Production

Production

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.

Finance

Finance – 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

Human Resources

Human 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?

1. CV - especially name and phone number so the applicant may be contacted.
2. Their communication skills because they will be sales staff and these skills are vital here. the applicant must be a confident person.
3. Qualifications needed for the job e.g. maths, english, etc. etc.
4. An idea as to whether the person may be right for the job.

what extra information will they need if they appoint someone?

1. Criminal record check.
2. Previous job records.
3. National Insurance number
4. Uniform size

Data Processing

Data 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.

Automated Data Capture

This 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

Screen Controls

When 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.

Capturing and processing Data

Capturing 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 process
The 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.

Transactional Websites

A transactional website is a type of website where you can buy things from, for example Amazon or eBay. It is called a transaction website because when you buy something you are making a transaction when you give your card details. There is a connection between the customer and the company, therefore a transaction is being made.
Transaction websites all have to:
Collect details form the customer – e.g. card details and address
Collect Payment – Some people use paypal instead of direct credit card payment, paypal is a feature linked up with eBay.
It is an intermediary between the customer and the company.

Databases play a big role in these websites to store all of the customer’s information, like payment details, names, phone number and address. It might be details of what you have already purchased from the company, like a purchase history record, showing how much you have spent as a customer so the company can keep track if the payment hasn’t come through. Furthermore, they could have a database to keep on track of all the stock they have.In order for organisations to function, they need to store and communicate information. Information they need on a daily basis is email addresses to keep their customers informed etc.

Websites like Amazon will also need information such as addresses, what is in stock and what isn’t and the quantity.People say that information is the most valuable thing for a company as it can give them a competitive edge. Business can succeed or fail depending on how effective they are in information handling.Information is extremely vital for hospitals and police as in hospital, if information about patients is lost about previous treatments or allergies, then this could lead to major problems with correct prescriptions and treatments.If police databases were lost, then they would have no record of the criminals they have to keep track of, and all the information they need for detective work. Below is an example of a transactional website for the high street clothing store Topshop.

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The Home Page: http://www.topshop.com/
If you want to buy online with topshop, the website clearly guides you on how to do so. On the home page you can tell that you need to make an account in order to purchase items online, here you can see the image of the toolbar at the top of the page:


Once you have logged in you can start shopping and adding items to your shopping bag. You can also create a wish list to either use as a christmas list for you family or personal reference. As you add things to your shopping, bag it tells you how much you have in there as you browse the website. Here is an example of a wish list:



Along the side of the homepage, there are links to all the different areas such as : Coats, Shoes and Accessories. Also when you click on one of the links, it provides you with a drop down list of the different items, for example when you click on 'Dresses' it gives you the options of : Plain, Printed or Knitted.

Now we shall look at what happens when I purchase an item. I have selected this printed dress to purchase from Topshop.com and have added it to my basket, to do this i clicked on the item, selected my size and quantity, then press 'Add to basket', here is a picture of my shopping basket:



Once you are satisfied with the amount of items in your shopping basket, you can check out and purchase you items by entering your card details and your home address.

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Investigating the role and design of transactional website.

The purpose - All transactional websites have a purspose of selling their product or service. That is the aim of the website. In Topshops' case, its purpose is to sell its clothing and other products, where as with a life insurance online company, their aim is to sell their service. With each site, the customer needs to browse the pages as if they were shopping, so all the items need to be clearly shown on the website with prices. First impressions are very important when it comes to online shopping. Personally, if I come across a transactional website which doesnt look very organised or professional, i will not give it a chance and just shut it down and look at another one. If the website is easy to use and is aesthetically pleasing, then i would continue browsing and perhaps purchase something they have to offer.

Case Study - A well known computer company called 'Dell' has the objective to sell their computers online. The site frely allows customers to browse their products and buy a wide range of stock, from home to business. I am going to look at its site and decide whether it meets its objective, here is the home page: http://www.dell.com/

After browsing the website, i feel dell has met its objective. It offers a wide range of computers and many other peripherals, such as printers. They also provide an ink cartridge refill service. Below i have collected together a collage of the different items available. As you can see Dell, offers their products from homes to large businesses:

Structure of transactional websites - Structure is a key thing for a website, in order for it to be easy to use and organised. Customers must be able to adjust to the way the website works quickly so that it saves time and confusion. Often frames are used in websites to keep the stucture of the website in place, and therefore the customer does not get lost whilst browsing the website. It is common for most web designers to keep the pages minimalistic and easy on the eye. For example, the designer of easy.com Jeremy Gillies, has used a very simple colour scheme of orange and white, to distinguish the company and keep it simple, as you can see from the screen shot below:

As you can see from the homepage, there is a search facility. This is essential on a big website as it allows customers to find what they want quickly without pending hours looking through the website to find it.

Case Study: http://www.ebuyer.co.uk/-
This website sells many thousands of computer-related items. Below is an image of the home page. As you can see it has many large panels with special offer items. Every other day these are changed and updated.

You are able to search for items easily as the website has a 'Product Finder' and navigation bar at the top of the page. Like all transaction websites, it has a shopping basket and a membership subscription. The website has a menu and other components all in a frame.