INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

HCS 115

P.S. MUPFIGA

INTRODUCTION.....................................................5USES OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY................................................................6

COMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE......8INPUT. ..............................................................................................................................8PROCESSING AND CONTROL.............................................................................................9OUTPUT............................................................................................................................9STORAGE .......................................................................................................................10CACHE MEMORY.............................................................................................................11THE CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT...................................................................................12

Main memory.............................................................................................................12The Arithmetic Logic Unit.........................................................................................13The Control Unit........................................................................................................13

SOFTWARE..................................................................................................................13SYSTEM SOFTWARE .......................................................................................................13APPLICATION SOFTWARE................................................................................................15FACTORS TO CONSIDER BEFORE BUYING A SOFTWARE..................................................17

DATA PROCESSING.............................................18TYPES OF PROCESSING....................................................................................................19TYPES OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS......................................................................................21DATABASES ...................................................................................................................21RESOURCE DATABASE....................................................................................................22

EMPLOYEES..........................................................22PAYROLL.....................................................................................................................22BENEFITS.....................................................................................................................22

Advantages of Databases...........................................................................................23

COMPUTER NETWORKS AND THE INTERNET..................................................................................24

DEFINITION OF TERMS....................................................................................................24REASONS FOR NETWORKING COMPUTERS......................................................................24LOCAL AREA NETWORKS AND WIDE AREA NETWORKS...............................................25NETWORK TOPOLOGIES..................................................................................................26

Ring Network.............................................................................................................26Star network...............................................................................................................27Bus network................................................................................................................28

THE INTERNET................................................................................................................28Information browsing.................................................................................................28Electronic mail (e-mail).............................................................................................29Newsgroups................................................................................................................30

File transfer Protocol................................................................................................30REQUIREMENTS FOR ONE TO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET.............................................30USES OF THE INTERNET..........................................................................................31

WORD-PROCESSORS AND SPREADSHEETS..32WORD-PROCESSING........................................................................................................32SPREADSHEETS...............................................................................................................34

3. COUNTIF............................................................37Drawing Charts and graphs from given data............................................................37

INFORMATION SYSTEMS..................................39INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN BUSINESS............................................................................39

Marketing Information Systems.................................................................................39Manufacturing Information systems..........................................................................40Accounting Information Systems................................................................................40Financial Information Systems..................................................................................40

SECURITY AND ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.........................41

SECURITY IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS...........................................................................41Administrative controls..............................................................................................42Input Controls............................................................................................................42Storage controls.........................................................................................................42Physical protection....................................................................................................43Disaster recovery plans.............................................................................................43

ETHICAL CHALLENGES OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY...............................................43Viruses........................................................................................................................43

SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY............................................44

PAST EXAM PAPERS...........................................45

IntroductionInformation technology refers to hardware, software, databases, telecommunication

technologies and other information processing technologies that manipulate data

resources into useful information products like reports, financial statements. Consider the

example of a person who goes into a banking hall to inquire his balance. That technology

they would use to create, store, manipulate and communicate information is what is

referred to as INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.

Closely related to information technology is an Information system, which refers to the

set totality of requirements for handling information within an organization. It can also be

considered as an organized combination of people, hardware, software, communication

networks and data resource that collects, transforms and disseminates information in an

organization. An information system can be manual (i.e. paper work) or informal (word

of mouth), however the aspect of the module is specifically computer based information

systems that use information technology.

These are some of the common terms in Information Technology:

Hardware – the name given to all physical components of a computer system.

These are mechanical, optical, electronic or magnetic devices or components of a

computer or generally the physical makeup of a computer

Software are the various non-tangible computer programs, procedures and their

associated documentation concerned with the operation of an information system.

Example Microsoft Word is software for typing. The are software for games, for

accounting and many other disciplines.

Data – are raw facts, figures or observation about a transaction or physical

phenomena. E.g. Sam, 12, St Johns. Hence data objective measure of attributes, of

entities.

Information - is processed data that is put into a meaningful context for the

intended recipient e.g. a report, receipt. We feed data into an information system

and it provides information.

A program is a set of instructions written in the language of a computer. When a

person is using a computer, say when playing chess with a computer, the

computer will only be responding to programmed instructions that assist it in

making the most appropriate move.

Enduser – any one who uses an information system or its products. Consider the

person who designed a computer game; the enduser would be anyone who then

plays the game. In an Accounting Information System endusers include people

like data capture clerks, bookkeepers, and even managers who would need

financial statements.

USES OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

However inexhaustive, the applications are tailor-made to increase effectiveness at work,

increase customer satisfaction, make work easier, and increase productivity, to

communicate and in general think of every sector of the country’s economy and imagine

the magnitude of contribution provided by Information Technology.

Information Technology comes as:

A major source of information and support needed to promote effective decision

making by managers.

An important ingredient in developing competitive products and services that give

an organization a competitive advantage on a large scale.

A functional area of a business in accounting, recordkeeping, human resource

management, marketing, research etc. Consider the example of banks that use

information technology to store information about the account holders and their

various banking transaction requirements accurately, conveniently and safely.

A vital, dynamic and challenging career opportunity for millions of men and

women.

A substitute or a compliment for human effort and in the end automating

production, or business processes.

A tool to gain competitive advantage. Most of the companies that store data or

process transactions using information technology are generally favoured by the

widest web of clientele since they provide security of data, convenience to

customers, and tend to be faster.

Information Technology has become a vital component of successful businesses and organization in terms of data processing, communication, office management, commerce e.g. banking, data security and report generation. IT guarantees security of confidential information through passwords, accuracy of reports (which are not subjective and biased) and faster retrieval of information. Examples

1. One can apply for a job, college placement or make quotations and orders via email and the mail will reach the recipient instantly

2. Student can research on a wide range of topics by accessing information in websites across the world.

3. IT is also used to market organizations and their services4. Managers use computer systems that are able to integrate various functions of an

organization and then assist managers in decision-making and trend forecasting.

In the end, Information Technology increases an organization’s competitive advantage, increases revenue, reduces costs, improves quality and creates new opportunities.

Assignment

Why has your institution invested a lot in information technology? [answer should be in

clear point form]

Computer Hardware and softwareA computer is basically responsible for carrying out the tasks of accepting input, storing,

and processing, controlling and producing output. In deed a computer exists as a system

not a unit with input, processing, storage and output being the subsystems. These

subsystems are not complete in their own right, in the sense that they are thinly connected

through software.

Input. Is a means of entering data into the computer through input devices such as keyboards,

joystick, touch screen, mouse, bar code readers etc. Computers can not accept data in

forms customary to human communication hence input device convert/ or present data to

the computer in a machine readable electronic or digital form (using a series of 1s and 0s

to represent numbers, letters and even voice and pictures). Hence the input unit is an

interface between the user and the computer. Input devices are often called peripheral

devices

Other common forms of input are:

a) Optical character recognition translates code or marks on source documents into

digital forms that are understandable by the computer. OCR is used mostly in

some supermarkets which have a hand held reader that scans a commodity’s

barcode and can then be able to deduce that type of commodity and its price.

b) Light pen, uses photoelectric circuitry to enter data through the video screen

c) Pointing devices are among others – mouse and touch screens. The mouse uses

point and click options to select and run commands on Graphical User Interface

screens. Moving a mouse corresponds to the movement of the mouse pointer on

the screen and clicking an icon runs the program that is represented by that icon.

Using a touch screen a user point on a sensitized monitor to select commands or

options other than pressing buttons on a keyboard.

d) Other input devices include scanners for reading pictures and sensors for reading

analogue data like temperature

Processing and Control

A computer’s control unit is responsible for fetching instructions from main storage,

interprets them ant then issues necessary signals to components making up the computer

system ordering them to perform required operations (fetch and execute cyc4les)

The Arithmetic Logic Unit of a computer is responsible for making calculations required

in computer processing. It makes comparison on data (logical calculations like >, <, >=

etc) at very high speeds as part of processing. The Arithmetic and Logic Unit Combined

with the Control Unit forms the processor.

OutputData is processed to produce output. Computer output can be sent to a printer, seen on the screen or stored in storage device. In most information systems output comes in the form of printed or onscreen reports or audio etc. Examples of output devices are printer, speakers and the monitor.

Video display is the most common type of computer output. Broadly these are displayed on either monochrome (black and white) or color monitors. These differ in their resolution, which is a measure of their clarity (in terms of smoothness of the pictures), an expression of the number of pixels per inch.

Printers produce what is commonly referred to as a hardcopy (print out).Printers can be:a) Character printers, which imitate the operations of a typewriter by printing one

character at a time by hitting a ribbon on top of a paper, thus they are often referred to as impact printers. These printers are slower.

b) Line printers print one line at a time and are faster than page printers. These can print pictures and examples are inkjet printers.

c) Page printers are heavy duty fast printers which are exploited for commercial purposes and the include laser printers. They produce high quality printouts.

Output can also be in the form of voice or audio through speakers.

Storage A computer has the capability to store data that it is currently using, that will be referred to at a latter time (semi permanent) or that starts a computer. Storage is divided into 2 namely:

Secondary / Backing Storage – stores information on devices like CDs, diskettes, Hard disk and tapes. When one saves his essay, letter or project, he would have stored it in any one such device such that he can refer to it any time he prefers.

HARD DISKSOne or more hard disks are found in the hard drive which is usually housed inside a computer. Each drive is built into a sealed unit to prevent contamination by dust and moisture. A hard disk pack consist of several platters with data encoded on both sides of the platters (except for the top platter’s top part and the bottom platter’s lower part.) accessed by the read/write heads.

Advantages over floppy disks :

Access to data is faster than from floppy disks. Hard discs store more data than floppy disks. (40 Gb

drives are now common). They are more reliable than floppy disks as they have

more protection from dirt.

One disadvantage of a hard disc over floppy disk is that it is not portable - you cannot carry it round and use it on different computers.

The read-write head floats so close to the disk that a small speck of dust would ruin the disk. This is why the drives are sealed.

FLOPPY DISKSAre flat, rotating, 3.5” polyester film disks covered with a magnetic coating on which data is recorded. Most common floppy disks have a capacity of 1.44Megabytes. As with hard disks, data is stored on tracks and sector and they use direct access to locate and read a certain block of data.

Main storage stores the bootstrap loader (i.e. those programs that start running when a computer is switched on) and active documents or programs (i.e. a running program or open document). It also stores the operating system programs that manage the operation of a computer and the data that is being used by the programs. The following are types of main storage

Random Access Memory (RAM), which holds instructions and data between processing, stages and supplies them to the ALU and CU during processing. RAM looses its contents if power is switched of i.e. it is volatile. RAM stores data and instructions requiring processing, being processed and awaiting output hence the name working area of the computer. Read Only Memory (ROM) stores programs that start running when a computer is switched on and holds character patterns. ROM stores permanently and its contents are set permanently during manufacture. We have the ROM inside the circuit board below. ROM forms part of hardware, hence the name firmware.

Cache memoryCache memory is a high speed memory mainly used to complement the RAM. Cache memory is faster than RAM and it stores frequently used pages. The cache memory is between the RAM and the CPU and the CPU searches for data or programs in the cache first, if its not found, the CPU then searches in the RAM. The CPU uses certain algorithms to determine which data should be stored in the cache, which will help the CPU to predict the next instruction to be executed and hence making processing faster.

tion

Secondary Storage

e.g. hard disks, floppy disks, CDs

Logical Structure of a computer

Input Devices e.g. Keyboard, mouse,Scanner, audio

e.g. printer, monitor

The Central processing Unit

As depicted by the diagram above, the Central Processing Unit is made up of the Control Unit, the Arithmetic Logic unit and the main memory. It is the unit that controls the interpretation, storage and execution of program instructions. It contains most of the circuitry of the machine.

Main memoryMain memory is a high-speed storage unit that determines (to some extent) the speed of a computer. It includes registers (which store one unit of data) for high-speed temporary data storage.

The Arithmetic Logic UnitThe ALU handles all the calculations that must be done as a way of processing. Consider the example of a computer calculating an employee’s salary on the basis that if he works up to 40 hrs he will be paid at the normal rate otherwise he is paid at the overtime rate. The ALU will make a logic calculation to determine if the hours worked are greater than

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40 and go on to carry out the appropriate arithmetic calculation depending on the results of logic comparisons. Basically the ALU carries out calculations of addition, subtraction, division, multiplication etc and logic calculations of >, <, <=, = which will direct the control unit to operate or issue a certain instruction to the other parts of a computer. The logic operations give a computer some decision-making capability. It should be noted that the data processed by the ALU comes from the main storage as directed by the control unit and stored in the ALU’s registers.

The Control UnitThe control Unit manages the CPU by initiating instruction fetch and executeIt control and co-ordinates the operation of all hardware operation and allocates them duties. It fetches instructions from the main memory interprets them and then issues instructions to respective parts of the computer system to perform the required operations. It enables the whole computer system to work as one unit.

SOFTWARESoftware refers to various programs and their associated documentation that bring life into computer hardware by directing its use. Software can be subdivided into system software and application software

System Software System Software is usually supplied by the manufacturer of a given computer component. When one buys a printer it comes with CD software that enables it to work with other system components of a computer. System software contributes to control and performance of a computer system. System software acts behind the scenes to manage resources and operations of a computer system. System software interfaces between computer hardware and the application software.

An operating system is software which controls the general operation of a computer.

An operating system

controls the loading and running of programs controls the use of peripherals such as disc drives and printers organises the use of the computer’s memory. handles interrupts (signals from devices) maintains security (passwords etc)

Part of the operating system is stored on a ROM chip. When the computer is switched on, the first thing that happens is that part of the operating system is loaded into memory. This process is called booting up. A computer cannot work

without an operating system.

Examples of Operating Systems :

UNIX Linux Windows MS-DOS

The greatest part of system software is the operating system (e.g. Windows) which is responsible for user interface (i.e. the ease of communication with the computer user), resource management (i.e. ensuring proper sharing of memory, proper use of the printer etc), file management (that controls, the creation, opening and deleting of files) and task management in such a way that such programs allow sharing of processor time and to allow for the running of many computing tasks at the same time.

The user interface is the way the user interacts with the computer.

The three main types are :

Command The user types in commands.Programs use less memory.

Example : The MS-DOS interface.Type DIR /W to get a list of all the files in a directory.

Quick to operate and very flexible, but the user needs to learn all the commands and type them in correctly.

Menu Drop-down menus have options for selection. There may be sub-menus...

The user selects an option with either a key or a click of the mouse.

No need to learn the commands but it can be difficult to locate a particular option.

Detail of a GUI interface

GUI Graphical User Interface

Also known as a WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers) interface.

Icons (small pictures) represent options. Colour and sound may also be used to make the interface more 'user-friendly'.

Identical icons may be used in a number of different programs. Eg a picture of a disk to save a file.

Example : Windows

Low-level IT skills needed by the user. Easy to use intuitive interface.

Sound Speech driven interfaces are also now available. The user talks a command into a microphone.

Useful for...handicapped, fighter pilots, surgeons..

Application softwareAre programs that carry out specific tasks for the computer user for example Microsoft Access is for databases, Microsoft Word is for Typing or Word-processing while Microsoft Excel is for SpreadsheetsExamples of Application

i) Word-processing packages that are responsible for creating, editing and printing of documents. The extend their capabilities to include checking spelling and grammar, drawing tables, mail merge, print many copies of one document, typing in various font styles, colors, underlining, inserting pictures, plus looking for words with a similar meaning to the one typed (thesaurus)

ii) Spreadsheet packages which are specifically for analysis, planning and modeling. They are designed for working with numbers in terms of arithmetic (addition, multiplication, subtraction, division), sorting from the highest to the lowest or vice-versa, drawing tables, using mathematical functions such as sine, cosine, average, randomize, to perform complex calculations sch as regression. Managers use spreadsheets in carrying what-if computations to determine the impact a certain move or decision might have on the profitability or future of the business.

iii) Database Management Packages (e.g. Microsoft Access) are designed for handling and manipulation of large volumes of data. Consider the example of a university that keeps each and every detail about every student and should

the data be required (i.e. in terms of fees due, results or residential status, level, department etc) it is instantly retrieved.

iv) Finally, it should be noted that the number and variety of application packages is inexhaustible. Some examples are accounting packages (for ledgers, trail balances), marketing packages (for sales analysis), operations management (for inventory control), and a whole host of mathematical, statistical and engineering packages. One such example is Eviews used by economists in regression.

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Factors to consider before buying a softwareThere are many considerations to be made before one settles for a certain type of software. Generally, the software has to be appropriate to the task, it should justify the cost as well as being affordable.

Other factors are that the software must be compatible with your hardware. Some software cannot run on IBM machines, while running modern windows based programs without a mouse is underutilizing it. If you are buying application software, it must work well with the system software, for example you can’t install Microsoft Word 2000 on a machine with Windows 3.1. The software must have continued support from the supplier for it to suit changing user requirements for example if a software was to be used to calculate tax on goods sold, it should be changeable from sales tax to value added tax. Also software like Microsoft products have many versions indicating responsive approach to user requirements and modernization. A simple example is that of employees salaries in Zimbabwe, an up to date software would allow for salaries payslips to accommodate even millions as a salary figure. If it was made without such a vision then maybe salaries would only be up to say $10 000.

On the other hand, software must be easy to learn and use, it must offer help. Specifically, its advantageous to buy a software with Graphical User Interface (GUI), which is a program screen interface based on icons, menus, windows for ease of use. It must be robust, accurate and free from errors. Software also differ in the storage space they need. So when buying software, one has to consider the storage capacity of his machine, the size of the RAM and the speed of the processor, so that the machine’s speed is not compromised.

AssignmentWhat do you understand by the terms caching and bus.Explain the following storage devices: diskette, hard disk, Compact disk and magnetic tape

Data ProcessingAll the hardware, software and telecommunications in which organizations invest a lot of money are there for the sake of data processing to produce information.

For any system to be an efficient data processing tool it must address the following critical concerns:

Proper data entry. It should validate and verify the data for correctness and relevance. It should offer audible error signals thus why users prefer user friendly systems in most cases those that offer Graphical User Interface.

Data security – data should be secured so that no unauthorized person or hackers can temper with it. This entails the use of passwords, anti- virus software, etc.

Speed – the system must be able to cope with the timely demand for results other than offering out dated information

The system must at the same time be reliable

File organizationA system user must have a way of organizing his data so that its instantly available to the user as per request. In creating a file, the user must use a name that aids remembering what the document is all about other than using ambiguous names.

Operating systems are able to divide the storage drives into sections they can store related files (folders). Below is a window that shows the drive C divided into folders.

As you can see, the folder called My Music is itself made up of subfolder

Unknown and Various ArtistsB

Types of processingUnits of data for processing such as individual customer orders are called transactions. Transactions can either be processed either singly or in batches.

Batch Processing.Consider the Electricity billing procedure or payroll calculation procedures. First of al, the data is gathered and stored on some source documents. The source documents are then transferred to the central computer for processing after some time e.g. monthly or weekly. A batch processing system is one where programs and data are collected together in a batch before processing starts.

Batch processing is most suitable where the data needs to be captured over a certain period and processing will then have to be done once. Batch processing is suitable for repetitive processes that needs minimum to no user intervention when processing resumes.

Each piece of work for a batch processing system is called a job. A job usually consists of a program and the data to be run.

Jobs are stored in job queues until the computer is ready to process them.

Computers that do batch processing often operate at night.

Realtime systemsOnce transaction data is recorded or input, it is processed instantly and the relevant updates of file are done. Hence the system provides up-to-date and current data. Consider the example of an airline seat reservation system networked across Zimbabwe. Should one person book seat number 34, the system automatically updates so that no any other person will be able to book that seat also. This is the system that most banks have which upon making a deposit or a withdrawal, that very moment your account is updated throughout all the banks/ATMs that can access your account.

Types of computer systems

a) Stand alone systems. – accept and processes data independently and does not communicate with other computers

b) Centralised or Multi-access system a number of users have terminals (workstations) which are directly linked to a central computer.  The terminals are there to send and receive only, they don not process any data.

Each user can use the computer interactively.

Often called a multi-user system.

c) Distributed systems occurs where each network computer can process data received as well as communicate with others on an equal basis, often referred to as PEER-TO-PEER NETWORKS. All computers are of equal importance. Software and data are stored on each computer

Databases What is a Database? It is an organised collection of data with minimum duplication to service many applications at the same time by storing and managing data so that they appear to be in one location.

When a transaction occurs, e.g. a withdrawal in a bank, some data would be stored. All the data that completely describe a transaction is called a record. E.g.

Withdrawal record

Account# Date Amount Cash/cheque remaining balance

A record is made up of fields. A field is a single desriptive item of a record or a transaction. All the related records are stored in a file. The various related files and the interfaces that query or manipulate their stored data form the database.

Rather than storing data in separate files for each application, data is stored physically to appear to users as being stored in only one location.A single data-base services multiple applications, for example, instead of a corporation storing employee data in separate information systems and separate files for personnel, payroll and benefits, the corporation could create a single common human resource database like the one in the figure below:

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BENEFITS-Life assurance

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A single human database serves multiple applications and also allows a corporation to easy draw together all the information on various applications.The database management system acts as the interface between the application programmes and the data.Database management system is a special software used to create and maintain a database and enable individual business applications to extract the data they need without having to create separate files or data definitions in their computer programmes.

Advantages of Databases Data redundancy is reduced considerably thereby solving problems of excessive

memory requirements and inconsistencies. Response time is faster since the can directly interact with the Database

Management System Databases offer a wide variety f security and privacy feature for organizational

confidential data.

Computer Networks and The Internet

Definition of terms1. Computer Network: is a group of connected computers that work as a single unit

sharing resources like printers or a common program, a common internet connection. For example, if 20 computers are to be connected in such a way as to use one printer.

2. Internet: a global network of networked computers that offer services of websites, e-mail, search engines and file transfer protocol etc, covering millions of business, educational, and research organizations.

Reasons for networking computersComputers are networked for various reasons depending on the nature of an organization. The most important of these being the need to communicate and share limited resources. Consider a university setting where one department allocates residences to students, another one admit students, the other one handles finances but all this information is kept in one pool but accessible to all. At the same time, a department may just need one printer since all department staff can print from their offices to one printer.Networks also allow for even distribution of work and maximizing human resources. As an employee you may not waste business time to go to other offices to print, or notify members of a meeting.

Distributed systems are also used to speed up the processing of data and share work load.

Data in a network can be transmitted using :

 

Cable Each computer has a network card installed with appropriate network software, and is linked to another computer using a network cable.

Cable can be twisted-pair, coaxial, or optical fibre.

Wireless(Microwave,Infra-red,Radio)

Data is transmitted using radio, infra-red or microwaves.

A wireless hub receives and transmits data to each computer. Each computer needs a special wireless network card.

No cabling involved.

Satellite There are now hundreds of satellites orbiting the Earth which can be used to 'bounce' signals off.

Local Area Networks and Wide Area NetworksLocal area network (LAN) refers to a group of computers connected within one building or site. They transmit data using coaxial cables or twisted pair cables or fibre optics.

A WAN (Wide Area Network) - the computers are on different sites and are linked by telephone links.

A WAN can cover a whole country (or even the world!).

Explain the nature of fibre optics and coaxial cable. What is the difference between a modem and a multiplexer? What are distributed systems?

Network Communication can be – Peer-to-peer networks

All computers are of equal importance. Software and data are stored on each computer.

Client/Server network

Software and data are held on a file server and may be used by other computers on the network.

Security is controlled centrally.

Network TopologiesRefer to the layout or structure of a network in terms of the direction of flow of data and the the controls that manage data transmission.

Ring Network

Ring

Token Ring Network

'Tokens' of data are passed round the ring (in one direction only) and collected by the receiving computer. A faster system and it is easier to add more computers.

Communication in a ring network occurs by a method called token passing. A ring network would have one token, which has the ability to transmit data. Each computer is given a chance to grab the token and receive or send a message. When a token has a message, each computer checks to see if the token is addressed to it so that it can grab it otherwise it passes it on along the ring.

Advantages of a ring networkIt requires fewer cables than a star network and high speeds of data transmission are attainable.

DisadvantagesIf the cable develops a problem, the whole network is disrupted and is difficult to troubleshoot. It’s difficult to implement central network security since there is no controlling computer. Some messages may go unpicked forever thereby unnecessarily overloading the network.

Star networkAll computers are connected to the hub or central computer. The hub uses a method called polling when computers are communicating. In polling, the central computer asks each network computer if it has a message to send. Communication is in both directions but passes through the hub.

Star

Star Network

All computers are connected to a central computer (file server). The disadvantage is that if this file server breaks

down then all the computers are affected.

Advantages of a Star networkNetwork security and control is easy to implement through the central computer or hub. If one of the cables fail, this does not disrupt the whole network. Communication is generally faster than both the bus and star networks

DisadvantageIt uses too many cables so its expensive to set up. Failure of the hub disrupts all communication

Bus networkAll computers are connected to one cable called the bus. When a computer wants to send a message it first checks to see if the bus is not busy then sends. If the bus is busy, it waits for a random time and then rechecks. The method is called Carrier Sense Multiple Access With Collision Detection (CSMA/CD)

Bus

Each computer is linked to a bus (cable) and there are terminators at each end of the bus. Less cabling but can be slow if there are a large

number of users.

Advantages The network use fewer cables than star and ring so its cheap.

DisadvantagesIf the bus fails, the whole network is disrupted. Any problem on the bus is very difficult to find and fix.

The InternetThe Internet is often referred to as the information super highway. The internet is used for information browsing, e-mail, newsgroups, file transfer and running programs on another computer.

Information browsingIf one will go onto the internet and type the herald’s website address www.herald.co.zw he will be able to read the latest version of the paper on the internet. It would allow one to open any one edition of the herald. www.herald.co.zw is referred to as the URL (Uniform Resource Location), which helps the Internet browser to locate a user’s requested page. Information browsing also includes the use of search engines e.g. www.google.com, on which a user type some keywords specifying a search criteria and click search for the browser to search the whole internet for the occurance of the keyword.

An example of a search window

Search the Internet

What are you looking for?

Help on searching is available.

Electronic mail (e-mail)A e-mail is an Internet facility that allow individuals to write each other mail and send them through the internet to the recipient. Typically for one to send or receive e-mail, you must be logged on to your account. One’s messages are stored in his mailbox (which is itself made up of the inbox, bulk box and the sent box). E-mail has added features of being able to forward, save, delete and compose message. Format of e-mail is like

susan@yahoo.com indicate the service provide

Account holder

This means that Susan has an e-mail account with a company called Yahoo.

NewsgroupsWhen one has one an e-mail, he may specify his areas of interest e.g. recreational, sport, food, science and technology such that should anyone have any news he will convey it to the news group.

File transfer ProtocolAllows one to download and upload files (e.g. games, software) from and to the internet

Requirements for one to connect to the InternetYou have to subscribe to the Internet Service Provider like mweb, zarnet, ecoweb. These give one a username and a password he can use to derive Internet benefits. When accessing the Internet, your computer will dial the Internet Service provider’s number.

Search

The ISP will also have a server that hosts and screens(against viruses) your e-mail messages.

When you call an to sign up for an Internet account, make sure you get the following information:

User name Password Access phone number Your host name and domain name Domain Name System (DNS) server address

The service provider may also supply the following information:

IP address and subnet mask DNS search order (if required) Gateway address Authentication procedure (whether or not the service provider requires a terminal

window to log on)

One also need to have a modern Internet browser like Opera, Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape loaded on the computer. Above all, the computer must be at least a Pentium I machine with a speed from 166MHz. The telephone line and a modem are other requirements. The modem converts a computer’s electronic digital data into analog signals that can be transported through a telephone line when information is being sent into the Internet and vice versa when receiving. The telephone line is the transmission media, which links the computer to the Internet service provider. Your operating system should compatible with the Internet browser and modern GUI operating systems support Internet

For large organizations, its ideal that they network their computers, hence more requirements. One would need a server-based network to effect networks security and to use one connection as a gateway to the Internet.

Discuss the need of gateways, routers and in networking an organization like Midlands State University

USES OF THE INTERNETThe most basic use of the Internet is convenience of worldwide communication, collaboration through e-mail and newsgroups; and for accessing a wide range of information for example academic research findings, news, commodities etc.

Students use the Internet for carrying out academic research. They mostly employ search engines like www.google.com on which they type some keywords on the information they require and the browser searches for websites that contain the keywords.

E-commerce is an application of the Internet that is widely gaining momentum. Businesses can now use the Internet to make orders, market their products, request for

quotations, carryout business transactions (e.g. e-banking) from the comfort of their offices or homes.The Internet is also being used to conduct market researches as a company talks remotely with its customers and prospective customers.

WORD-PROCESSORS and SPREADSHEETS

Word-processingIs the use of computers to type, store, edit, revise and print text data. However, with the advances in technology, word-processing now covers aspects of checking spelling and grammar on some text, drawing tables, and mail merge; and Dictaphone typing. Word-processing is an important application in office automation.Modern word-processors can:

o Have a line of text adjusted to fit the margin when typing reaches the end of the line (text wrap)

o Copy or move a block of text from one lace to anothero Check and correct spelling and grammar on typed texto Draw tables o Merge documents e.g. when one wants to write one letter to 100 companies which

only differ in their addresses.o Insert a table of contents when one has typed a long document.

Microsoft Word comes with an office assistant, which gives help and tips on how to make best use of the package.

COMMON ICONS IN MICROSOFT WORD icons AND THEIR USESA. For making text boldB. For making text italicsC. For underlining textD. For left, center, right and justified text alignment E. For numbering points either as 1,2,3, etc or a, b, c, d, e or i, ii, iii, ivF. For bulleting points other than using numbersG. Undo reverses the most recent change made to a documentH. Opens a new documentI. Open an existing document J. Save a documents and allows one to type the name if the document had not been

saved previously or saves changes made to a documentK. Print a documentL. Print preview – allows one to see what the printed document would look likeM. Checks grammar and spelling on typed textN. Moves highlighted text from one place to anotherO. Pastes copied or moved text. notherP. Copies highlighted text from one place to anotherQ. Changes text colorR. Office assistance – gives help and tips on how to carry out certain task in Ms

Word

S. Changes text sizeT. Changes text style

A Microsoft Word window.

These notes were prepared using a Word-processor. Make sure you can produce such a document.

Users are also expected to a) Change the case of typed texta) Insert page or text bordersb) Insert a page breakc) Draw things like organizational chartsd) Adjust the print layoutse) Write text in columns as in newspapers

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SpreadsheetsAre computer packages for carrying out calculations on data. They are mostly used by managers for analysis (i.e. conducting what-if analysis in which a manager changes input signals, noting their effect on output like profit, customer reaction using mathematical and statistical models), planning, and modeling.

A spreadsheet is made up of a grid of numbered rows and letters columns, which intersect at a cell e.g. the first cell in the cutting below is named A1. Moving to a cell is done by clicking the cell or moving with the arrow keys. When calculating in Excel,

1. a formula starts with an = sign2. one can use the cell address where a value is stored or a number or both, in a

formula or function e.g. =B2+B3+B4+B5 or =sum(B2:B5) gives the total for Maths

3. To see the result you press ENTER or move or of the current cell

On the Excel cutting below, the active cell is F2 as you can see F2 written on the name box. You can change the name of a cell or cell by highlighting them and then typing a name on the name box. [this approach was used in the IF function below]

Excel Diagram 1

A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet below is used to draw a chart that diagrammatically represent students marks, uses a countif function to get the number of subjects passed, a sum function to get the total marks and a average function to get each student’s average marks. Note also, that the totals are sorted in descending order.Common spreadsheet functions

1. COUNTCounts the number of cells that contain numbers within the list of arguments.

Syntax

COUNT(value1,value2, ...)

Value1, value2, ...   are 1 to 30 arguments that can contain or refer to a variety of different types of data, but only numbers are counted.

Examples

men

In the following example,

A B1 Name maths2 Peter 343 Sam absent4 Anna 235 Angie 226 Susanna sick7 No OF SUBJECTS

attempted=COUNT(B2:B6)

Excel Diagram 2

=COUNT(B2:B6) will, give the answer 3 in cell B7

=COUNT(B2:B6, 2) equals 4

2. SUMAdds all the numbers in a range of cells.

Syntax

SUM(number1,number2, ...)

Number1, number2, ...   are 1 to 30 arguments for which you want the total value or sum

If cells A2:E2 contain 5, 15, 30, 40, and 50:

SUM(A2:C2) equals 50

SUM(B2:E2, 15) equals 150

IF

Returns one value if a condition you specify evaluates to TRUE and another value if it evaluates to FALSE.

Use IF to conduct conditional tests on values and formulas.

Syntax

IF(logical_test,value_if_true,value_if_false)

Take for example, on Excel Diagram 1, if we add a column on pass or fail, basing on the average and on that the test was out of 50, in cell I2 we will write

=if(H2>=50,”Pass”, “Fail”)

Suppose you want to assign letter grades to numbers referenced by the name AverageScore. See the following table.

If AverageScore is Then return

Greater than 89 A

From 80 to 89 B

From 70 to 79 C

From 60 to 69 D

Less than 60 F

You can use the following nested IF function:

IF(AverageScore>89,"A",IF(AverageScore>79,"B",IF(AverageScore>69,"C",IF(AverageScore>59,"D","F"))))

In the preceding example, the second IF statement is also the value_if_false argument to the first IF statement. Similarly, the third IF statement is the value_if_false argument to the second IF statement. For example, if the first logical_test (Average>89) is TRUE, "A" is returned. If the first logical_test is FALSE, the second IF statement is evaluated, and so on.

3. COUNTIF

Counts the number of cells within a range that meet the given criteria.

Syntax

COUNTIF(range,criteria)

Range   is the range of cells from which you want to count cells.

Criteria   is the criteria in the form of a number, expression, or text that defines which cells will be counted. For example, criteria can be expressed as 32, "32", ">32", "apples".

Examples

Suppose A3:A6 contain "apples", "oranges", "peaches", "apples", respectively:

COUNTIF(A3:A6,"apples") equals 2

Suppose B3:B6 contain 32, 54, 75, 86, respectively:

COUNTIF(B3:B6,">55") equals 2

Drawing Charts and graphs from given dataa) First highlight all the relevant data

b) Click the chart wizard icon

or click Inert then Chart.

c) The dialog box below appears where you select the type of chart you want and then follow Click next for some four steps then you Click Finish

SORTING DATARefers to arranging data in either ascending or descending order. Most of the time, should you data have a heading the data in a row or column format, you will just click the heading and then click the sort ascending icon

or the sort descending icon

and all the data will be arranged in the preferred order.

Other abilities expected of a spreadsheet user are Merging cells Inserting bordersWorking with currency and percentage symbols Hiding and Unhiding dataFormatting Protecting a spreadsheetAnd working with a variety of mathematical, financial, and statistical functions

Assignment

Using the office assistant, explain the use and format of the following Excel functions, giving examples of where it can be appliedCounta, count, countif, average, sum, sumif, chitest, binomdist, fv, if, power, poisson, pmt, stdev, and var

Give a situation where you can use conditional formatting and autofill

INFORMATION SYSTEMSIs an organized combination of people, hardware, software, data communication systems and networks that transform data into information and disseminate information within an organization.

Information Technology complements proper and efficient operations of a business though accurate, fast, efficient and reliable customer service. It offers a strong platform of management reporting, planning, coordinating and controlling.

Broadly, information systems can be categorized into o Operations support systemso Management support systems

Operations Support systems support the day-to-day business activities. They aim to efficiently input/ accept transaction data, validate and verify it for integrity and finally process it. They also support office management, database updating, control industrial processes. Examples of operations support systems are

o transaction processing systems e.g. point-of-sale terminal which are used in retail outlets to sell inventory items. They process data resulting from business transactions.

o Process control systems monitor and control industrial processes. They make realtime responses to changes in input signals and correctly mixing industrial reactants, stopping and resuming processes as per status of production.

o Office automation systems entail office personnel to have up-to-date information that would be specific to their clients and for communication’s sake through the use of technologies such as facsimile, word-processors, spreadsheets, databases and internet technologies.

Management Support Systems are information systems tailor made for decision making needs of managers. For example a manager can use a spreadsheet to do what-if analysis when evaluating the pros and cons introducing a new product brand basing on a certain probability distribution.

Information Systems in BusinessIt should be noted that, in business, information systems cut across the boundaries of operations support systems and management support systems; and integrate them. Thus information system, can be useful to operational staff and management staff but still screening the information basing on user privileges

Marketing Information Systems.Are used by managers in planning , promoting and sale of existing and new products to existing and potential customers. They target to establish key areas for harnessing competitive advantage. They assist marketers in coming up with pricing decisions, forecasting potential and new products trend, at the same time providing analytical reporting on the firm ‘s performance against set objectives. They assist managers in analyzing research data.

Manufacturing Information systemsThey simplify, automate and integrate production processes They enable the planning of prodction requirements to be done effectively. Using Computer Aided Design(CAD) designer can easily design structures like buildings, planned circuitry or a plane and test it using some models.

Accounting Information Systems.They integrate the tasks of processing customers orders, invoicing, inventory control, amounts owed by and amounts owed to customers into a consolidated pool of accounting data. When required, they produce accounting information products like trial balance financial statement and balance sheets

Financial Information SystemsAre used financial managers to make informed decisions in allocation and control of a company’s financial resources and selecting viable business financing options?

Security and Ethical challenges in Information Technology

Information Technology resources (hardware, software, and data) form a vital strategic resource of any establishment which must be jealously guarded to ensure its safety, reliability, accuracy and integrity. Ethics refer to the expected code of conduct within an organization both on the use of computer resources and human resources. Hence, ethics direct an employee‘s mind towards profit through sanctioned means, ensure that managers do not engage in fraud and abuse of funds nor convert the company’s clients for personal motive. At the same time, data in the organization must be used for its intended purpose which itself should be legitimate.

Security in Information SystemsManagers should see to it that the Information System ensures

proper data entry, accurate processing, reliable data recovery in case of disaster, that computers are not used for fraudulent purposes, and in general, that the system lives up to expectation.

Information Systems have been victims of abuse in terms of Fraud – which managers should counter ensuring that each person who uses the

computer has a password which makes him liable to any transaction after he logs on to the computer, the computer keeps a log of events that happened, and that the computer system is safe and secure from hackers who might want to access computer resources remotely and fraudulently

Abuse by inaction- when the responsible person does not execute his duties may be to fix management.

Piracy- if one installs or makes copies of software against copyright laws or merely when the wrong person accesses confidential data. Acts against copyright laws have tended to be an unnecessary cost to businesses.

Many other risks have befallen computers, which include computer rooms catching fire or being flooded, computer catching getting viruses, data being incorrectly entered, data storage devices failing, and many more.

To this end, managers should put in place some controls that prevent the afore-mentioned risks or eliminate them at all.

Administrative controlsThey cover company code of practice/conduct and can be implemented through written policies and procedures; division of functions and supervision

A Code of Practice is a set of standards that a business would expect its employees to conform to.

It is not legally binding but the business would ask an employee to agree to it before being employed and would be grounds for dismissal if they were not obeyed.

It is always in the best interest of a business to treat its customers fairly and with due consideration - or they will go elsewhere.

It ensures consistency of practice. All employees would conduct their business in a similar way.

Through division of functions can be whereby where the Information system designers are not part of the endusers that operate a computer system.

Input ControlsThey aim to ensure proper data entry by the intended personnel, through the use of passwords so that only the holder can benefit from the computer resources, formatted input screens and audible error signals so that data is entered correctly. Computers should have software that verifies correctness of the data typed (validation).

Storage controlsThere should be a control mechanism so that no everyone can access stored data. Thus documents can be access through passwords.Stored data may need to be stored in a separate backup copy so that, in case of that storage device failing data can be recovered from the backup copy. Stored data can also be encrypted so that, should the wrong person accesses it, he won’t make sense out of it. Firewall are computers that protect networked computers from intrusion, hence they also ensure safe storage of data.

Physical protectionSecurity guards, buglar bars on windows video surveillance cameras, alarms, and building computer centers above flood levels are some of the many moves to ensure physical safety of computers.

Disaster recovery plansCompanies should have in place a responsibility roster that explain each and every individual’s duty in case of a disaster e.g. fire outbreak, so as to minimize the effects of the disaster. They should also have a tentative document that explain how customers would be served and who should disseminate the information.

Ethical Challenges of Information TechnologyConfines organizational members to strike a balance professional conduct and personal gain, within the execution of their duties. In the end the benefits of Information Technology must outweigh its negative impacts while reducing risks.

It’s totally unethical for a designated officer to divulge confidential information and distort the integrity and accuracy of data.

When using computers at a business establishment, all members must be informed of the purpose of the computers so that they do not speculate on their roles. Employees should be informed of the effect Information Technology might have on their social life including making work easier as well as unemployment.

VirusesAre programs designed to cause harm or to disturb the normal operations of a computer. To guard against viruses a computer should be loaded with updated antiviral software, avoid using external disks and not being on the network including the Internet.

Societal Implications of Information TechnologyThe rise of Information technology puts pressure on society members to learn and cope with the complexity of information-based employment. At the onset Information Technology many problems as it takes considerable effort to be comfortable with the software, network and diagnosing related problems.

The managers are very much concerned with the reliability of the computers as the software may be of international standard but failing to address the nitty-gritties of one’s business. Managers need more information on Information Technology use for them to confidently conduct cost-benefit analysis for the appropriate hardware, software and network technology.

If Information technology is used to monitor employees, that must be done with their concert so that they do not feel harassed and insecure at the workplace. This may tend to distort any motivation that a manager would offer to the employees

Other implications of computers are many employees tend to loose their jobs due to the insurgence of information technology based production.

Other implications are positive in that, Information technology increases customer satisfaction through a customer having confidence in the system and being served faster.

Past Exam PapersMIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYDEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION

SYSTEMS

END OF SEMESTER EXAMINATION FOR NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2003

MODUE: HCSC 100 INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Duration : 2 Hours

Instruction to candidates1. Answer any five ( 5) questions2. Examples and eligibility can aid in scoring higher marks.

The paper consist of 3 printed pages including this cover page

1. Explain a) main storage and its variants [10]b) CPU and its operations [10]

2. a) What is the use of Information Technology to the modern world? [10]b) Explain any 2 network topologies, their advantages and disadvantages. [use diagrams to illustrate your answers] [10]

3. a) List the hardware needed for one to connect to the internet and explain the function of each [10]

b) Explain the terms software, enduser, modem, token and electronic commerce [10]

4. a) Distinguish between application software and system software, giving examples of each [4]

b) What issues can you consider as ethical and societal challenges of information technology [6]

c) OK supermarket uses a computer based information system for its inventory and point of sale. Within the company, what information can be necessary toI. till operatorsII. the department supervisorIII. the store managerIV. the marketing departmentV. and the executive management

from the computer system? [10]

5. Study a spreadsheet cutting below used by a teacher in recording marks for O’ Level students. Attempted means the number of subject a student sat for

Passed refers to the number of subjects a student scored 50 and above

a) Write the function you were to type to get Peter’s i) Total [2]ii) number of subjects he attempted [2]iii) number of subject Passed [4]

b) Explain either autofill or copying [3]c) Explain i) conditional formatting [3]

ii) the IF function giving examples to illustrate your answer [3]

d) Explain the term mail merge as in wordprocessing [3]

6. a) How can a company ensure the safety of data stored in a computer [11]b) List four facilities offered by a wordprocecessor which makes it a worthwhile tool for an organization. [4]c) What are the advantages of a spreadsheet over pen, paper and a calculator? [5]

7. a) What is an information system [2]b) Explain any 3 types of information systems [12]c) Explain the factors you would consider before buying software [6]

MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS

END OF SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS MAY/JUNE 2004

MODULE: HCS100: INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

DURATION 2 HRS

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:

1. Answer all questions in section A and any three questions from section B.

2. Examples and eligibility can aid in scoring higher marks

3. Mark allocation is shown at end of each question in the [] brackets

4. The paper consists of two printed pages

SECTION A (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint and Internet )

A1.With reference to your degree program, list 2 tasks that can be better accomplished using a presentation package like Microsoft PowerPoint.

[2]A2. Explain the terms

i) sortii) print previewiii) countif functioniv) inboxv) mail merge [10]

A3. a)What do you understand by “ protecting a document”? [3]b) A spreadsheet is used for what-if analysis and modeling. What do you understand by the terms in bold. [3]

A4.Windows operating systems come with a calculator, which can be used for mathematical calculations. As a manager, what would be the rationale for buying a spreadsheet package like Microsoft Excel instead of using this calculator?

[5]A5. Windows operating systems come with packages like WordPad, which can be

used for typing and changing text color. As a manager, what would be the rationale for buying a word processor like Microsoft Word?

[5]A6.

What is this icon used for? [2]

A7. a)Explain how you can draw a pie chart, using a spreadsheet. [4]b)Answer true or false

-one can draw a chart in Microsoft Word [1]A8. Explain the terms a) folder [2]

b) taskbar [2]c) template [1]

SECTION B (60 MARKS) Answer any 3 questions

B1. a) Briefly describe the following types of information systems i) Operations Support Systems [3]ii) Management Information Systems [2]iii) Accounting Information Systems [3]iv) Marketing Information Systems [2]v) Manufacturing Information Systems [3]vi) Financial Information Systems [3]vii)Human Resources Information Systems [2]

b) Answer true/ false : When an accountant uses an accounting package like Pastel, he is an enduser.

[2]

B2. a) Explain the termsi) Virus [2]ii) Optical Character Recognition [2]iii) Ethics in Information Technology [2]

b) List 2 positive contributions of information technology to a marketing organization [2] c) List any 6 forms of Information System abuse [6] d) Explain any 3 controls managers can adopt to ensure information system security [6]

B3. a) List four uses of the Internet. [4] b) Briefly explain the requirements for one to connect to the Internet. [6]

c) OK supermarket uses a computer based information system for its inventory and point of sale. Within the company, what information can be necessary to

i) till operatorsii) the department supervisoriii) the store manageriv) the marketing departmentv) and the executive management

from the computer system? [10]

B4. a) Explain the terms i. CSMA/CD [2]ii. Token Passing [2]iii. LAN [2]iv. GUI [2]

b) List 6 factors you would consider before buying any software [6]c) Midlands State university computers are loaded with Windows Operating Systems. These Operating Systems are not cheap and there are others, which are even for free. What do you think are the reasons for that choice of Operating system? [6]

B5. List any six (6) factors that determine the speed of a computer [6]

c)Explain the following terms a) ROMb) magnetic diskc) CD-ROM [6]

d) Answer true or false:i) Compact Disk is the same as CD-ROMii) RAM can be bought separately from a shopiii) ALU is part of a spreadsheet [3]

e) Explain briefly how computer processing occurs. [5]il