Valid:
Information that has not been tampered with, transformed or has any unbiased connotation so there is neither an argument for or against the data as it doesn't warrant one. An example of this would be where businesses look at sales or profit, there is no reason for them to tamper or be bias because it doesn't effect the outcome of the results at all as they have already happened. They could tamper the data to say they have achieved more sales but the reality is they haven't and they cannot fix that by upping the number of sales on a spreadsheet. Keeping the information valid is aided by only allowing authorised users on to the information system because they are less likely to tamper with the information.
Reliability and Source Confidence:
Information that is from a reliable source, e.g the government or an independent watchdog. A business will need to make a decision as to whether they can trust the data source they are using as it could effect how the business performs. A business could receive secondary data about the interests of their target market which is completely wrong and would then mean they might create a product that is wrong or unsuitable for their market. Primary information should be more trustworthy than secondary information because the business can trust that their marketing department will get them legitimate results. Secondary information is always a risk as it's not 100% suited to a certain business so sometimes should not be trusted. Again the way to improve the quality of this information would be to use information supplied by an official source like the government or a certified business.
Timely:
Information that is given within a certain deadline to allow a business to keep up to date with change in trends or their target market. A business might ask an employee in marketing to take a survey of their target market by the end of the week as they want to start working with R&D to create a product at the beginning of next week. This would be the supply of timely data and if not completed on time, this could have a detrimental effect on the competitive advantage that business could of had by producing the product before other businesses in their market. Ways to improve the quality/timeliness of information would be to offer a bonus to staff for meeting set deadlines.
Fit For Purpose:
There would be no reason to collect all of this valid, reliable and timely data if it means nothing for the business that wants to use it to aid them. Not collecting this purposeful data could effect expenditure as business could order to much raw material and significantly increase their wastage cost. The way to improve the quality of information is making sure the information is fit for purpose and the employee(s) that are given this task are briefed on what information to collect before given the means to.
Accessible:
In a business, there must be a collective software used as crossed wires when files are not in the right format can affect the timescale of a project or the ability for a department to meet deadlines set by managers. Good and common examples of this would be the formats for the different writing software on Microsoft and Mac OSX, on Microsoft machines you can typically see users write with Word that comes with Microsoft Office, where as Mac users tend to use OpenOffice as it is free and does a similar job to word. The only problem with this is that these two programs use different file formats, .doc and .odt, whilst they can both be opened on the opposing formats, information can be lost in transformation. Images made on photoshop are saved as a .psd file which can cause problems when sent to systems without photoshop installed, this can be avoided by saving the image as a .JPEG before sending. Improving the accessibility to information within a business is fairly easy as all the business really has to do it make sure all software is compatible and suggest that colleagues have a system they can take home with them that has the same software installed.
Cost Effective:
Information can be costly when collecting through different sources that charge for their services. A good way to avoid this is to collect the information yourself, but should of course be weighed up against the cost of buying the information outright. If a business was to collect primary data, there could be a fairly hefty cost attached as is costs to pay workers and for the supplies to record the data. Sometimes, if the man hours add up to become more than the fee of the secondary information it would be more cost effect to purchase the information as a whole. Keeping information cost effective is easier done if the business has control over the costs, i.e. collecting primary data but a stratified sample rather than the whole population to save money.
Accurate and Relevant:
The information bought or collected needs to be relevant to the intentions of a business. This is easier to control with primary data because it is collected by the business that intends to use it to aid performance. It is harder for a business to shop round for the most accurate data as ultimately it will never be exactly accurate with what they want. Relevant data means that the data actually contains data your business can make use of. Again secondary data is never going to be 100% relevant to a business, where as primary information is easier to set parameters for. Managers are mostly responsible for the accuracy and relevance of data because they give the employees criteria for data collection and it is easy to set these parameters and thats how you ensure/improve the quality of information.
Detail and Understanding:
If paying for information you would expect the detail to be in depth and the correct use of grammar to be demonstrated. Obviously detail is within the businesses control if they collect the data themselves as they can choose what lengths they are prepared to go to have detailed information. This detail means nothing if the information is impossible to understand, businesses need to make sure correct language is used to avoid putting up barriers to effective communication. Again, improving or ensuring the quality of data and information is easier to do if you have full control over its collection and this is only done with primary data.
Monday 1 June 2015
M2
Security Information:
An obvious issue relating to the use of information in an organisation would be the security risks to a business if anyone accessed the information system that wasn't permitted or authorised to. IT departments within a business will maintain the security of the information used in their organisation by allowing certain employees to allow the system, usually via a user name combined with a password. The public sector and banks are the two main types of business that need to keep very tight security on customers as they have private records/money on an information system. The unauthorised access onto these systems would be detrimental to the customers using them and would give these business an awful reputation, possibly ending their tenure in the public sector/financial sector.
Backups:
Backing up data is vitally important as technology can fail from time to time, but the biggest risk is having no alternative when it does. This is easily done though, by saving documents on different servers/physical memory technology. This means that information is even protected from natural accidents/disasters such as floods, storms or fires, the later being more likely with a server. Backing up data is just storing it in a different way which makes it easier to recover. A business is likely to have multiple backups as not having one could have a detrimental effect of the life of the business should their technology fail. Again the major giants in any country, the public sector and the banks would undoubtedly have multiple back ups of every single customers information so if one variable fails the information is still obtained, with similar consequences if not.
Health and Safety:
Making sure employees have the chance to be as healthy as possible at work should be somewhere near the top of a business priorities as the employees of a business are their most valuable asset. Work stations are an easy way to optimise the health and well being of an employee, this can be done by making sure the workers take regular breaks from looking at the screen and have a walk around to get the blood flowing to the bottom on their body, this will also loosen up muscles used to position themselves for a period of time. Buying specialist ergonomic equipment like keyboards, mice and desks can make the difference and avoid the workers getting repetitive strain injuries.Businesses have a responsibility to make sure employees are kept in good health, not only for the businesses benefit but because laws are in place to employees are safe when using an information system.
Organisational Policies
These are put in place to assure the business that the information supplied to employees is used correctly as information can get into the wrong hands as these policies should outline who is authorised to see the information and who is not. Information falling into the wrong hands could end up with competitors or customers who do not like being talked about as money or numbers, who might then revolt and not use you business. Information should be kept secure at all times and only those authorised should have access. Businesses can employ schemes that have access control so only people at a certain stage in the hierarchy of a business can have access to classified files. Professionals that have left a pubic sector or bank business usually sign a secrecy agreement to classify information in order for the above to never happen once they've left. Probably the most famous example of this would be the Edward Snowden vs US Government when he released the possibly the most classified details ever.
Business Contingency Plan:
This relates heavily to backing up information as the business needs to have a plan be when something goes wrong with technology. These systems are integral to modern day businesses so can't really be avoided, which can be a problem when they fail, which is why they must have a contingency plan for employees to work from when the system fails. This plan usually has the restart of the system at the top of it's priorities so everything can resume to normal as fast as possible. Businesses in the public sector simply cannot afford to have a long down time as so many are so reliant on them, this is the same case with banks as it will stop everyone that is using that bank from being able to buy or receive money which, depending on size, could have an effect on the economy.
Costs:
In terms of information systems and the departments responsible there are only really two main costs; buying equipment then getting the department up and running and the on going cost of maintenance. Buying all the machines that make up a network of information systems can be very costly, dependant on the size of the business, and has a cost attached of setting them up incognito and training staff to use them. Costs don't stop there, as it costs to hire staff to maintain the system and also can cost a monthly fee to have certain software. Large public sector businesses have a enormous amount of machines collectively and keeping these running costs millions of pounds a year.
Increasing Sophistication of Systems:
Business aim to have a low labour turnover which is why increasing the sophistication of an information system can be avoided by some businesses. Vast amounts of money is spent on training employees and this can be wasted if new, more hard to learn, systems are introduced by management. Employees will either have to learn to use the new technology or leave the business all together thus increasing labour turnover.
An obvious issue relating to the use of information in an organisation would be the security risks to a business if anyone accessed the information system that wasn't permitted or authorised to. IT departments within a business will maintain the security of the information used in their organisation by allowing certain employees to allow the system, usually via a user name combined with a password. The public sector and banks are the two main types of business that need to keep very tight security on customers as they have private records/money on an information system. The unauthorised access onto these systems would be detrimental to the customers using them and would give these business an awful reputation, possibly ending their tenure in the public sector/financial sector.
Backups:
Backing up data is vitally important as technology can fail from time to time, but the biggest risk is having no alternative when it does. This is easily done though, by saving documents on different servers/physical memory technology. This means that information is even protected from natural accidents/disasters such as floods, storms or fires, the later being more likely with a server. Backing up data is just storing it in a different way which makes it easier to recover. A business is likely to have multiple backups as not having one could have a detrimental effect of the life of the business should their technology fail. Again the major giants in any country, the public sector and the banks would undoubtedly have multiple back ups of every single customers information so if one variable fails the information is still obtained, with similar consequences if not.
Health and Safety:
Making sure employees have the chance to be as healthy as possible at work should be somewhere near the top of a business priorities as the employees of a business are their most valuable asset. Work stations are an easy way to optimise the health and well being of an employee, this can be done by making sure the workers take regular breaks from looking at the screen and have a walk around to get the blood flowing to the bottom on their body, this will also loosen up muscles used to position themselves for a period of time. Buying specialist ergonomic equipment like keyboards, mice and desks can make the difference and avoid the workers getting repetitive strain injuries.Businesses have a responsibility to make sure employees are kept in good health, not only for the businesses benefit but because laws are in place to employees are safe when using an information system.
Organisational Policies
These are put in place to assure the business that the information supplied to employees is used correctly as information can get into the wrong hands as these policies should outline who is authorised to see the information and who is not. Information falling into the wrong hands could end up with competitors or customers who do not like being talked about as money or numbers, who might then revolt and not use you business. Information should be kept secure at all times and only those authorised should have access. Businesses can employ schemes that have access control so only people at a certain stage in the hierarchy of a business can have access to classified files. Professionals that have left a pubic sector or bank business usually sign a secrecy agreement to classify information in order for the above to never happen once they've left. Probably the most famous example of this would be the Edward Snowden vs US Government when he released the possibly the most classified details ever.
Business Contingency Plan:
This relates heavily to backing up information as the business needs to have a plan be when something goes wrong with technology. These systems are integral to modern day businesses so can't really be avoided, which can be a problem when they fail, which is why they must have a contingency plan for employees to work from when the system fails. This plan usually has the restart of the system at the top of it's priorities so everything can resume to normal as fast as possible. Businesses in the public sector simply cannot afford to have a long down time as so many are so reliant on them, this is the same case with banks as it will stop everyone that is using that bank from being able to buy or receive money which, depending on size, could have an effect on the economy.
Costs:
In terms of information systems and the departments responsible there are only really two main costs; buying equipment then getting the department up and running and the on going cost of maintenance. Buying all the machines that make up a network of information systems can be very costly, dependant on the size of the business, and has a cost attached of setting them up incognito and training staff to use them. Costs don't stop there, as it costs to hire staff to maintain the system and also can cost a monthly fee to have certain software. Large public sector businesses have a enormous amount of machines collectively and keeping these running costs millions of pounds a year.
Increasing Sophistication of Systems:
Business aim to have a low labour turnover which is why increasing the sophistication of an information system can be avoided by some businesses. Vast amounts of money is spent on training employees and this can be wasted if new, more hard to learn, systems are introduced by management. Employees will either have to learn to use the new technology or leave the business all together thus increasing labour turnover.
P6
Gathering Information:
Define the requirement:
To know exactly what information is needed, researchers are going to need a requirement report that lays out the criteria on information needed. A business would more than likely use an information system to gauge what data (inputs) are needed to make the system process into information.Without setting these requirements businesses will see a drop in efficiency because employees that are gathering the information are more likely to miss deadlines after coming up short with data and re-collecting. The opposite to this, but a problem none the less, would be that the employees collecting data can collect data that is already to detailed, almost as detailed as information which the system will not register as an input but that will most likely have cost more to collect.
Currency:
Not a form of money but how up to date and relevant data that has been collected is. Clearly data that has been collected a long time ago will not be as useful to a business than data collected recently. Business normally collect data in regards to it's target market to see what consumer trends are and to try to tap into these with their product. Obviously consumer trends change drastically at lightning speed, in terms of business, and old out of date data would not give a true representation of what consumers are buying, leading the business to believe that trends are still relevant when, in fact, they are not.
Relevance:
Closely related to currency, relevant data must relate to the operations of a business so they can then supply to the correct market. For example, if a business was collecting information about their new clothing range you would expect data to relate to clothes or fashion, irrelevant data would be to ask the public was their favourite food is because, clearly, that does not relate to their product at all and is completely useless to the business. The consequences of collecting irrelevant data would include incurring cost of collecting this data in the first place, missing the opportunity to release a innovative product before competitors which will subsequently see the business lose market share and revenue.
Identifying Alternatives:
Primary data is preferable to a business because it will, presumably, be relevant and up to date. There is a negative factor to using this method though, as it can cost a vast amount to collect this data first hand and there may be an alternative produced by a separate entity that is still relevant and up to date. This alternative will still be costly but it's likely to be a lower cost. Alternatives may seem relevant but they will never really be suited exactly to one business and others in the same market are probably going to use the same separate entity to provide data to them. Businesses can gain competitive advantage by using their own data if it is more current and relevant.
Establish Sources of Information:
Once the business checked with the system for the input requirements needed, it must identify where it intends to receive it's data from, the source of information. This source needs to allow for detailed and accurate data which also meets the businesses marketing expenditure budget and time scale for the project. If these criteria aren't met a business can lose money, not only to the expenditure of the project but the vast timescale can impact on the soonest possible starting time of the next project, this is called the critical path.
Other Factors to be Considered:
Again, timeliness is a major factor which needs to be thought out as well as the consequences considered. Not only can every extra day on a project cost money, but if the data is collected within a 4 week period on and off, you are using non current data which won't represent the target market, assuming you used the information from the first week. Health of employees can deteriorate whilst out collecting this data and you would need to have a back up plan is employees go off work with illness.
Select Information:
Not everyone questioned will have given a legitimate answer as they might have filled it out in a rush or genuinely don't care for sharing their information. This affects data collection methods such as multiple choice questionnaires because they could tick any box. To rectify this, business will have to select the information, not necessarily the information that makes them look favourable but the information which seems trustworthy.
Define the requirement:
To know exactly what information is needed, researchers are going to need a requirement report that lays out the criteria on information needed. A business would more than likely use an information system to gauge what data (inputs) are needed to make the system process into information.Without setting these requirements businesses will see a drop in efficiency because employees that are gathering the information are more likely to miss deadlines after coming up short with data and re-collecting. The opposite to this, but a problem none the less, would be that the employees collecting data can collect data that is already to detailed, almost as detailed as information which the system will not register as an input but that will most likely have cost more to collect.
Currency:
Not a form of money but how up to date and relevant data that has been collected is. Clearly data that has been collected a long time ago will not be as useful to a business than data collected recently. Business normally collect data in regards to it's target market to see what consumer trends are and to try to tap into these with their product. Obviously consumer trends change drastically at lightning speed, in terms of business, and old out of date data would not give a true representation of what consumers are buying, leading the business to believe that trends are still relevant when, in fact, they are not.
Relevance:
Closely related to currency, relevant data must relate to the operations of a business so they can then supply to the correct market. For example, if a business was collecting information about their new clothing range you would expect data to relate to clothes or fashion, irrelevant data would be to ask the public was their favourite food is because, clearly, that does not relate to their product at all and is completely useless to the business. The consequences of collecting irrelevant data would include incurring cost of collecting this data in the first place, missing the opportunity to release a innovative product before competitors which will subsequently see the business lose market share and revenue.
Identifying Alternatives:
Primary data is preferable to a business because it will, presumably, be relevant and up to date. There is a negative factor to using this method though, as it can cost a vast amount to collect this data first hand and there may be an alternative produced by a separate entity that is still relevant and up to date. This alternative will still be costly but it's likely to be a lower cost. Alternatives may seem relevant but they will never really be suited exactly to one business and others in the same market are probably going to use the same separate entity to provide data to them. Businesses can gain competitive advantage by using their own data if it is more current and relevant.
Establish Sources of Information:
Once the business checked with the system for the input requirements needed, it must identify where it intends to receive it's data from, the source of information. This source needs to allow for detailed and accurate data which also meets the businesses marketing expenditure budget and time scale for the project. If these criteria aren't met a business can lose money, not only to the expenditure of the project but the vast timescale can impact on the soonest possible starting time of the next project, this is called the critical path.
Other Factors to be Considered:
Again, timeliness is a major factor which needs to be thought out as well as the consequences considered. Not only can every extra day on a project cost money, but if the data is collected within a 4 week period on and off, you are using non current data which won't represent the target market, assuming you used the information from the first week. Health of employees can deteriorate whilst out collecting this data and you would need to have a back up plan is employees go off work with illness.
Select Information:
Not everyone questioned will have given a legitimate answer as they might have filled it out in a rush or genuinely don't care for sharing their information. This affects data collection methods such as multiple choice questionnaires because they could tick any box. To rectify this, business will have to select the information, not necessarily the information that makes them look favourable but the information which seems trustworthy.
Sunday 31 May 2015
M1
Internal Information Flows:
Depending on the span of control and organisational structure of a business, information has the ability to flow up, down and horizontally between departments and management. Successful businesses will usually have the information flow upwards from the roots of the business on the shop floor to management. This means that the employees with the first hand experience of sales and those that have opinions on how they are making sales can relay information or advice to management. Management can then analyse performance of products to decide whether to keep selling them or put them out of production. Some businesses, usually businesses that were established a long time ago, still have an autocratic management style where managers tell employees what is happening within the business, or tell them what to do, but this method normally demotivates and can make it harder for management to get a grasp of whats happening on the shop floor. Information can flow horizontally where employees ask colleagues for information in different departments at the same level.
Internal Flows to External Bodies:
Business to business communication is essential to be successful, in most cases, a business will tend to communicate with it's suppliers for the most part. Suppliers sell raw materials to a business which then transforms them into a finished product, making money by adding perceived value. Some businesses prefer to operate a just in time system where suppliers have to be heavily involved in operations as they supply raw materials when the businesses needs them, normally to the day.
Here are the roles of the departments in diagram form, here we can see that Sales, Research and Development and Marketing all deal with supplying information from customers whilst Distribution, Mergers and Acquisitions and Operations relay information from suppliers. Human Resources don't necessarily have to deal with either as they are completely immersed in the business.
P5
Transforming Data into Information:
Collecting data is the start of this process and this is usually carried out by employees in the marketing department. This is then stored, in normally more than one place, geographically and on the same system. After the data is safe and stored it's ready to be processed and retrieved ready to present to managers. This presentation is normally done is a boardroom with various managers to asses performance, a hard copy of the information will be given out to aid participation.
Information Systems used in Business:
Human Resources:
Human Resources or HR are heavily reliant on information systems as they are responsible for the records of every single employee in a business, big or small. As well as keeping data on all the employees safe, some HR departments are responsible for keeping the business staffed at all times, this means keeping an eye out for busy periods and making sure the level of employees is sufficient. The HR department are also responsible for making sure there are no skill gaps and need to make sure all staff are up to date with training, in reference to refresher courses after being employed. Some businesses don't use employees effectively and have a high labour turnover, which it is HR's job to keep account of.
Financial Systems:
The finance department plays a key role in collecting and processing data as it will hold all of the numbers for sales which they will then turn into presentable information. The systems play a key role in allowing employees to keep tabs on income and turnover, which is essential for large multinationals as the head office is usually not in the same building as the finance department, so will need to be able to see the numbers from elsewhere, via an internet connection. Managers will need to compare costs to sales to have an idea of the businesses cost effectiveness which means the finance department must keep income and expenditure records, and compare these to budgets set earlier in the year. Business also employ the finance department to keep tabs on investment decisions, which can be monitored on an information system.
Management Information Systems:
Management Information Systems or MIS allow managers to make decisions based on answers of queries as the responses will be answered already. An example of this would be when a group of managers are all working together on the same project but on different aspects, when one manager wants to know information on another aspect of this, they can simply enter the query into the system and the pre loaded information entered by the other manager/employee will already to there. The system holds the complex data entered by the original employee, and processes it into easy to read information for the viewer, as they may not understand the data. This subsequently aids communication and makes sure that managers aren't wasting their time by asking/answering the same question over and over. If a large multinational wants to know in which country it has most market share, it could simply enter the query into the MIS and will get a result in seconds, they can then compare performance to last year to see who has grown the most in a year. A benefit of an MIS system is that some senior management can be un familiar with technology in the vastly changing business world, which means that they will require an easy method to get information, and there's nothing easier than typing a question into a system. An obvious floor to these systems is you only receive information that others have put in, this information can be incorrect if entered incorrectly or employees might not have entered the information. The solution to this would be to train employees to use this regularly, failing this employees can ask others for information if it's not on the system.
Collecting data is the start of this process and this is usually carried out by employees in the marketing department. This is then stored, in normally more than one place, geographically and on the same system. After the data is safe and stored it's ready to be processed and retrieved ready to present to managers. This presentation is normally done is a boardroom with various managers to asses performance, a hard copy of the information will be given out to aid participation.
Information Systems used in Business:
Human Resources:
Human Resources or HR are heavily reliant on information systems as they are responsible for the records of every single employee in a business, big or small. As well as keeping data on all the employees safe, some HR departments are responsible for keeping the business staffed at all times, this means keeping an eye out for busy periods and making sure the level of employees is sufficient. The HR department are also responsible for making sure there are no skill gaps and need to make sure all staff are up to date with training, in reference to refresher courses after being employed. Some businesses don't use employees effectively and have a high labour turnover, which it is HR's job to keep account of.
Financial Systems:
The finance department plays a key role in collecting and processing data as it will hold all of the numbers for sales which they will then turn into presentable information. The systems play a key role in allowing employees to keep tabs on income and turnover, which is essential for large multinationals as the head office is usually not in the same building as the finance department, so will need to be able to see the numbers from elsewhere, via an internet connection. Managers will need to compare costs to sales to have an idea of the businesses cost effectiveness which means the finance department must keep income and expenditure records, and compare these to budgets set earlier in the year. Business also employ the finance department to keep tabs on investment decisions, which can be monitored on an information system.
Management Information Systems:
Management Information Systems or MIS allow managers to make decisions based on answers of queries as the responses will be answered already. An example of this would be when a group of managers are all working together on the same project but on different aspects, when one manager wants to know information on another aspect of this, they can simply enter the query into the system and the pre loaded information entered by the other manager/employee will already to there. The system holds the complex data entered by the original employee, and processes it into easy to read information for the viewer, as they may not understand the data. This subsequently aids communication and makes sure that managers aren't wasting their time by asking/answering the same question over and over. If a large multinational wants to know in which country it has most market share, it could simply enter the query into the MIS and will get a result in seconds, they can then compare performance to last year to see who has grown the most in a year. A benefit of an MIS system is that some senior management can be un familiar with technology in the vastly changing business world, which means that they will require an easy method to get information, and there's nothing easier than typing a question into a system. An obvious floor to these systems is you only receive information that others have put in, this information can be incorrect if entered incorrectly or employees might not have entered the information. The solution to this would be to train employees to use this regularly, failing this employees can ask others for information if it's not on the system.
Friday 29 May 2015
P4
| People |
Within a business, people typically associated with collecting data are from the marketing department as they collect data on their target market. People entering this department must have the correct training and relevant experience because their stage of data collection is so vital.
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Telecommunications
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After information is processed and is ready to distribute, telecommunications are used to do so. Information needs to be shared in order to make the process worth it, whether it's shared throughout the business or shared for money to other businesses.
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Data
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Data is just raw figures that don't really make sense to someone who isn't an expert in reading them when they're unprocessed. Once this is processed the output should be easy to read information, but data must be accurate in order for the information to follow suit.
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Software
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Businesses must employ the most suitable software for the task at hand in this case the handling of data and the transformation into information. This suitability must carry through to the employee work stations to allow workers to analyse and process information such as reports and data.
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Functions of Information Systems
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Information systems should be able to do everything needed to create information, this can include, inputing data onto a system, processing that data, storing it and producing the end product of information. They also control feedback loops.
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Control and Feedback Loops
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Once the data has been transformed into information which has then been analysed and looked at specialists, this information can be put into a feedback loops which then offers the information up to any later data collection that it might help/speed up.
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Hardware
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Hardware used for information systems must compliment the software used in order to have an effective machine(s). If it can't handle the software loaded on to it, it can be slow and stop employees from meeting deadlines set by managers. Hardware must also allow for vast amounts of storage to keep all of the information on.
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Storage
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Storage is where the information is stored after is have been processed from data into information. Storage needs to be organised in business in order for easy access when looking for old information. Backups of all these storage formats will be kept so the business is immune to technological failure.
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Input
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After you have collected data, whether it's from an external source or collected by the business itself, it's needs to be processed an the data in question is then called input. Systems usually ask the user what kind of analysis it wants to run then uses this input to create output.
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Output
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Output is the information that has been created after processing the input. Output is usually used to show staff how the business is performing in the form of graphs, charts, pictures and diagrams.
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Closed and Open Systems
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As you would presume, an open system means that it can be accessed at anytime by a range of people because the information on there is not of much importance and the business is not risking security by allowing this. A closed system is one that is more secluded from the business environment and will be accessible to a few people but only management and will need to have been planned to be accessed as it has high security details.
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Processing
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This is the vital stage that turns inputs into outputs, data into information for ease of viewing. Simple processing is where the computer is used but not to it's full potential as the task it's given is easy to do and could be done by a human, e.g. adding up sales for a day/month or counting how many customers they had in a day. Complex processing involves using the computer to calculate equations to hard or time consuming for humans, e.g. how much milage company cars will do taking into account their weight and the distance they travel to work.
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P3
Backups:
Backing up data is vitally important as technology can fail from time to time, but the biggest risk is having no alternative when it does. This is easily done though, by saving documents on different servers/physical memory technology. This means that information is even protected from natural accidents/disasters such as floods, storms or fires, the later being more likely with a server. Backing up data is just storing it in a different way which makes it easier to recover. A business is likely to have multiple backups as not having one could have a detrimental effect of the life of the business should their technology fail.
Health and Safety:
Making sure employees have the chance to be as healthy as possible at work should be somewhere near the top of a business priorities as the employees of a business are their most valuable asset. Work stations are an easy way to optimise the health and wellbeing of an employee, this can be done by making sure the workers take regular breaks from looking at the screen and have a walk around to get the blood flowing to the bottom on their body, this will also loosen up muscles used to position themselves for a period of time. Buying specialist ergonomic equipment like keyboards, mice and desks can make the difference and avoid the workers getting repetitive strain injuries.
Organisational Policies and Security of Information:
These are put in place to assure the business that the information supplied to employees is used correctly as information can get into the wrong hands as these policies should outline who is authorised to see the information and who is not. Information falling into the wrong hands could end up with competitors or customers who do not like being talked about as money or numbers, who might then revolt and not use you business. Information should be kept secure at all times and only those authorised should have access. Businesses can employ schemes that have access control so only people at a certain stage in the hierarchy of a business can have access to classified files.
Business Contingency Plan:
This relates heavily to backing up information as the business needs to have a plan be when something goes wrong with technology. These systems are integral to modern day businesses so can't really be avoided, which can be a problem when they fail, which is why they must have a contingency plan for employees to work from when the system fails. This plan usually has the restart of the system at the top of it's priorities so everything can resume to normal as fast as possible.
The Data Protection Act 1998:
Organisations are allowed to use personal information on clients in some ways but there are limits to what they can do with it, these criteria are outlined by the Data Protection Act. This act ensure that information is used lawfully and fairly, is a limited and adequate manner which means data is only kept for as long as necessary. It has even stronger precautions for 'sensitive information' such as ethnic background, political options, religious beliefs, health, sexual health and criminal records. As well as protecting data, the Data Protection Act also gives you the right to see what information an organisation has about you. There are however some cases where an organisation can withhold information, these include national security and armed forces information, judicial or ministerial information (court dates), information involving crime and tax information. Some organisations will charge for providing the information but these charges are normally no more than £10.
The Computer Misuse Act 1990:
Before 1990, there were no laws in place to combat hacking problems when is was clearly worse than crimes that were already legislated against. The Computer Misuse Act protects against access to unauthorised computer material with intent to commit or facilitate a crime or modification of computer material as well as making anything to carry out a computer misuse offence. These offences now have relevant punishments, in the same order, accessing computer material warrants a maximum six month in prison and/or a reasonable fine. If accessing this material to commit or facilitate a crime as well as modifying computer material will get you a maximum five years in jail and a large fine. And making material to facilitate hacking you can again receive up to five years imprisonment but it will be an unlimited fine. These laws would definitely deter any potential hackers but since these laws have been in place, they haven't really been enforced to their full potential as hackers are sometimes untraceable and don't get punished because hacking on a small scale isn't seen as a bad crime.
The Copyright and Patents Act 1998:
This 1998 act covers the creation, copying, public performance, renting, broadcast, issuing, lending and adapting of dramatic, artistic, literary and musical work. Naming, titling or colouring a product the same as another is not breaching this law but creations that require the creator to make judgement, work for a sustained period of time or have skill are considered a breach of the laws set by this act. The original creator of goods that come under this act will have full rights to it unless they have done it within a company, which then determines that it belong to the organisation. Business can be on the receiving end of this act should they use some one else's creation to promote their own product, or copy the creation outright.
Ethical Issues:
Most businesses will allow workers to check personal mail at breaks but all other mail checked in working hours should be relevant to the job at hand, to make sure that tasks are completed and they are paying the employees to work, not to waste time. Some businesses will filter internet services if they feel the workforce can not be trusted but most allow for free roaming as sometimes filtering can actually hinder a job. Employees are encouraged to make employers aware of any wrong doing in the business' practise or be a 'whistleblower' as it can lead to a business making necessary cuts to employees not using time correctly. Information that employees create is automatically attached to them and not the business they workforce, although this is not the case in the eye of the law, as mentioned above. Businesses want employees to take responsibility for work so that they are sure it's correct and can be consulted if it is not.
Backing up data is vitally important as technology can fail from time to time, but the biggest risk is having no alternative when it does. This is easily done though, by saving documents on different servers/physical memory technology. This means that information is even protected from natural accidents/disasters such as floods, storms or fires, the later being more likely with a server. Backing up data is just storing it in a different way which makes it easier to recover. A business is likely to have multiple backups as not having one could have a detrimental effect of the life of the business should their technology fail.
Health and Safety:
Making sure employees have the chance to be as healthy as possible at work should be somewhere near the top of a business priorities as the employees of a business are their most valuable asset. Work stations are an easy way to optimise the health and wellbeing of an employee, this can be done by making sure the workers take regular breaks from looking at the screen and have a walk around to get the blood flowing to the bottom on their body, this will also loosen up muscles used to position themselves for a period of time. Buying specialist ergonomic equipment like keyboards, mice and desks can make the difference and avoid the workers getting repetitive strain injuries.
Organisational Policies and Security of Information:
These are put in place to assure the business that the information supplied to employees is used correctly as information can get into the wrong hands as these policies should outline who is authorised to see the information and who is not. Information falling into the wrong hands could end up with competitors or customers who do not like being talked about as money or numbers, who might then revolt and not use you business. Information should be kept secure at all times and only those authorised should have access. Businesses can employ schemes that have access control so only people at a certain stage in the hierarchy of a business can have access to classified files.
Business Contingency Plan:
This relates heavily to backing up information as the business needs to have a plan be when something goes wrong with technology. These systems are integral to modern day businesses so can't really be avoided, which can be a problem when they fail, which is why they must have a contingency plan for employees to work from when the system fails. This plan usually has the restart of the system at the top of it's priorities so everything can resume to normal as fast as possible.
The Data Protection Act 1998:
Organisations are allowed to use personal information on clients in some ways but there are limits to what they can do with it, these criteria are outlined by the Data Protection Act. This act ensure that information is used lawfully and fairly, is a limited and adequate manner which means data is only kept for as long as necessary. It has even stronger precautions for 'sensitive information' such as ethnic background, political options, religious beliefs, health, sexual health and criminal records. As well as protecting data, the Data Protection Act also gives you the right to see what information an organisation has about you. There are however some cases where an organisation can withhold information, these include national security and armed forces information, judicial or ministerial information (court dates), information involving crime and tax information. Some organisations will charge for providing the information but these charges are normally no more than £10.
The Computer Misuse Act 1990:
Before 1990, there were no laws in place to combat hacking problems when is was clearly worse than crimes that were already legislated against. The Computer Misuse Act protects against access to unauthorised computer material with intent to commit or facilitate a crime or modification of computer material as well as making anything to carry out a computer misuse offence. These offences now have relevant punishments, in the same order, accessing computer material warrants a maximum six month in prison and/or a reasonable fine. If accessing this material to commit or facilitate a crime as well as modifying computer material will get you a maximum five years in jail and a large fine. And making material to facilitate hacking you can again receive up to five years imprisonment but it will be an unlimited fine. These laws would definitely deter any potential hackers but since these laws have been in place, they haven't really been enforced to their full potential as hackers are sometimes untraceable and don't get punished because hacking on a small scale isn't seen as a bad crime.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000:
In short the freedom of information act allows the public to access information that is being held by authorities. It does this by making this public authorities publish information about what they are doing as well as allowing members of the public randomly request information from these large authorities. Scotland didn't embrace the act until 2002 and have their own Scottish law. Whilst this act involves authorities like the NHS and state schools but does not cover other organisations that receive money from the public such as charities and companies from the private sector that put on public functions. The public can request letters, computer files, sound or video recordings, documents and photographs. This act doesn't allow the public to see information about individuals, but the data protection act does, which I've previously mentioned.
In short the freedom of information act allows the public to access information that is being held by authorities. It does this by making this public authorities publish information about what they are doing as well as allowing members of the public randomly request information from these large authorities. Scotland didn't embrace the act until 2002 and have their own Scottish law. Whilst this act involves authorities like the NHS and state schools but does not cover other organisations that receive money from the public such as charities and companies from the private sector that put on public functions. The public can request letters, computer files, sound or video recordings, documents and photographs. This act doesn't allow the public to see information about individuals, but the data protection act does, which I've previously mentioned.
The Copyright and Patents Act 1998:
This 1998 act covers the creation, copying, public performance, renting, broadcast, issuing, lending and adapting of dramatic, artistic, literary and musical work. Naming, titling or colouring a product the same as another is not breaching this law but creations that require the creator to make judgement, work for a sustained period of time or have skill are considered a breach of the laws set by this act. The original creator of goods that come under this act will have full rights to it unless they have done it within a company, which then determines that it belong to the organisation. Business can be on the receiving end of this act should they use some one else's creation to promote their own product, or copy the creation outright.
Ethical Issues:
Most businesses will allow workers to check personal mail at breaks but all other mail checked in working hours should be relevant to the job at hand, to make sure that tasks are completed and they are paying the employees to work, not to waste time. Some businesses will filter internet services if they feel the workforce can not be trusted but most allow for free roaming as sometimes filtering can actually hinder a job. Employees are encouraged to make employers aware of any wrong doing in the business' practise or be a 'whistleblower' as it can lead to a business making necessary cuts to employees not using time correctly. Information that employees create is automatically attached to them and not the business they workforce, although this is not the case in the eye of the law, as mentioned above. Businesses want employees to take responsibility for work so that they are sure it's correct and can be consulted if it is not.
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