Unit 8 Technological Innovation and E-Commerce OCR Nationals Unit 8 Technological Innovation and E-Commerce

How to complete this assignment In Unit 8 we are going to investigate how information technology has changed people’s lives. You will need to do your own research to be able to answer the questions. On the last slide you will find a link to a page with lots of useful websites on it. Use these links to do your research. Click here to see the grade descriptions so you know what you need to do to get the best marks.

Introduction Our age is one defined by technology. Never before in human history have we had access to so many ways of communicating. The internet has given people access to information on a scale that would have been unimaginable only fifteen years ago. But how do you know it’s true? You can buy almost anything on the internet but that doesn’t just mean CDs. How about babies? Guns? People’s credit card details? This new technology exposes us to all sorts of dangers and it has opened up a minefield of new moral dilemmas. I hope that by completing this unit you will gain a thorough understanding of technological innovation and e-commerce.

At the end of this unit you will be able to… Identify the effects of ICT on the individual Describe an innovation in ICT Investigate how e-commerce has affected The way people buy goods and services Investigate one e-commerce website, and Understand legal and moral issues in the digital age

Task 1 - Identify the effects of ICT on the individual Choose one item from at least three of the different categories of technology as listed below. Internet eg: email, WWW, messenger, chat rooms Communication eg: mobile phone, video phone, video conferencing, information points Entertainment eg: games console, MP3 player, digital TV Mobile access eg: laptop, PDA, wi-fi, WAP Data capture eg: digital camera, voice recorder, scanner

Then consider the effects of these items on people. Discuss: How this technology is used Benefits eg: speed, ease of use Disadvantages eg: cost, theft, limitations of the chosen technology

Task 2 - Describe an innovation in ICT Innovation: The introduction of new ideas, goods, services, and practices which are intended to be useful.

Task 2 Identify one innovation in ICT e.g. Bluetooth, TV on demand, GPS systems, mobile phone technologies. Describe: its purpose the extent to which it achieves its purpose how it works benefits and limitations The innovation MUST be relatively new. An investigation into the introduction of IT into offices is not an acceptable topic of study.

Task 3 – Investigate how e-commerce has changed the way people buy goods and services. (a) Give a definition of e-commerce.

Task 3 (b) Explain how e-commerce has changed the way people buy goods and services eg: choice location convenience cost flexibility

Useful Sites Follow this link to a list of useful websites.

Task 4 - Investigate one ecommerce website Examples of these are: Auction sites e.g. EBay Online shops e.g. amazon.co.uk, play.com Digital download site e.g. itunes.com

Task 4 You must: Identify its audience and purpose. This means say who it is meant for and what the site is for e.g. to sell CDs, DVDs and games. You need to provide annotated screenshots of its e-commerce features. This means things like search facilities, shopping baskets, encryption and user accounts. Describe and illustrate the services provided eg buying/selling products. You will need to use annotated screenshots to show you understand what these are.

Task 5 – The legal and moral aspects of the digital age In this part of the assignment you will create a report. You may choose one or both of the following (they are hyperlinks): 1. Confidential data 2. The internet/IT and crime You will need to write a thorough report IN YOUR OWN WORDS of the issue and the law around it.

Here are two more links http://justus.anglican.org/resources/tracts/nc/ethical.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide