Computer Applications for Business (1)

1. Computer Applications for Business (1) • Health & Safety Information • Goals of the course • Help you get the best out of computers • And out of the IT staff you’ll work with • Objectives – to cover business uses of PC packages • For assisting in business decision-making • To communicate conclusions and ideas • This course is for you: • Content depends on what you know already • You’ve almost certainly used computers heavily • Goal is to glue together “Islands of understanding”

2. How We’ll Do This • Method is to enhance your Business skills by: • Extending expertise with a Word-processing package • Developing expertise of a Spread-sheet package • Being able to set up and use a database • At the end, you will be able to produce reports in a variety of styles, integrating the techniques you’ve learnt • On the way, you’ll learn some • Basic Computer Architecture • Understanding of Operating Systems

3. Word Processing Setting up and using styles Complex layouts Simple desktop publishing Electronic Mail How to make it work for you WWW Browser Getting information from the Internet Optimizing the use of search engines Digital Imaging Introduction to Databases Where they’re useful How to set them up More on Spreadsheets Presenting data clearly Selecting graphical displays Project Planning Concept of critical path Gantt and PERT charts Internet publishing Writing HTML Producing and processing surveys Unlikely to get hands-on experience with software for: Accounting Customer relationship mgt Relevant Topics

4. Potential Packages to Study Depends on: • Students’ knowledge base and needs • If you can’t use Microsoft Word already, please enrol on an ECDL course at the Kenneth Kettle Building • We’ll learn about making reports and presenting facts • How computers are used in Business • Their contribution to business success • What professional and managerial staff do with them • Being selfish – which skills will give you an advantage over your peers?

5. College IT Survey 1998

6. Another way to look at it I bet thesehave changedsince 1998

7. Getting to know one another • Mike’s Background • Now let’s hear about you

8. Goals of the Course • Understanding rather than skills • Not “how to do” word-processing etc(which you can get from ITCS) • Foundation for rest of Computing thread of Business programme • Basic computer architecture (mainly Intel x86 and IBM 390) • General and PC hardware • Introduction to Operating Systems • The impact of computers on Business • How Managers use Computers

9. The Previous Computing Module Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree We aim to make it more enjoyable this time – no programming

10. How Computers fit into Business • Operations • Point of Sale systems • Warehouse control • Ordering, Logistics • Accounting • Production • Numerically-controlled machines • Design • Production control • Control & Management • Monitoring of Operations and Production • Decision Support – tactical and strategic

11. How Important are Computers? • Most human achievements happened before computers • Shakespeare, Mozart, Michelangelo • Even things you’d not consider doing without a computer, like cracking the Enigma code, or building aircraft • They’re important now because we are addicted • Manufacturing and commerce run “just in time” • Control is more detailed than previously • Business is global • Product life cycles are shorter, demanding fast decisions • And because we’re more democratic • Most of population now has at least one bank account • Only rich minority used banks 50 years ago

12. A Way to Assess Value • Think how you would survive without computers • Analyse business processes • Look how they use computers • Assess how long the business could continue without • What are the immediate killers? • Which processes secure long-term future • This analysis was used in my Year-2000 seminars: • Focus on short-term issues (specific to Year 2000; none of us believed the problems will take long to fix) • Look at contribution to revenue; short and mid-term

13. Business Processes – Priority • Physical safety (not getting shut down under HASAW) • Generating Revenue • Making Product or Service • Getting paid • Processing orders • Satisfying Customers & Partners • Delivering product • Paying bills • Handling enquiries • Staff Morale • Payroll, working conditions • Management Information Distinguish between Urgency and Importance

14. Our focus is on Management • We need to know about production computing, • But few of us will actually use it ourselves • Physical safety outsourced to building management • Point-of-Sale equipment used at fairly junior levels • As is order-processing, telesales... • Making product or service often requires very specialized applications • So do warehousing and logistics systems • We are likely to use • Accounting systems, including payroll and personnel • Financial tracking and forecasting systems • Management Information and communications

15. So what do Managers Use? • Don’t believe everything you read in Dilbert • But believe a lot of it – that’s why it’s in the Library! • Business success depends on: • Communications • Formal, including instructions, materials orders • Informal, such as e-mail • Interpersonal, such as presentations • Decision support • Understand potential costs and benefits • Determine trends • React to correct errors and missed opportunities • Picking key indicators out of a pile of figures Thisiswhatwe’llstudy

16. Communications • Formal, such as Electronic Data Interchange • Many large companies now order only via EDIIf you want to sell to Boeing; interface with their system • NHS now gets most dentists’ bills over EDI • IBM avoids costs of $350M a year by Online Education • Informal point-to-point, such as e-mail • IBM Europe funded a large network in 1979 on basis of faster communication of fixes for production errors • Informal Broadcast, like the Internet WWW • Company’s Home Page is a high-impact PR resource • IBM valued Intranet at $1B in 2000-01 • Latest trend is tie-in between WWW and “line of business” applications, e.g. on-line ordering

17. Decision Support • Some very esoteric systems • City trading desk support • Oil or commodity trading • Others based on more familiar business models: • Business-case development • Trend analysis • Market share • Profitability • Technology substitution • Sometimes the decision is reached and implemented • More usually you have to convince people • Present the figures in a way they understand and believe The assignmentdoes this

18. Word Processing Electronic Mail WWW Browser Graphics/Drawing Database Spreadsheet Project Planning Accounting Desktop publishing Internet publishing Monitoring real-time events Processing surveys Let’s build a list

19. Convincing People • Major part of most Business activities • Creating markets • Selling things • Encouraging change and innovation • Achieved by writing or presenting • Story must be logical and coherent(even better if it’s right!) • Audience must respect person communicating • Communicator must understand audienceand adapt to its needs

20. Horses for Courses • No one style is right for everything • Most businesses have many prescribed styles • Different styles used for different purposes,for example, in KAC we have: • Definitive documents for validated degrees • Forms for justifying and hiring external speakers • Official minutes • Informal e-mails and intranet postings • The module assignment is practice at writing a specific kind of business report • Fairly typical of a business case in a real company • Ability to follow a prescribed style is a vital skill

21. Or are they donkeys?

22. In the beginning... • 21 June 1948: First stored-program computer ran (the Manchester University “Baby”) • Program keyed directly into memory • Results displayed as dots on a CRT • When program finished, it stopped • Next machines used tape or card for I/O • By 1949, nearly all the basic parts of computer hardware were there • though in a very primitive state • But even now, computers are very dumb!

23. Data and Information • We use the word Data describe the raw numbers and characters that come into the machine, and for their representation inside it • The purpose of the computer is to turn this raw data into Information – something meaningful • Information can be numbers, pictures, sounds, graphs or programs – the underlying data is just a pattern of ones and zeros in memory or on disk • Remember: • The data you’re working on has to be in memory • Memory is cleared when you switch off

24. Modern Computer Architecture • Processor works on data in memory • Other data flows through the bus Memory Processor 1234567890-= QWERTYUIOP[]# ASDFGHJKL;’ ZXCVBNM,./ Output (Information) Input (Data) Bus Other long-term Storage Disk Storage

25. Practical Sessions • We’d better agree some terms for what we see • Terms aren’t needed to do the work, only to talk about it! • Examples from standard Windows XP Professional • Terminology: • Click means “press the left mouse button once” • Double-click means “press the left button twice” (fairly quickly, and without moving the mouse in between) • Right-click means “press the right mouse button once” • Drag means “position the pointer over an object, then press the left button and hold it down while you move the pointer to a target location”; the object will move too

26. The Windows XP Screen Title Bar Menu Bar A window Minimized Application Icon on Desktop Start Button Task Bar

27. Click on icon _ Click on icon _ Click on icon Three States of a Window Click on icon Windowedusing part of the screen Maximizedfilling the entire screen Or double-click the title bar Minimizedreduced to an entry on the Task Bar Click the entry to restore to previous state

28. Windows Explorer • The most useful tool on the system • Gives you a view of how your files are arranged • Lets you open them • ..or rename, or delete, or move, or copy • Press Start, select Programs, slide the pointer over Windows Explorer and then click • Or use the short-cut • hold the Windows key down and press E (for Explorer) • When you open a file, Windows automatically picks the right application program for you: Word, Excel… • There’s no point in closing the Explorer Window – ever!

29. Practicals: Source of materials • We’ll usually get samples from:http://cmg.wkac.ac.uk/courses/samples • You should create a folder for them in “My Documents” • If your space is full, create folder on the C-drive (but you’ll lose it all when you log off!) or use a diskette • Now create a BS1904 folder – my method is: • Open Windows Explorer (just hold Windows key down and press E) • In left pane of the Explorer window, click My Documents • Pull down File menu, slide down to New, then across to Folder, then click • This creates a New folder, whose name you can overtype

30. Downloading • Start a Web browser; Internet Explorer is easy – just click on the on the Start Menu • Type in the URL (the address you’ve been given) • Right-click on what you want, then use File Save Asto load the file to your chosen folder • Next go back to Windows Explorer to use the file • Don’t shut down Internet Explorer; you’ll need it again • Most files we give you will start if you double-click on them e

31. Summary: Computers in Business • Production – the job is using the computer • Example: check-out, order-entry • Automation – the computer does the job • Example: machine tools, telephone exchange • Management – computers control the business • Started with simple accounting, now involves complex network of systems, usually centred on a database • Decision support – computers serving professionals • This is what you’re most likely to do with them, using spreadsheets and project planning tools

32. Decision Support Systems • To address questions like: • How is the business doing? • “What happens if?” • Should we invest in X or Y? • Usually needs access to operational data • Ideally the real thing, not an out-of-date extract • Plus tools to manipulate the data • Spreadsheets to analyse the numbers • Word processor or graphics to present results • Project planner to schedule your proposal

33. Questions?