Thursday 29 November 2012
Monday 26 November 2012
Copyright and Social Media
Social media has raised copyright issues over images and media because, on social networking websites and the internet in general, a wide variety of material, images included, are shared online and often taken without crediting the person who supplied this material in the first place which is stealing. Copyright legislation is in place to prevent this happening as people should not be allowed to credit from someone else's work.
Facebook is a prime example of a company which has raised controversy over social media copyright issues. For example, Facebook naturally want to make money from their products but, because Facebook make a big point of never charging their users on their homepage, they have to make money some other way; e.g. paying for certain games, adverts, etc. Facebook buy out companies - e.g. Instagram - which allows the other companies to access/use any media found on Facebook.
Wednesday 21 November 2012
E-Commerce & Social Networking
E-Commerce - commerce conducted on the internet - is a fast growing part of our economy. The rapid expansion of social networking websites - such as Facebook and Twitter - can effect this as more products are advertised online nowadays which leads to more people seeing them so more money is made. Many businesses have realised this and that is why most businesses are likely to have their own page on various social networking websites so that more people discover them and they make more money.
Snoox is a social media website that allows your friends to tell advise you on whether something is good or bad, not a stranger. Therefore, this could negatively effect advertising because businesses will not be able to contact you with advertisements - only people you know can and, therefore, businesses' commerce will have to be genuinely good and not just have effective advertising.
The following article is about this:
Furthermore, the presentation - made by ReShon Anderson - shows that the average Facebook user is online for more than 55 minutes every day and, therefore, this will be a good platform for advertising. Many companies use Facebook for this and it gains them many new customers who may have otherwise not seen whatever commerce was being advertised.
I think that, if businesses can successfully advertise their commerce on social networking platforms such as Facebook them many people will see it which will increase sales and profit. If it is successful then people are more likely to give it good reviews on Snoox which will increase the number of customers even more and, again, increase profits.
Companies and businesses should make online pages for themselves because having an online presence is one of the best ways of advertising in this day and age - more and more people use the internet, so more and more people will see the advert and, therefore, the commerce.
Without an online presence, companies and businesses are unlikely to survive the Digital Age because not enough people will hear about them and they will lose so much money that they will not make a profit and it will not be worth continuing. Having an online presence solves this problem.
Snoox is a social media website that allows your friends to tell advise you on whether something is good or bad, not a stranger. Therefore, this could negatively effect advertising because businesses will not be able to contact you with advertisements - only people you know can and, therefore, businesses' commerce will have to be genuinely good and not just have effective advertising.
The following article is about this:
Furthermore, the presentation - made by ReShon Anderson - shows that the average Facebook user is online for more than 55 minutes every day and, therefore, this will be a good platform for advertising. Many companies use Facebook for this and it gains them many new customers who may have otherwise not seen whatever commerce was being advertised.
I think that, if businesses can successfully advertise their commerce on social networking platforms such as Facebook them many people will see it which will increase sales and profit. If it is successful then people are more likely to give it good reviews on Snoox which will increase the number of customers even more and, again, increase profits.
Companies and businesses should make online pages for themselves because having an online presence is one of the best ways of advertising in this day and age - more and more people use the internet, so more and more people will see the advert and, therefore, the commerce.
Without an online presence, companies and businesses are unlikely to survive the Digital Age because not enough people will hear about them and they will lose so much money that they will not make a profit and it will not be worth continuing. Having an online presence solves this problem.
Monday 19 November 2012
Life in the Information Age - Finding reliable, valid information
Activity 7 - Finding reliable, valid information:
On the internet there are many unreliable websites - these are sometimes known as hoax websites and they are much more common then you would think.
Hoax websites can hold content on a wide range of subjects, examples of which are:
Assessing whether or not a website is reliable can sometimes be very difficult. To start with you must always be suspicious of a website if it's TLD (Top Level Domain) is .net or .org. Furthermore, if you click on a website and it looks extremely unprofessional then the likelihood is that it probably is.
On some hoax websites it is very obvious what they are immediately. For example, a fake website for The White House shows this on its home screen when the link is clicked:
It is unlikely that the official website for The White House would be hacked and, should this happen, the problem would be fixed straight away. This is clearly not official because The White House's website, coincidentally, looks like this which is much more professional and clearly reliable:
You can also tell that the first website was fake because it ended in .net while the second website - the official one - ended with .gov which shows that it is an official government website. You can also tell by the icon in the top left corner beside the web address:
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Open University task)
Education has changed hugely in the last ten years. We have also discovered that it spans to include more people, including students from the ages of four to sixteen, who then follow their education with A-Levels or other courses, which can be completed at sixth form in a school or college.
Education has also become part of work, as some companies/workplaces fund their employees so that they can complete further studying - this could be at college or university - while they are working and gaining experience.
The Open University has "changed the face of education" and has allowed many people who did not get a chance to study at university after school to access higher education through part-time courses.
Schools and colleges have set up Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) or Moodles, to help with learning outside of school or college. Work can be uploaded onto it, as can revision and helpful tips.
Since the previous Labour government changed the age that students are allowed to leave school from sixteen to eighteen, every student must be in a place of education until they are eighteen years old.
These changes in education mean that we are now offering "life long learning", which has an effect on work as staff are now expected to engage in some form on Continuing Personal Development (CPD).
The Open University were the first establishment to change higher education by allowing people who have left education long ago to continue learning and so improve their job prospects.
A newer establishment that allows "free world-class education for anyone anywhere" is the Khan Academy. It describes itself as "an organisation on a mission" which wants no profit and has a goal of changing education for the better by providing "world-class" education for free.
All of the site's resources are available to anyone - the link can be found by clicking here - whether you are "a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after twenty years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology". This shows that really anyone can access the website and its free education, improving higher education for the better.
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Websites I used:
http://www.khanacademy.org/about
http://www.philb.com/fakesites2.htm
** WARNING: Please be careful when clicking on the links to the following websites because - as amusing as some may seem - they ARE hoax websites and could damage your computer with viruses, etc. **
http://www.fvza.org/
http://www.thedogisland.com/
http://marineparade.net/wewantyoursoul/
http://www.whitehouse.net/
http://www.wingmakers.com/
http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.thedailyrash.com/
On the internet there are many unreliable websites - these are sometimes known as hoax websites and they are much more common then you would think.
Hoax websites can hold content on a wide range of subjects, examples of which are:
- The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency
- Dog Island
- We want your soul
- The White House
- The Wingmakers
- Sellafield Zoo
- Britain for Americans
- The Haggis Hunt
- The Uncyclopedia
- The Daily Rash
Assessing whether or not a website is reliable can sometimes be very difficult. To start with you must always be suspicious of a website if it's TLD (Top Level Domain) is .net or .org. Furthermore, if you click on a website and it looks extremely unprofessional then the likelihood is that it probably is.
On some hoax websites it is very obvious what they are immediately. For example, a fake website for The White House shows this on its home screen when the link is clicked:
It is unlikely that the official website for The White House would be hacked and, should this happen, the problem would be fixed straight away. This is clearly not official because The White House's website, coincidentally, looks like this which is much more professional and clearly reliable:
You can also tell that the first website was fake because it ended in .net while the second website - the official one - ended with .gov which shows that it is an official government website. You can also tell by the icon in the top left corner beside the web address:
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Open University task)
Education has changed hugely in the last ten years. We have also discovered that it spans to include more people, including students from the ages of four to sixteen, who then follow their education with A-Levels or other courses, which can be completed at sixth form in a school or college.
Education has also become part of work, as some companies/workplaces fund their employees so that they can complete further studying - this could be at college or university - while they are working and gaining experience.
The Open University has "changed the face of education" and has allowed many people who did not get a chance to study at university after school to access higher education through part-time courses.
Schools and colleges have set up Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) or Moodles, to help with learning outside of school or college. Work can be uploaded onto it, as can revision and helpful tips.
Since the previous Labour government changed the age that students are allowed to leave school from sixteen to eighteen, every student must be in a place of education until they are eighteen years old.
These changes in education mean that we are now offering "life long learning", which has an effect on work as staff are now expected to engage in some form on Continuing Personal Development (CPD).
The Open University were the first establishment to change higher education by allowing people who have left education long ago to continue learning and so improve their job prospects.
A newer establishment that allows "free world-class education for anyone anywhere" is the Khan Academy. It describes itself as "an organisation on a mission" which wants no profit and has a goal of changing education for the better by providing "world-class" education for free.
All of the site's resources are available to anyone - the link can be found by clicking here - whether you are "a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after twenty years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology". This shows that really anyone can access the website and its free education, improving higher education for the better.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Websites I used:
http://www.khanacademy.org/about
http://www.philb.com/fakesites2.htm
** WARNING: Please be careful when clicking on the links to the following websites because - as amusing as some may seem - they ARE hoax websites and could damage your computer with viruses, etc. **
http://www.fvza.org/
http://www.thedogisland.com/
http://marineparade.net/wewantyoursoul/
http://www.whitehouse.net/
http://www.wingmakers.com/
http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.thedailyrash.com/
Thursday 15 November 2012
Social Networking
Social networking websites are used by people globally to keep in touch with one another, no matter where they are.
Examples of some social networking websites are:
Examples of some social networking websites are:
The advantages of social networking websites are:
- Low costs - it's cheaper to use online social networking for both personal and business use because most of it is usually free.
- Builds credibility - if you are using social networking for business, you can gain the customers' confidence if you can connect to them on both a personal and professional level.
- Connections - you can keep in contact with your friends online and, through them, their friends so you get to talk to many different people and build up connections - this is useful on a personal and business scale.
The disadvantages of social networking websites are:
- Lack of anonymity - you are putting out information about your name, location, age, gender, and many other types of information that you may not want to let others know.
- Scams and harassment - while many websites apply certain security measures to keep cases of harassment, cyber-stalking, online scams, and identity theft to an absolutely minimum, it can still happen.
- Time consuming - contacting someone through a social network can take longer than using Skype or an email because you have to open up separate pages and wait for chat pages to load.
Social network websites have a mixture of advantages and disadvantages. Overall, I think they are a good thing because they allow you to keep in contact with people for free/low prices, but you have to be careful of scams and where you post your information.
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Websites I used:
http://www.everyday-wisdom.com/social-networking.html
Tuesday 13 November 2012
Employment Opportunities
Name two different office applications that could be used by the small business to improve upon the paper-based systems employed in the 1970s:
Describe two advantages of each over the paper-based system and one advantage of each over the other:
Microsoft Excel:
How were secretaries' and typists' employment prospects affected by the advent of these office packages?
Secretaries and typists are no longer used so widely and the role itself has changed - secretaries and typists now have to type things onto computers, use databases and spreadsheets. They no longer need to write in shorthand or take notes so much - they are more like personal assistants now.
The information age has reduced the need for admin staff in numerous different jobs which means that there are now less skilled jobs.
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What new job opportunities were opened up by the advent of office applications?
Examples of jobs that would not exist if there was no ICT are:
New technology has altered our way of life enormously. Because of technology, we now have new medicines, defibrillators, (more effective) hospitals, casts and X-rays, etc. Technology helps speed up the process of even more technology. Technology enables us to adapt to our environment and, because of our new technology, we are the most adapatable species existing in the world today.
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
Describe two advantages of each over the paper-based system and one advantage of each over the other:
Microsoft Excel:
- Lots of information needed to run a business can be stored on a single document on a computer and can be accessed anywhere - it doesn't need to be handwritten on many different sheets of paper that would need to be filed and could be lost.
- Microsoft Excel uses formulae so it can work out maths problems which could prove too difficult for some people - this would make it easier because sums wouldn't need to be worked out by hand and, if they had been entered correctly, they would not be miscalculated.
Microsoft Word:
- Microsoft Word can store large amounts of text on a single document on a computer and can be accessed anywhere - it doesn't need to be handwritten on many different sheets if paper that would need to be filed and could be lost.
- Microsoft Word allows you to change the font, size and colour of text, along with making it bold, italic or underlining it - furthermore, if you write a page and then decide that it is wrong, you can delete it and no paper is wasted which saves money.
Microsoft Excel is better than Microsoft Word because it uses formulae which means it can do sums so that you don't have to - that way, there is little chance of the sums being miscalculated so this is a useful tool to have.
Microsoft Word is better than Microsoft Excel because you can store large amounts of text on one document and you won't be taken onto another new page which is what happens on Excel if you have too much information there.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How were secretaries' and typists' employment prospects affected by the advent of these office packages?
Secretaries and typists are no longer used so widely and the role itself has changed - secretaries and typists now have to type things onto computers, use databases and spreadsheets. They no longer need to write in shorthand or take notes so much - they are more like personal assistants now.
The information age has reduced the need for admin staff in numerous different jobs which means that there are now less skilled jobs.
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What new job opportunities were opened up by the advent of office applications?
Examples of jobs that would not exist if there was no ICT are:
- Website designer
- Network administrator
- IT consultant
- ICT teacher
- Computer games designer
- IT technician
- Bloggers
- Software engineer
- Manufacturers
- Programmer
- Technical support
- Graphic designer
- Computer animation
New technology has altered our way of life enormously. Because of technology, we now have new medicines, defibrillators, (more effective) hospitals, casts and X-rays, etc. Technology helps speed up the process of even more technology. Technology enables us to adapt to our environment and, because of our new technology, we are the most adapatable species existing in the world today.
Monday 12 November 2012
Problems and issues with iPhones
Article #1 - iPhone factory "threatened to cut funding for a disabled man"
This article summarises that Foxconn - a Taiwanese manufacturer of Apple iPhones - has been criticised for the working conditions of its factories in China after a worker - Zhang Tingzhen, aged 26 - was electrocuted and fell four metres, leaving him brain damaged, unable to speak and with "no ability to be on his own".
The company did nothing to remedy this, demanding that Mr Tinghzen be removed from the hospital and taken to the factory where the accident occurred for an assessment to determine whether or not the company would still fund him for treatment and such alike. Their offer of an assessment was refused.
This sort of press reporting is very bad for a company, as it shows that the workers are not being looked after and that the company is clearly unwilling to give compensation to someone who was injured due to the working conditions in their factory - this would make people less likely to want to work there, and it could also persuade people to leave and attempt to find another job.
Article #2 - The Force (and feathers) are strong with this one
This article summarises that Apple have now made another version of Angry Birds, this time a Star Wars version which became "the top paid app in iTunes within an hour of its release" - Angry Birds Star Wars. While most customers were happy with the product, reviewer ChrisCream complained that it was a good game "totally spoilt by already asking me to buy more levels".
Apple attempted to remedy this problem by having a free version of the game on Android phones. However, this does not do much to solve the problem since, if a customer is using an iPhone and has already paid for the game, they do not want to spend more money buying extra levels.
For the most part, however, the article was good reporting press since it refers to the game as "one of the biggest, if not the biggest, entertainment launches of the year", and that "the attention to Star Wars detail is fantastic, from scenery to the characters to their powers".
On the other hand, this article is bad reporting press due to the comments made by ChrisCream because potential customers will not buy something if they realise that they will have to pay for "80 levels" separately, which could prove very expensive and people might decide that it's not worth the money since there are free versions of the game online.
Article #3 - Is iPad Mini set to put out Amazon Fire?
This article summarises how Apple is losing customers as "Google, Amazon and Barnes & Noble have all revealed cheap, 20cm tablets recently" and that, if Apple didn't have a "cheap option" of its own then it risked "losing ground" to its competitors.
To remedy this problem, Apple made an iPad Mini which is a "shrunken device" of 20cm so that they will gain customers that could otherwise have gone to Apple's competitors.
This is good reporting press because it shows that Apple is making new products to attract a different sort of customer. This might also mean that, if someone sees Apple advertising their new iPad Mini, they might decide to look at the rest of their products and they might purchase something.
Article #4 - Apple is rotten at directions
This article summarises that Apple's new mapping - which has replaced Google Maps as part of the iOS6 operating system - has been widely criticised after it made a number of mistakes which included:
This is bad press reporting because it shows that Apple have not done their research properly and have made numerous important mistakes which is likely to persuade customers that Apple are not a reliable company - this could mean that they would be unlikely to use Apple again.
Article #5 - iPhone fanatics line the streets as latest model hits the shelves
This article summarises the release of the new iPhone 5 which is available in 34 branches worldwide. The article states that "Apple addicts have been getting themselves into a frenzy", clearly telling the public that the iPhone 5 is definitely something to get excited about. The picture the accompanies the article shows a long queue of people which also shows that, since the iPhone 5 is so popular, people had better buy one soon (before the price drops) or there will be none left.
This is good press reporting because it puts Apple in a good light, showing that they are producing many exciting new products and that, because so many people want them, they must be worth the £529 they cost - this all makes a profit for Apple and gains them lots of new customers.
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Article #1:
Article #2:
Article #3:
Articles #4 and #5:
This article summarises that Foxconn - a Taiwanese manufacturer of Apple iPhones - has been criticised for the working conditions of its factories in China after a worker - Zhang Tingzhen, aged 26 - was electrocuted and fell four metres, leaving him brain damaged, unable to speak and with "no ability to be on his own".
The company did nothing to remedy this, demanding that Mr Tinghzen be removed from the hospital and taken to the factory where the accident occurred for an assessment to determine whether or not the company would still fund him for treatment and such alike. Their offer of an assessment was refused.
This sort of press reporting is very bad for a company, as it shows that the workers are not being looked after and that the company is clearly unwilling to give compensation to someone who was injured due to the working conditions in their factory - this would make people less likely to want to work there, and it could also persuade people to leave and attempt to find another job.
Article #2 - The Force (and feathers) are strong with this one
This article summarises that Apple have now made another version of Angry Birds, this time a Star Wars version which became "the top paid app in iTunes within an hour of its release" - Angry Birds Star Wars. While most customers were happy with the product, reviewer ChrisCream complained that it was a good game "totally spoilt by already asking me to buy more levels".
Apple attempted to remedy this problem by having a free version of the game on Android phones. However, this does not do much to solve the problem since, if a customer is using an iPhone and has already paid for the game, they do not want to spend more money buying extra levels.
For the most part, however, the article was good reporting press since it refers to the game as "one of the biggest, if not the biggest, entertainment launches of the year", and that "the attention to Star Wars detail is fantastic, from scenery to the characters to their powers".
On the other hand, this article is bad reporting press due to the comments made by ChrisCream because potential customers will not buy something if they realise that they will have to pay for "80 levels" separately, which could prove very expensive and people might decide that it's not worth the money since there are free versions of the game online.
Article #3 - Is iPad Mini set to put out Amazon Fire?
This article summarises how Apple is losing customers as "Google, Amazon and Barnes & Noble have all revealed cheap, 20cm tablets recently" and that, if Apple didn't have a "cheap option" of its own then it risked "losing ground" to its competitors.
To remedy this problem, Apple made an iPad Mini which is a "shrunken device" of 20cm so that they will gain customers that could otherwise have gone to Apple's competitors.
This is good reporting press because it shows that Apple is making new products to attract a different sort of customer. This might also mean that, if someone sees Apple advertising their new iPad Mini, they might decide to look at the rest of their products and they might purchase something.
Article #4 - Apple is rotten at directions
This article summarises that Apple's new mapping - which has replaced Google Maps as part of the iOS6 operating system - has been widely criticised after it made a number of mistakes which included:
- Promoting a children's football club but forgetting many towns, including Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare,
- Showing numerous Woolworths on the map, all of which are now closed down,
- Using images of various locations - particularly in Scotland - which were covered with cloud,
- Showing that the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, which is actually straight, appear curved.
This is bad press reporting because it shows that Apple have not done their research properly and have made numerous important mistakes which is likely to persuade customers that Apple are not a reliable company - this could mean that they would be unlikely to use Apple again.
Article #5 - iPhone fanatics line the streets as latest model hits the shelves
This article summarises the release of the new iPhone 5 which is available in 34 branches worldwide. The article states that "Apple addicts have been getting themselves into a frenzy", clearly telling the public that the iPhone 5 is definitely something to get excited about. The picture the accompanies the article shows a long queue of people which also shows that, since the iPhone 5 is so popular, people had better buy one soon (before the price drops) or there will be none left.
This is good press reporting because it puts Apple in a good light, showing that they are producing many exciting new products and that, because so many people want them, they must be worth the £529 they cost - this all makes a profit for Apple and gains them lots of new customers.
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Article #1:
Article #2:
Article #3:
Articles #4 and #5:
Wednesday 7 November 2012
Catalogues or Online Marketing?
As online marketing and web sales grow, the Argos catalogue is no longer being printed. But are Argos the only ones who have stopped making catalogues due to expenses and the fact that more people use the internet nowadays?
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Examples of companies that offer a free printed catalogue that is delivered to your door:
The problem with this trend is that catalogues are becoming less and less widely used which means that people who do not have internet cannot access the online catalogue or, if you have to pay for a catalogue to be delivered, that might not be available to them either.
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Websites I used:
http://www.catalink.com/
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Examples of companies that offer a free printed catalogue that is delivered to your door:
- Park Christmas Catalogue
- Compton & Woodhouse Catalogue
- Donald Russel Catalogue
- Bath Knight Catalogue
- Ark Wildlife Catalogue
- Conrad UK eNewsletter
- Agriframes Catalogue
- S2S Further Learning eNewsletter
- Really Wild Flowers eNewsletter
- Official London Theatre eNewsletter
The problem with this trend is that catalogues are becoming less and less widely used which means that people who do not have internet cannot access the online catalogue or, if you have to pay for a catalogue to be delivered, that might not be available to them either.
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Websites I used:
http://www.catalink.com/
Monday 5 November 2012
Activity 1 - A sales representative using ICT
A sales representative - who travels over a thousand miles a week; who carries a large diary, an address book, a large road atlas and numerous A-Zs, as well as numerous small coins for phones; who pride themselves on punctuality but who is occasionally late when trying to find a new client or delayed by traffic; who always carries a calculator, and a bulky sales catalogue with the latest price lists and order forms; who is usually on the road four days a week, six hours a day and who spends two further hours completing their administration; who spends every Friday in the office ensuring that all of their administration and sales are handled properly; who likes the time spent in their car between appointments, as he can listen to CDs - would definitely benefit from employing ICT to change and hopefully improve their working style.
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The following ICT could change and hopefully improve the sales representative's work:
PDA:
A PDA - a Personal Digital Assistant - is a palmtop computer used to store information such as addresses and telephone numbers, and for simple word processing and spreadsheeting. This would mean that the sales representative would no longer need to carry an address book, numerous A-Z, or a large diary because all of the information in those could be stored on the PDA.
GPS:
A GPS - a Global Positioning System - is an accurate worldwide navigational and surveying facility based on the reception of signals from an array of orbiting satellites. This would mean that the sales representative would no longer need to carry a large road atlas and, if it was an advanced GPS system, it could show where the traffic was bad which would mean that the sales representative would no longer be delayed by traffic.
Laptop:
A laptop is a portable microcomputer, suitable for use while travelling as it is light and can be stored safely in a soft, padded laptop bag. A laptop can access the internet, has word processing and spreadsheets, allows you to create websites, can store information, has numerous different accessories such as notepad and paint, and allows you to save images and videos online. This would mean that the sales assistant would no longer need to carry a large diary or address book because these things can be stored on a laptop, a large road atlas because maps can be found online, a calculator because this is usually an accessory on a laptop, and a bulky sales catalogue with the latest price lists and order forms because these could be stored on a laptop, either in a word document or to be sent by email.
Software:
Software is the programs and other operating information used by a computer, such as operating systems, (e.g. Windows, Mac); media players, (e.g. iTunes, Songbird); and word processors, (Microsoft Office Word, OpenOffice). This would mean that the sales representative could use a PDA or laptop to complete tasks as the correct software would be installed, and that he would not necessarily need a CD player if he had a media player to listen to music on instead.
Mobile phone:
A mobile phone - sometimes known as a cellular telephone - is a hand-held mobile radiotelephone for use in an area divided into small sections, each with its own short-range transmitter/receiver. This would allow the sales representative to contact the client if they were going to be late, due to traffic or getting lost, or if it was an advanced mobile phone, the sales representative could access the internet and simple word processing and spreadsheeting. Furthermore, there could also be a calculator on the mobile phone which would mean that the sales representative does not need to carry a calculator around.
The internet:
The internet - a global computer network - provides a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols. This means that the sales representative can look up maps online which means they no longer need a large road atlas, there are online calculators so a calculator would not need to be carries, addresses can be found online so an address book would not be needed, an online blog could replace a large diary, and websites such as YouTube mean that CD players are no longer needed. Also, if a person has used the internet to make an email account, they can log on anywhere in the world provided there is an internet connection.
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The disadvantages of employing lots of ICT in work are that technologies such as laptops, PDAs and mobile phones need to be charged and without that they are useless. Also, if people become too reliant on ICT then what would happen if, one day, they were left without technology? They would have no idea what to do and work would come to a standstill. Furthermore, if there is a virus on your ICT then you can lose everything you have saved there which can be a huge setback. In the same way, if there is a powercut and you have not saved what you were doing then everything will be lost.
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Websites I used:
www.google.co.uk
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_examples_of_software
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The following ICT could change and hopefully improve the sales representative's work:
PDA:
A PDA - a Personal Digital Assistant - is a palmtop computer used to store information such as addresses and telephone numbers, and for simple word processing and spreadsheeting. This would mean that the sales representative would no longer need to carry an address book, numerous A-Z, or a large diary because all of the information in those could be stored on the PDA.
GPS:
A GPS - a Global Positioning System - is an accurate worldwide navigational and surveying facility based on the reception of signals from an array of orbiting satellites. This would mean that the sales representative would no longer need to carry a large road atlas and, if it was an advanced GPS system, it could show where the traffic was bad which would mean that the sales representative would no longer be delayed by traffic.
Laptop:
A laptop is a portable microcomputer, suitable for use while travelling as it is light and can be stored safely in a soft, padded laptop bag. A laptop can access the internet, has word processing and spreadsheets, allows you to create websites, can store information, has numerous different accessories such as notepad and paint, and allows you to save images and videos online. This would mean that the sales assistant would no longer need to carry a large diary or address book because these things can be stored on a laptop, a large road atlas because maps can be found online, a calculator because this is usually an accessory on a laptop, and a bulky sales catalogue with the latest price lists and order forms because these could be stored on a laptop, either in a word document or to be sent by email.
Software:
Software is the programs and other operating information used by a computer, such as operating systems, (e.g. Windows, Mac); media players, (e.g. iTunes, Songbird); and word processors, (Microsoft Office Word, OpenOffice). This would mean that the sales representative could use a PDA or laptop to complete tasks as the correct software would be installed, and that he would not necessarily need a CD player if he had a media player to listen to music on instead.
Mobile phone:
A mobile phone - sometimes known as a cellular telephone - is a hand-held mobile radiotelephone for use in an area divided into small sections, each with its own short-range transmitter/receiver. This would allow the sales representative to contact the client if they were going to be late, due to traffic or getting lost, or if it was an advanced mobile phone, the sales representative could access the internet and simple word processing and spreadsheeting. Furthermore, there could also be a calculator on the mobile phone which would mean that the sales representative does not need to carry a calculator around.
The internet:
The internet - a global computer network - provides a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols. This means that the sales representative can look up maps online which means they no longer need a large road atlas, there are online calculators so a calculator would not need to be carries, addresses can be found online so an address book would not be needed, an online blog could replace a large diary, and websites such as YouTube mean that CD players are no longer needed. Also, if a person has used the internet to make an email account, they can log on anywhere in the world provided there is an internet connection.
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The disadvantages of employing lots of ICT in work are that technologies such as laptops, PDAs and mobile phones need to be charged and without that they are useless. Also, if people become too reliant on ICT then what would happen if, one day, they were left without technology? They would have no idea what to do and work would come to a standstill. Furthermore, if there is a virus on your ICT then you can lose everything you have saved there which can be a huge setback. In the same way, if there is a powercut and you have not saved what you were doing then everything will be lost.
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Websites I used:
www.google.co.uk
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_examples_of_software
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