▼ November (9)
ProductionFinanceHuman ResourcesData ProcessingAutomated Data CaptureScreen ControlsCapturing and processing DataTransactional WebsitesLooking at how Topshop works online! Monday, 26 November 2007
ProductionProduction
Many different businesses sell a product, in the process of making the product there is the production process, this is either mass production, batch production, continueoues production or one-off production, with a good IT system the production is kept going and the supply under control if this supply was not kept under control then for example a car manufacturer may run out of components and th eproduction line will come to a standstill, either though the workers are getting paid for this.Batch Production- is when there is a small amount around 1000 being producedMass production- when there is huge amount being produced like car manufacture like FordOne-off production- is when a product is made only once like a conecpt gadgetContinueous production- is when the production line is running 24/7 like making aluminiun cans.
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07:28 FinanceFinance – Any department within a company/organisation needs budgets to prevent them from becoming bankrupt. This is because if a company spends more than they earn they get themselves into debt. It is important that every organisation, even those that are non-profitable such as schools and hospitals, keeps track of their finances.Main Categories of Expenditure in a School· Staff wages· Text books and stationary· Equipment for technology, art, cookery etc.· School trips· Student Insurance· Internet Connection· Extra curricular activities (clubs)· Maintenance· School Food
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07:23 Human ResourcesHuman resoursces (HR):Large organisations have a whole department that looks after recruiting new staff and looking after existing workers. They have to make sure that promotions are dealt with, applicants of the right qualifications and that interviews are conducted according to set rules. They need information about the applicants and about the staff who are already working at the company. IT systems are vital here.Activity:A PC retail outlet wants to hire some sales staff:what information will they need before they call an applicant to an interview?
CV - especially name and phone number so the applicant may be contacted.
Their communication skills because they will be sales staff and these skills are vital here. the applicant must be a confident person.
Qualifications needed for the job e.g. maths, english, etc. etc.
An idea as to whether the person may be right for the job. what extra information will they need if they appoint someone?
Criminal record check.
Previous job records.
National Insurance number
Uniform size
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07:10 Data ProcessingData processing:Real - life scenarios:Someone wants to buy a book from Amazon - Transaction processing – because computers are constantly making sure that the details are always up to date and as accurate as possible. So if an item goes out of stock, the website is updated immediately. There is also a database containing all the fundamental information that is needed, such as a list of stock or students. Another example of transaction processing is when banking online.Someone wants to buy a ticket for V festival – Real time processing – because the database behind the transaction is always updated immediately, so the data is as accurate as possible. This is important for bookings so that things don’t get double or over booked. Another example of this is using PayPal and eBay.Someone wants to pay their gas bill – Batch processing – because when they pay their gas bill the amount of gas they have used will need to be measured, therefore data is being collected together, it is then fed into a computer system so it can be processed. Human involvement is not necessary. This batch processing can also be used fo preparing electricity bills, processing checks and exam results.
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07:03 Friday, 23 November 2007
Automated Data CaptureThis is used to minimise the amount of human involvement, so that errors are avoided. There are lots of methods for collecting data automatically, and wherever possible, the software or hardare should be used to its full effect for the best possible outcome.Some examples are:
Bar Codes - these are used for scanning goods in supermarkerts or clothes shops. The items bar code would be scanned with a scanner peripheral and all the details of the item will go onto the system and be recorded. The price will be automatically shown for the customer so they know how much it is. Before bar codes were around, many shop assistants had to memorise the cost of many products in order to provide a faster service. But now with barcodes, the system is a lot quicker. Furthermore, they are ideal for keeping on top of how much stock there is, once an item has been purchased by a customer, then it will deduct it from the amount of that item left in stock. This is also known as 'Tracking items'. Bar codes can also be used on identity cards so that they can be scanned to see if they are real or not.
Magnetic Strips - These are used on ATM cards, train tickets, plane tickets and car park tickets. They store data so when they go through a device they can be easily read. They hold relevant data which the device needs to collect, for example, on a train ticket, it will have the type of ticket - single, the age of the person with the ticket - adult, where they are going and when the ticket is valid until.
Smart card chips - are used in credit cards, satellite TV box viewing cards and identity cards. There are there to hold data along with for safety. They make these things harder to make fake productions. They can also be used on sim cards in phones.
Optical mark recognition - are used for things like lottery numbers and school registers.
Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) - Cheque numbers
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07:09 Screen ControlsWhen using the programme microsoft excel, there are many drop - down boxes and other screen controls which reduce the likelihood of errors.Certain controls mean that you can only accept certain entries, they are similar to validation ( mentioned in a previous post) however they are more general. There is a drop-down box called a 'Combo box'. This is where you are given a list to select from to answer the field of information, for example your gender. It will give you the selection of 'Male' or 'Female', and you will click on the one you are!You can use check boxes to give you a definite choice, which keeps the data being entered into the computer similar, so it is easier to collect and understand.
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07:01 Capturing and processing DataCapturing and processing DATA:Data – collection of facts. What we input into computers is all data. Data is often useless with out information to back it up.
Information – is what humans want, it is output from a computer system. It is data in context, it has meaning to us but not to the computer, a computer only understands data.
Knowledge - it is coherent understanding based on information. It includes understanding links between different items of information and how actions can be decided.Data capture is a process of getting data information from the outside world and putting it onto a computer.Paper Forms:Human data collection usually means filling in forms. Forms are useful because they can force a structure on the data being collected. For example, if someone is filling in a form in order to provide a name and address, there will be separate spaces for each item of information. Tick boxes can be used to restrict the information being entered. When forms are given out to people, they will all have to fill in they same type of information so that it is easy to processThe structure can have some restrictions so that the data is more generalised and easy to store on a database.Computers:It easier to change mistakes on a computer and validation is available. Validation makes sure that the information you are typing in is relevant to the field you are entering data into. You can set the format of fields, for example whether the data is going to be words or numbers. Validation cannot stop all mistakes. In a table that holds stock items, validation can check that you do not enter a letter for the number of items in stock, or a number less than zero. But, if the number in stock is 25 and you enter 35, validation checks are unlikely to stop the error. You can set a maximum, but it won’t notice the mistakes in numbers in-between. Computers also save a lot of time.
