Area Of Study 2

Information And Communications Technology(ICT)

Organisations use the Internet to Advertise their

products – to reach more potential customers

Advertise vacant positions – to reach more potential applicants

Find out about competitors – products, prices and special offers

Organisations use the Internet to Find out about

developments – eg new machinery to increase productivity

To send e-mails to customers/suppliers

Retrieving up-to-date information from anywhere in the world at any time

Problems with using the Internet Connection may be

slower at certain times of the day

Equipment failure may be experienced

Length of time to download info can be frustrating

Can take a long time to find information

No guarantee info is up-to-date

Advantages

Provides a vast amount of information on practically any subject

Many organisations have a web site

Can make tasks such as organising travel simpler than traditional methods

Sound can be included with the information

Disadvantages

Searching for information online can be costly

Telephone calls can’t be made while on Internet

Second telephone may be needed Staff need good training Cost of designing and maintaining web

page is expensive Difficult to monitor staff use of internet

for non-work use

Facsimile Machines (Fax)

How Does a Fax Machine Work? The Paper-based info is scanned by the

machine Information is converted into code The encoded data is sent over the

telephone lines to its destination On arrival at the recipient’s fax

machine, the data is decoded An exact paper copy of the original is

printed

Benefits of using a Fax Machine Cheap and easy to

use Does not need

expensive cabling installed

Text and graphics can be transmitted

Information is received almost immediately

Cost is the same as a telephone call

Fax Cover Sheet

This should be sent before each fax and should include:

Name, Title, Phone No of sender

Fax no of receiving machine

Name and Details of person receiving fax

Date & No of pages being sent

How do I use a Fax Machine? Prepare a Fax Cover

Sheet Place the document

to be sent in the Fax Machine (correct way up)

Enter the recipients fax number

Press the start button to send the fax.

What problems could occur? Equipment error, eg

Paper Jam or No Toner

Problems contacting the destination fax machine, eg Number engaged, machine switched off

Anyone can see and read the fax – confidential information must not be sent by fax

Advantages

Provides a paper copy

Can be received without anyone being present

Most companies have them

Can send/receive handwritten, typed and drawings

Most computers have fax software already installed

Disadvantages

Must make sure that there is a good supply of paper, toner

Fax machine may be engaged so have to try again

Quality of reproduction may be poor especially drawings

What is e-mail

E-mail is a form of electronic conversation

Popular method of internal and external business use

Allows messages to be sent and received from computers

Users are given own e-mail address

Efficient way of sending and receiving information

What is e-mail

You can create and send messages

Receive and read messages

Reply to messages Send documents as an

attachments Store messages Forward messages you

receive to other people.

Why would an organisation use e-mail? Delivery is quick Replies can be sent

immediately E-mails can be read

wherever there is a computer

Messages can be sent at any time

Same e-mail message can be copied to many people

How useful is external e-mail?

Could get requests from customers

Requests for Catalogues, product info

Requests for job application forms

Placing orders with suppliers

Requests for quotes from suppliers

What is an e-mail address

Each user must have an address where all messages will be sent

Will have a user name The user name and

domain name are separated by @

Domain Name The last part indicates

what type of organisation belongs to

What problems can occur when using e-mail? Messages can be sent

to the wrong person Equipment can fail Messages can be

deleted accidentally File attachments can

take some time to download

Staff may require training on how to use an e-mail system

Advantages

Quick – sending and receiving of e-mail is much quicker than traditional mail

Most of the features of e-mail are easy to use and understand

Now accessible while ‘on the move’ as you can receive e-mail on mobile phones

Any data can be sent throughout the world for the cost of a local telephone call

Disadvantages

Not every business has an e-mail address

Problems can arise if your ISP is not working

If an attachment was prepared using different software you can’t open it

Some people still prefer to receive paper copies

Electronic Communications – Which Method Would You Use and WhyThe choice of method depends on: Equipment available – both the sender and

receiver must have the equipment available to communicate electronically

Ability of employees to use the equipment – training will be needed

Type of information being searched for – sending a fax/e-mail to a competitor about their product/prices is unlikely to receive a reply – visiting their web site may help though

Making Travel ArrangementsInternet

Gives details of various methods of travel

Details of accommodation are available and can be made on-line

The information is up-to-date, eg visas, exchange rates etc