LESSON 9 POSSIBLE BUSINESS USES OF COMPUTER IN OFFICE MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE 9.0 OBJECTIVES 9.1 INTRODUCTION 9.2 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

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1 LESSON 9 POSSIBLE BUSINESS USES OF COMPUTER IN OFFICE MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE 9.0 OBJECTIVES 9.1 INTRODUCTION 9.2 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 9.3 IMPORTANCE OF COMPUTERS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 9.4 ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN MODERN OFFICE 9.5 ASSIGNMENTS CLASS ASSIGNMENTS HOME ASSIGNMENTS 9.6 SUMMING UP 9.7 POSSIBLE ANSWERS TO SELF-CHECK QUESTIONS 9.8 TERMINAL QUESTIONS 9.9 REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED FURTHER READING 9.10 GLOSSARY 1

2 9. POSSIBLE BUSINESS USES OF COMPUTER IN OFFICE MANAGEMENT We have learnt in the earlier lesson about computer fundamentals & the various other equipments which play an important role in office automation. This lesson describes the various uses of a computer which will help you in running a modern office with higher efficiency and productivity. 9.0 Objectives After going through this lesson you will be able to understand: What is information technology? The role of Information technology in offices today. 9.1 Introduction Today s offices have come a long way from the traditional offices of yester years. Today technology (especially information technology ) plays a very vital role in the running of any office. From productivity improvements to ease of usage, information technology has touched nearly all spheres of the modern office. It is essential that you try and practice what you observe. A lot of uses that Information Technology is put to in offices are observable even outside e.g. sending and receiving s, printing, word processing etc. You should try and practise these so as to get a much deeper & better understanding of the subject. 9.2 Information Technology Information Technology is a subject which deals with technology and other areas related to managing & processing information in any organization. It deals with the use of computers and related software for creating, storing, analyzing, transmitting and retrieving information. Information technology has been put to use in a variety of ways for making the modern office more efficient. Some of these uses include sending & receiving s, word processing, printing & spreadsheet analysis. We will discuss about each one of them in greater detail in the subsequent sections. Self-check Questions 1. Information technology deals with which type of areas? 2

3 2. Fill in the blanks: i) Information technology has been used for sending & receiving,, printing & analysis. 9.3 Importance of Computers and Information Technology In today s world, the use of computers and information technology is only limited by imagination. New and varied uses are being found on a daily basis. From managing the launch of a space shuttle to preparing accounting statements, these machines have transformed every space they have touched. Computers play an equally important role in today s offices. Some of the key activities where these are used include: 1. Electronic Mail ( ) 2. Word Processing 3. Spreadsheet analysis 4. Knowledge management 5. Accounting & Record keeping 6. Management Information System (MIS) 7. Communication 8. Internet 9. Organizing and Scheduling 10. Electronic Commerce Self-check Questions 3. State whether the following statements are true or false: i) Computers are used in managing the launch of a space shuttle. True/False 9.4 Role of Information Technology in the Modern Office Various roles as mentioned above are now discussed in detail: Electronic Mail Usually abbreviated as or it is the method of composing, sending, receiving and storing messages using electronic communication systems. The term applies to both the Internet systems (using a standard protocol) and to the Intranet systems which allows users within one company or organization to send messages to each other. 3

4 has grown very rapidly and these days all employees in any given organization are provided with a unique ID such as ramesh@abcltd.com or nita@xyzglobal.com. Even when organizations do not provide , there are a multitude of websites such as that allow the user to create free IDs and send & receive over the Internet. is used extensively in offices to communicate within the organization and with outside parties. It has made communication extremely reliable and fast Word Processing One of the more widespread uses of the computer is word processing. The word processor can be considered to be a typewriter with an attached display screen. However the greatest advantage of computers over typewriters lies in correction of errors and certain special functions. With a typewriter a correction usually meant typing the entire document again. However with a computer and word processing programme it is possible to make changes in the existing document and take a print out of the corrected document. Also word processing software like Microsoft Word allows users to perform special functions such as highlighting text, underlining words or sentences, boldfacing letters, changing font colours etc. and these can appear as such in the printed documents. Word Processing is a very common office function and computers are used to type letters, draft memorandums, take notes etc. 4

5 Word processing Spreadsheet Analysis This is another common function for which computers are used very often. A multitude of spreadsheet programmes are available in the market of which Microsoft Excel is the undisputed leader. It allows users to enter numbers, link them up with formulas and perform other calculations. It can be used to keep records of individual accounts, performance ratios and other numerical data. These can also be used to perform data calculations. Spreadsheet Analysis 5

6 9.4.4 Knowledge Management This consists of improving organizational learning and thus improving organizational outcomes by introducing a range of specific processes and practices for identifying and capturing knowledge, know-how, expertise and other intellectual capital and for making these available to other users throughout the organization. Information Technology has revolutionized this area with the extensive use of computers and networks. Information & knowledge stored in one part of the organization can now easily be captured and stored in a central electronic database. This can then be accessed by other users who can put that information to further use. A knowledge management system which is properly implemented results in significant productivity improvements. Though there are a lot of off-the-shelf softwares available for the purpose, a large number of organizations have developed customized solutions suited for their organizational setup Accounting and Record Keeping There are a multitude of computer applications that are available today for use in this area. The most common ones are order entry, inventory control, tracing receivables & payables, general ledger & payroll. Specialized software like Tally are extensively used to keep accounts and generate reports. A recent trend amongst larger organizations has been the increasing use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) suites which are able to integrate many functionalities over different areas of the business and generate consolidated reports. The most common ERP system that is used is SAP Management Information System (MIS) Knowledge Management consultants define Management Information System as the creation and subsequent management of an environment which encourages knowledge to be created, shared, learnt, enhanced, organized and utilized for the benefit of the organization and its customers. Combined with the power of information technology & systems it can be used to support business processes and operations, decision-making and competitive strategies Communication Communication within the organization can be facilitated by the use of information technology. Electronic bulletin boards can be setup where employees can share their issues and suggest possible solutions. Further, large organizations usually have an Intranet which is like an internal website for the organization. It is customized for use by the employees and can carry important announcements, personnel policies, organizational news and other important material for the employees. can also be used to communicate as described above. Communication with the external world can be through the Internet or through . Organizations setup their Internet sites (called websites) where people can get to know about the company, their areas of operation and also contact information. 6

7 9.4.8 Internet The Internet is a publicly accessible worldwide system of interconnected computer networks that transmit data using a standard protocol. It is made up of thousands of smaller commercial, academic, domestic, and government networks. It carries varied information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, and the interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web (www). Besides these the Internet is a great medium for carrying out research on any topic Organizing and scheduling Computers are used to keep schedules and even share them electronically over networks. Paper schedules, calendar entries & to-do lists are now being rapidly replaced with electronic versions due to ease of storage & retrieval Electronic Commerce This consists primarily of the distributing, buying, selling, marketing, and servicing of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. Many companies have setup special sites for customers & vendors to transact business online. Many organizations now offer their products on the Internet along with online payment options. Self-check Questions 4. Fill in the blanks: i) Knowledge Management consists of practices for identifying & capturing, expertise & other for making these available to other users throughout the organisation. ii) The Internet is a publicly accessible worldwide system of interconnected that transmit data. 5. What are the different modes of communication within an organization? 9.5 Assignments Class assignments i) Browse some Internet sites and create an account on ii) Prepare a sample message or greeting and send it Home assignments i) Prepare one of your assignments in a word processor and print it. 7

8 ii) iii) Prepare a sample balance sheet of your firm in a spreadsheet application. Search the Internet and list out the names of some textile design related websites. 9.6 Summing Up The extensive use of computers in office management has been considered in this lesson highlighting some important functions as , internet, e-commerce, communication, word processing, accounting and record keeping, etc. 9.7 Possible Answers to Self Check Questions 1. Information Technology is a subject which deals with technology and other areas related to managing & processing information in any organization. 2. Fill in the blanks: i) Information technology has been used for sending & receiving s, word-processing, printing and spreadsheet analysis. 3. State whether the following statements are true or flase: i) Computers are used in managing the launch of a space shuttle. True. 4. Fill in the blanks: i) Knowledge Management consists of practices for identifying and capturing knowledge, know-how, expertise and other intellectual capital for making these available to other users throughout the organization. ii) The Internet is a publicly accessible worldwide system of interconnected computer networks that transmit data. 5. Different modes of communication within an office are: i) Electronic bulletin board, ii) Intranet, iii) E mails. 9.8 Terminal Questions 1. List down three uses of information technology in a modern office 2. What is the Internet? List two things that Internet can be used for? 3. What is e-education and how has it helped the common man? 4. The education you are receiving may be called blended education. Explain. 8

9 9.9 References and Suggested Further Reading 1. Rajaraman, V Fundamentals of Computers. Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi Glossary 1. Abbreviation for electronic mail, it is the process of sending or receiving information through means of electronic communication 2. Protocol: The 'language' spoken between computers to help them exchange information. More technically, it is a formal description of message formats and the rules that two computers must follow in order to exchange those messages 3. Internet: A network of computer networks which operates world-wide using a common set of communication protocols 4. Intranet: An internal use, private network inside an organization that uses the same kind of software which would also be found on the Internet 5. Font: A character set (alphabet and numerals) of a specified design and size 6. Online: Turned on and connected to the network. This is mostly used when you are connected to the Intranet. 9