INTRODUCTION

PLAGIARISM WARNING

Your Lecturer, Course Coordinator and the Programme Leader have the right to question you in order to evaluate your understanding of anything you have written in your assignment.

SUBMISSION OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT

• Follow the instructions on page 1 of this assignment for submission requirements and deadlines. A completed and signed cover sheet must accompany the Marking Schedule for both Part 1 and Part 2 of the assignment and be submitted to the lecturer in the class immediately after the submission deadline.

CASE STUDY

All questions and tasks in both Part 1 and Part 2 of this assignment are based on the case study printed below. Please read the case study carefully and ensure that your answers are relevant to the business scenario presented in the case study.

CASE STUDY SCENARIO

Jack Martin became a licensed motor vehicle dealer (LMVD) five years ago when he started his second hand car sales business: Jack’s Motors Limited (JML). With a humble beginning of only ten second hand cars to sell, his business has grown over the five years and now his car yard, which is located in Automotive Drive in Auckland, has one hundred new and second hand cars at any one point in time. The cars in his yard come mainly from the local market as well as from foreign markets that include Australia and Japan. Originally, Jack managed his business alone using manual procedures and record keeping. However, as his business kept on growing with the passage of time, he had to employ a personal assistant (PA), Jane Rogers, and two sales persons (SPs), Tom Ryder and Nick Speed. While more staffing meant that he can concentrate on managing his business rather than attending to customers, he finds the manual procedures and record keeping becoming increasingly inefficient. Now, Jack has made up his mind to install a computerized information system to make his business operations more efficient and effective and increase his productivity and that of his staff as well.

Assignment Part 1

1.0 EFFECTIVE USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES: MS WORD – FORMATTING A BUSINESS REPORT

Jack is very much interested in knowing about data communications and computer networks. In an effort to give him a broad introduction to this subject you have compiled a document that will provide him with some interesting background information. You will need to format this document and develop it as a professionally presented report. Information for the report has been provided for you in a Word document saved with the file name 2012s1AssignmentPart1ReadinFile.doc in the “Assignments” section on the ISCG NZ550 Business Computing Moodle site and in the student share drive:

H:\BUSINESS\NZDipBus\NZ550 Business Computing\Assignments

1.4 Save the document again as ComputerNetworks.docx in your Report folder that you have created within your Assignment folder on S: Drive.

1.5 Your report is to have the following structure: Title Page, Table of Contents, Introduction, Body and References with footnotes and endnotes where indicated.

1.5.4 The Table of Contents must be generated from the Styles used for the headings in the body of the Report. The Table of Contents should include the two levels of headings (i.e. level 1 and level 2 only) and must show page numbers.

Formatting of the Table of Contents should be adjusted to have appropriate line spacing and have fonts consistent with those used in the body of the report.

1.7 Create a footer to appear at the bottom of every page, except the Title Page, showing the page number (right aligned) and in the format page of pages. Choose an appropriate font and size of font for the footer.

1.8 Create a Macro that will insert your name as a left-aligned header and Computer Networks as a right-aligned header on every page except the Title Page. Assign a keyboard command Ctrl Alt H to the macro and ensure that the Macro is stored in your report document. Do not store the macro in the default “all documents (normal.dot)” as your lecturer will not be able to run and, therefore, not be able to mark the macro.

2.0 EFFECTIVE USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES: MS WORD - TEMPLATES

• The address (make up).

• Telephone and fax numbers (make up).

2.2 Email a copy of this letterhead template to your lecturer by the assignment deadline date and time. Get the correct email address from the Course Information handout for this course, which is posted on the ISCG NZ550 Business Computing Moodle site and on the H: drive, or from online staff profile. Ensure that your name appears in the subject line.

SUBMIT THIS PART 1 OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT BY 8.30 am on Friday, 06 April 2012. Ensure that all elements of Part 1 are submitted correctly - refer back to page 1 and 2 of the assignment

Assignment PART 2 – Information Technology in Business

CASE STUDY – THEORY RESEARCH QUESTIONS

3.0 Components of a Business System: Hardware and Software

1. Research websites of computer software retailers and investigate the types of software that are currently available on the market. Based on the requirements outlined in the case study, recommend to the business suitable software for their computers. List all the types of system software, individual application software or software suites that will be required for the business outlined in the case study, e.g. word processing, and recommend the appropriate product by name e.g. MS Word 2010. Present this information in your assignment as an embedded spreadsheet that has the budgeted items and calculates a total that should be within budget.

2. Jack has been told that it is possible that his system may be attacked over the Internet. Provide for him a brief explanation of what type (or types) of software you believe is (are) needed to protect his system and recommend appropriate and reliable protection from either off-the-shelf or downloaded software. Include any costs for such software in the budget spreadsheet mentioned above.

Add these items to your embedded budget spreadsheet mentioned earlier so that all costs are shown and calculated.

State at least two reasons for each of your recommendations for the server computer, the laptop (notebook) computer and the smartphone.

4.0 Data Communications

While Jack intends to have a LAN, he does not understand how and in what arrangement the equipment will be set up. He is not sure as to which type of Internet connection to subscribe to. You will need to provide a simple plan showing how the equipment that you would install will be connected together (provide both alternatives, i.e. wired and wireless). You will recommend a suitable Internet connection plan that he could adopt.

4.2 a Explain the type of Internet connection that would be suitable for this business. Give at least two reasons for your recommendation.

b Research the websites of telecommunications companies and choose an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Advise Jack on an appropriate monthly plan for his business as offered by the ISP that you have chosen. Discuss why you are recommending this ISP plan (consider the up-load and down-load speeds, limitations on the volume of uploads/downloads per month, the fee per month and the cost of installation).

Internet Technologies

b Explain fully, using specific examples relating to the promotion of his business, two potential benefits the Internet could have for him to be able to conduct part of his business operations as e‑commerce.

People Issues

6.1 a Give four environmental factors that should be considered when setting up any workspace. Describe one detrimental effect arising from each of these environmental factors and explain how these may be overcome to achieve a comfortable and healthy work environment.

ISCG550 Business Computing Assignment Semester 1, 2012

MARKING SCHEDULE Part 1 Practical

Student Name: ………………………………………Student ID: ……………………………..

ISCG550 Business Computing Assignment Semester 1, 2012

MARKING SCHEDULE Part 2 Theory

Student Name: ………………………………………Student ID: ……………………………..