizabeth Evans attempted to solve the communication problem by introducing an internal memo system but these were not always received on time and the communication problem continued. There are also issues with data storage and management. Elizabeth Evans uses a Microsoft Word document to record bookings and catering information; an Excel spreadsheet is used to record invoices from suppliers but Elizabeth Evans is not able to perform any calculations on the data. The details of entertainers were recorded in a written list which became untidy and unorganised as more information was added. The company relies mostly on paper and memory for information management and communication. This will need to be addressed if the business is to function as effectively as possible. Page 50

CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

The lack of ICT usage is a setback to the running of the company. Evans Enterprises mainly uses paper based systems in their business and when ICT is used it is not fully utilised e.g. not using the calculation function of Microsoft Excel. The company could greatly improve their efficiency and profitability if they integrate ICT systems into their day to day business. Evans Enterprises does not currently have a web presence and could be losing out to competitors which do have websites. If the ICT problems are not addressed Evans Enterprises risks falling behind and losing out to companies which do use ICT in their business. The problems which have been outlined must be resolved quickly yet effectively if Evans Enterprises is to stay competitive and further expand their business opportunities. The company must be presented as innovative and modern if it is to continue attracting clients and make a profit.

9.2 Recommendations
A number of solutions have been devised with the aim of solving the current problems and making Evans Enterprises a more competitive and valuable company. The use of ICT is key to the solutions which will improve the running of the business. For this reason it is recommended that Evans Enterprises hire an ICT manager who will be responsible for setting up and managing the ICT solutions which are needed. The ICT manager will also be able to assist the staff with any problems they encounter when using the new systems. If necessary Specialist Solutions will provide a number of suitable candidates for the management to review. As the company will come to rely on ICT in their operations it is recommended that all the Evans Enterprises staff are trained in the use of ICT. This will maximise their efficiency when working and give them confidence to utilise the new technologies in their work. This training can be delivered by an outside agency or by the Evans Enterprises ICT manager. Evans Enterprises needs to avail of the opportunities a web presence offers and so is advised to create a website which will provide information about the company and also include a bookings form so that customers can make bookings online. The website will need to be designed and created professionally and updated regularly. The website should also include news from the

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 company. Maintaining the website will be the responsibility of the ICT manager but news updates may be written by other staff members. There have been problems with the booking system and it is recommended that the booking system is computerised. The on-line form which was created is a part of this system. The bookings should be recorded in a database with validation and verification to prevent double bookings and other errors. When a customer uses the on-line bookings form an entry will automatically be made in the database. When making a booking over the phone, the staff will be able to use a version of the booking form which is available on the company intranet. The database can then be used to write letters or emails using a mail merge function. Evans Enterprises is also advised to set up a LAN for their offices. This will allow the company to share documents such as stock reports and newsletter over an office intranet. The use of the intranet will benefit the running of the company as previously described. Evans Enterprises is advised to computerise their paper based systems such as staff time sheets so that all information is accurate and up-to-date. Evans Enterprises would benefit from using a Management Information System as described previously in this report. It is recommended that the company sets up such a system to assist in the management decision making. In order to aid communication between staff, it is recommended that Evans Enterprises provides smartphones with mobile Internet access for all the staff. This will allow the staff to check emails, communicate with each other and perform work related tasks when out of the office. To further improve the effectiveness and efficiency of staff it is recommended that Evans Enterprises provides organisational, team working and other relevant training for the staff. It is also recommended that this training is built upon by additional courses periodically. The contact information for entertainers and suppliers needs to be organised more effectively. This can be done by setting up a database to store all the information. Evans Enterprises is advised to set up a relational database for storing all the information the company uses.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

10 Personal Evaluation
During the process of completing this management report for Evans Enterprises some aspects were enjoyed while others were found tedious. The sections in which documents were created were enjoyed most while the sections which involved lengthy writing were enjoyed least. I enjoyed the sections in which documents were created as the work was more practical than theoretical. I was able to take the knowledge of document creation which I gained from my research and apply it to a practical task. Website design and development is of particular interest to me and so I particularly enjoyed creating online documents for the purpose of this report; however I would have liked to use more up-to-date software than Microsoft FrontPage. While completing the Communication Methods and Use of ICT sections I found the theory interesting and learnt about the importance of information and communication in an organisation and how ICT affects these but found the lengthy writing of the report to be quite tedious. I found the Legislation section to be rather tedious as I had learnt about the various laws which affect ICT while studying for GCSE ICT. Although the writing for this report focused on how legislation would affect Evans Enterprises, I felt that the class time spent on the details of the laws themselves could have been better used on writing up the Legislation section, giving more time for other sections of the report. If I were to complete this report again I would plan ahead more and manage my time more effectively so that the later sections are not rushed. When creating the documents I would create a full plan before starting to create the documents. This would have made creating the documents easier and they would have been better designed overall. While completing this report I learnt how to use a number of features in Microsoft Word such as formatting and styles, headers and footers, and pagination techniques which can be used to give documents a professional appearance and feel. These new skills will be useful when I am required to produce reports and documents for other subjects.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571 After completing this report I understand more fully the role of a management consultant and how they are useful to a business. I have learnt that they must be thorough in their work and examine every detail of a business so that they can provide the best recommendations for that business. I have also learnt that ICT is very important to business and will become increasingly essential as technology advances. I have learnt that businesses which use ICT effectively are likely to be much more successful than those businesses which do not. While completing the Legislation section, I discovered that it takes quite a lot of effort and organisation to ensure that the company does not break any of the laws. I also learnt that the penalties for not doing so can be rather harsh. Overall I have enjoyed completing this management report and have learnt about businesses, their use of ICT and also some practical ICT skills which I can apply to other projects.

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CCEA GCE AS Applied ICT Unit 3 Candidate 6099 Centre 71571

11 Appendices

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