1. The Impact of Computers on Business and Society When were computers first used? What were they like? How have they changed since? How have things advanced in your lifetime? How have advances in ICT changed the way we work and play?

2. History Computers have only been around since the 1940s The first commercially available computers appeared in the 1950s Computers have revolutionised the way offices operate The picture on the right shows a typical Victorian office – what do you notice about it?

3. Pre-History What sort of things in the modern office or shop wouldn’t have existed 50 years ago? Computers Printers Photo-copiers Fax-machines Mobile phones The internet Databases

4. Your Lifetime How has ICT changed things in your lifetime? In my lifetime I have seen the introduction of: –Calculators instead of log tables & slide rules –Barcodes in shops –Itemised bills and receipts –The worldwide web – access to lots more information –Improved broadcasting – digital television, RDS, PDC, etc. –Digital video, music and photos –Miniaturisation – enables us to carry mobile computing devices and take video, music and photos –Increased processing power, making games much more realistic

5. Sines, Cosines and Logarithms

6. Computer History The picture below shows a typical computer of the 1940s In what ways is it obviously different from a modern computer?

7. Mainframes – 1950s The earliest computers were what we now call mainframe computers The first commercially available computers appeared in the 1950s (e.g. LEO, shown right) Mainframe computers centralise the processing and use dumb terminals, which are often text only – they do no processing or storage, they are just monitors and keyboards

8. Mainframes Terminals are cheap It’s easy to add another terminal No software to configure on the terminals Background processing can continue after logout Space – large computer room required! Security – people can use it from anywhere Speed – fast connection required for quality graphics Limited facilities – no local printers, disc drives, etc.

9. Individual PCs – late 70s When integrated circuits (“chips”) made computers small and affordable, everyone could have their own – processing was dispersed throughout the organisation This changed the way people worked - everyone had access to data processing facilities and could word- process their own letters – no more typing pools!

10. Networking When networking is added, dispersed systems become distributed systems Shared hardware, software and data Can share templates for letters, etc. Improved communications Centralised management of users, backups, etc. Dependency - server or cable failure affects all users (potentially!) Security issues - passwords, restricted access, viruses, etc. Performance - network slows down under load

11. Client-Server Database Server Application or web-site Client Request for information Results of query The database is centralised The application or web-site itself contains no data Data stored & maintained centrally Can connect remotely - e.g. from home Improved security - data is not stored by the client Less traffic as only parts of the data are transferred Less secure as users may connect from anywhere Communication cost for remote connections Performance?

12. Where is ICT used? Where has ICT changed working practices? Offices Factories Schools How has it changed the way people work? Control technology – e.g. robots Communication – teleworking & e- commerce Research

13. ICT in Factories In the past, cars were assembled by large numbers of people. The work was boring and workers made mistakes when they built cars - quality could be poor. Workers also went on strike very often because they were unhappy about their jobs. Now, cars are made by robots that don’t get bored or go on strike, so quality is more consistent. Some people are still required to supervise and maintain the robots. Are there any things that you would rather see made by hand?

14. Competitive Advantage ICT is used to speed up or simplify business processes - e.g. mail order, customer management For example: –customers can order goods via a web-site, a confirmation e-mail is sent, and the goods are dispatched from the warehouse - no money needs to be sent, or order forms filled in and posted. –sometimes the goods can even be downloaded directly from the web-site, e.g. software, video clips. –customers can view their account activity on-line and track orders, and there is less paperwork for the company - they could even have automated “pickers”

15. Case Study - Guardian Royal Exchange Old “manual” system: –an advisor visits the customer, completes forms outlining cover requirements and budget and posts them to the head office –actuaries at the head office produce the “illustration” (quotation) and send it to the advisor –the advisor returns to customer with the illustration –if the customer agrees, the “proposal” form is completed and the paperwork is sent off to the head office There was a 60% rejection rate due to proposals being completed incorrectly, or illustrations being done for ineligible customers, etc.

16. Case Study - Guardian Royal Exchange New “computerised” method: –The advisor visits the customer with his laptop and enters the customers personal details –The software suggests suitable products and performs “illustrations” –If the customer chooses to buy, the “proposal” is completed on the laptop and printed out for the customer –Back at the office, the advisor plugs the laptop into a phone-line and transmits the data to head office. Using this method, the advisor can complete the sale in one visit, and use of cross-field validation, etc., reduced the rejection rate to less than 2%!

17. Social Implications There can be resistance to using new technology –this can lead to systems lying unused –in the GRE example, so few advisors wanted to use the laptops that they introduced a higher commission rate for policies transmitted electronically The workforce will need to be trained to use new systems Sometimes companies introduce new ICT systems with the intention of reducing the workforce - in the GRE example they would have been able to get rid of head office actuarial staff

18. “Hot Desking” Employees don’t always have their own desk! In organisations where people travel or work from home there may be a smaller number of hot desks that are shared between the employees e.g. sales staff who spend most of their time on the road – it would be a waste of space to give them a permanent desk e.g. when Ill Health team had two offices, no- one had a permanent desk because that would mean we had two each!

19. Hot-desking Needs careful timetabling to make sure you don’t run out of desks It’s difficult to personalise the space so you don’t feel “at home” at your desk. Communication is more difficult Not suitable for all jobs Less furniture is required Less office space is needed This could have a big cost benefit Modern technology – e.g. laptops and wireless networks – makes it easier to do

20. Teleworking More than two million people are now classed as teleworkers These are people who work at home (or in some other location away from the office) Usually these people will work in hi-tech industries and communicate with their employers via the internet (although there are other types of home workers) Although employers might find it harder to trust them, employees who work from home are usually more productive due to lower stress

21. Teleworking It can be hard for people to understand that you’re working! Support, training, etc., can be more difficult – as ECOS students know! Workers can feel isolated from their colleagues Increased heating, etc., bills for employee No time is spent commuting too and from work Employers can recruit all over the country – where the skills are Workers can be more motivated due to flexibility – e.g. fitting around child-care Reduced costs for employer

22. Flexible Working Many employees work from 9-5, but some are employed flexibly Flexible working might include flexi-time – where you can arrive and leave when you want as long as you do the right number of hours per week (and usually core hours) Flexible working might mean working only certain days, or maybe working evenings or early mornings to suit your personal circumstances – e.g. child-care arrangements

23. Flexible Working It’s not suitable for all types of work – e.g. shops with fixed opening hours, or teachers! The employees need to be trusted to work when they say they will Communication could be more difficult outside of “core hours” Employers get to keep the best staff – e.g. after they have children People can work when it best suits them and may be more motivated and more productive You can avoid rush hours and save time commuting

24. Social Implications Are there fewer jobs now, because some jobs can be done by a computer or robot? Are there more jobs, because hardware and software needs to be designed, made and sold? Are people less sociable now, because they can shop, work, and learn from home? Are people more sociable now, because they can use social networking sites and share their thoughts and photos in blogs? Are people better informed now because of the internet? Is the internet being used to spread propaganda? Does CCTV make you feel safer?...or does it make you feel watched?

25. Social Networking “Social Networking” is now very popular. Examples of social networking sites include Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

26. On-Line Shopping On-line shopping is becoming increasingly popular, but why? And are there any downsides?

27. Environmental Impact What impact does ICT have on the environment? Does it reduce CO 2 emissions because we can shop from home? Does it increase CO 2 emissions because we need to have everything delivered? Do we use more paper because we print lots of things out? Do we use less paper because we can e-mail and text instead of writing letters? Does working and shopping from home use more energy? Or does it use less energy, because we don’t need to heat shops and offices?

28. Other Issues Information overload – we can access more information than we can actually process! Are we trading quality for convenience? –Is digital radio/television better for the consumer, or just better for the broadcaster, because they can cram in more channel/adverts? –Does downloading MP3s replace the pleasure of browsing in record shops? Or does it just restrict the choice for music fans? –Are digital photos better than ones taken on film? “Early adopters” are required by manufacturers to introduce new technology, but often get a raw deal: –e.g. problems with early versions of software, such as Windows Vista –e.g. DAB and Blu-Ray – specifications change, making early hardware redundant (and, with DAB, a reduction in the quality) –Converting all your CDs to MP3 to save space, and then finding that storage becomes much cheaper and you didn’t need to do it

29. The Impact of ICT on Society What effects do you think ICT has had on your life? Do you worry about its effect on society?