DUIC,
BURY
AS
ICT MODULE 4
REVISION
NOTES
These revision notes are based on the past
examination papers for the last 6 years.
They include the answers to all the
questions in the following exam papers:
June: 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002,
January: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003,
As of December 2006, the June 2006 mark
scheme has not yet been released by AQA.
Also, I don't have a copy of the January
2002, 2001, 2000 and June 2001, 2000 mark schemes. If you have an electronic
copy, please send it to me and I will add it to the notes. If you have a paper
copy, please scan it, and email it to me. My email address is abdulhaf at
hotmail dot com
· General notes - each question is about one section of
the specification - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc. if you can work out which section it is,
you'll know what to write. Very rarely does a question spill over to cover 2
sections.
· Do not use tippex.
· Go over your answers once you've finished
· Don't give over-generalised examples - keep them
specific to ICT
· If the question asks for an example, give an example
· If the question asks for an explanation & an
example, give both, not just one.
· The use of brand names - Excel, Access, Word - does
not gain credit.
· If you don't know the meaning a word, LOOK IT UP. Use
a dictionary, or go to Dictionary.com, onelook.com, or in google type in
define: anyword to find the meaning of the word. Do not guess. Find out.
January 2006 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
June 2005 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
January 2005 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
June 2004 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
January 2004 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
June 2003 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
January 2003 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
June 2002 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Table
of contents
13.1 Organisational Structure. 5
Levels in an organisation. 5
Examples of categories of users of information systems,
and the level at which they operate. 5
Role of an information system in
decision making for the tactical and strategic levels of supermarket management 5
13.2 Information Systems and Organisations 6
Definition and example of a data processing system.. 6
Definition and example of an information processing
system.. 6
The difference between a data processing system and an
information system, in the context of a supermarket 6
Examples of how a data processing operation in a
supermarket might provide data for a company-wide information system. 6
Deliverables in the information life cycle of an
information system, and when they are produced/completed. 6
Definition of an MIS (Management Information System) 7
why an organisation would implement an MIS. 7
How a Managing Director (MD) would use an MIS. 7
Actions that managers could take to increase the chances
of a MIS being successful 7
Factors that might cause an MIS to fail / may cause the
failure of a system that has been introduced too quickly. 8
Problems that staff might encounter when a system has
been introduced too quickly. 8
Issues that the IT department should address, so that any
new information system developed is more likely to succeed. 9
Reasons why a feasibility study might
recommend the replacement or updating of an existing information system. 9
Factors that should be considered when
discussing the introduction of a new information system.. 9
13.3 Corporate Information Systems Strategy. 10
Role of a corporate information systems security policy. 10
Definition of informal information flow.. 10
Definition of formal information flow.. 10
Difference between formal and informal information flows
within an organisation. 10
Topics that should be covered in a corporate information
systems security policy. 10
Information systems that would be useful to managers at
the highest level of an organisation. 10
Factors that can influence an information system within
an organisation, and which should be considered when writing a Corporate
Information Systems Strategy. 11
Effects that the structure of an organisation could have
on the flow of information. 11
Factors that might be considered when producing a
corporate information system strategy. 11
Potential users of a bespoke package to manage client
information, including the booking of lessons, the tracking of progress, and
the recording of payments for an independent driving school 12
Levels of information that each of the above users might
require. 12
13.4 Information and Data. 13
Ways of classifying information, with examples. 13
Characteristics of good information in the context of an
online store which gives indirect access to the stock control
and ordering systems of the company. 13
Benefits to customers of a company using good information
in the context of an online store. 13
Benefits to a company of having good information. 13
Reasons for using a formal method. 14
Problems that might occur when entering free text answers
from a questionnaire into an MIS. 14
Data capture methods that a company could use for
entering the data collected on the questionnaires. 14
Methods of presenting the information produced from a
questionnaire to a group of managers. 14
Data capture method for a 'free text' response/open
question on a market research questionnaire. 14
methods that could be used to ensure accurate data entry
on a 'free text' response. 14
Data capture method that would be suitable for a closed
question/'crossed or circled response' question. 15
methods that could be used to ensure accurate data entry
on a closed question/ 'crossed or circled response' question. 15
Output format to use when summarising free text responses. 15
Output format to use when summarising closed questions/
'crossed or circled response' question. 15
The reason why a market research company would use an ICT
system to process responses. 15
Examples of INTERNAL information requirements including
information on: who needs the information;
what information they require; what
it is to be used for. 15
Examples of EXTERNAL information requirements including
information on: who needs the information;
what information they require; what
it is to be used for. 15
Level of information needed by: 1- a supermarket
stock-checker; 2- the manager of the fresh food department in one store; 3 -
the company executive officer, based at head office. 16
Supermarket stock-checker; 16
The manager of the fresh food department in one store; 16
The company executive officer, based at head office. 16
Examples of outputs, with a typical item of data that the
output may contain, and how the output may be used, for different members of
staff at a supermarket: 16
Supermarket customer; 16
Supermarket stock-checker; 16
Manager of the fresh food department in one store; 16
Company executive officer, based at head office; 16
Why the information used by the
stock-checker is not appropriate for the company executive officer (CEO) 17
Applications where the use of barcodes for data capture
has had an impact, with advantages of that use. 17
Ways of collecting data for an ICT based display system.
The new system will give patients general information about the different
surgery and clinic times, and who is on duty. 18
How an ICT based display system could be used to display
urgent messages, and the safeguards which should be present to prevent the
misuse of this feature. 18
How the feature could be used. 18
Safeguard. 18
Differences between the information
needed by sales personnel in their day-to-day work, and by shareholders reading
the annual report. 18
13.5 The Management of Change. 19
Changes that may occur when an organisation introduces a
new information system, and how these affect employees. 19
Areas that will change and need effective management
following the introduction or development of an information
system / factors that will need to be managed to ensure
a smooth period of change. 19
13.6 Legal Aspects 20
Definition of the term 'Risk Analysis' 20
Threats to an ICT system, and countermeasures for each
one. 20
Criteria that an organisation should consider when choosing a suitable disaster recovery
plan/contingency plan.. 20
The methods an organisation could use to inform all its
staff of a new Code of Practice, and how it would be effective/how it would
work. 21
Procedures that appear in an Information Systems Security
Policy, and how each one is used to protect systems and data. 21
Legislation that should be considered when writing an
Information System Security Policy. 21
Factors that should be considered when writing an
Information System Security Policy. 21
Methods by which a company can ensure that the
requirements of Data Protection legislation are followed. 21
Methods of enforcing and controlling health and safety
legislation within an organisation. 22
How a college with 200 computers, but a license for 40
copies of a piece of software, would installing the package to ensure that it
does not break the licence agreement 22
Actions that the college could take to control the
installation of unauthorised software on the college network. 22
Items of data that would appear in a company's stock
control system and could be used in the audit of the system 23
Items of data that would appear in a company's network
security system and could be used in the audit of the system.. 23
Principles of the current Data Protection Act 24
Measures a doctor's practice could take
to show that their records were accurate. 24
13.7 User Support 25
Methods of making sure that staff in an organisation are
aware of the company's policies. 25
How to make a new member of staff aware of the company's
security policy. 25
Ways in which support may be provided for users of ICT systems. 25
User support options that a software house could offer
its potential customers. 26
Methods of providing staff at different levels in an
organisation with instructions and help in the use of this package, with
reasons/justifications. 26
Ways in which training may be provided for users of ICT
systems. 26
Methods of providing training
in the use of software. 27
Means of providing the training
material, and give an advantage of each. 27
Factors that need to be taken into
account when planning training. 27
13.8 Project Management and Effective ICT Teams 28
Tasks that a team leader should perform to help a team
achieve success. 28
Why are ICT projects often sub-divided into tasks and
allocated to teams. 28
The need for 'clear timescales' 28
The need for 'approval to proceed' 28
The need for 'agreed deliverables' 28
Characteristics of an good and effective ICT team.. 28
13.9 Information and the Professional 30
Definition of the term 'ICT Code of Practice' 30
The reason why a code of practice is required. 30
Topics/'elements' that should be covered in an ICT Code
of Practice (make sure when you answer this question, you relate it to the
context - company/school/charity etc) 30
Social, moral and ethical issues that could affect an ICT
professional 30
Social, moral and ethical issues for a professional
working within the industry that might arise when introducing and using
information and communication systems. 31
Essay Questions 32
SPG marking criteria for the essay. 32
ESSAY - Ways of providing on-going and initial user
support to staff of a supermarket who fall into the following categories: 1.
part-time store staff; 2. full-time store staff; 3. warehouse and home delivery
staff; 4. head office staff; 5. managers at all levels. 33
Support options. 33
Training methods. 33
ESSAY - SDLC & Project Management and ICT teams. 34
Organisation and use of ICT teams. 34
Characteristics of ICT teams. 34
Use of formal Methods for development of IS. 34
ESSAY - A long-standing national chain of shoe shops has
built up its information systems one at a time, and without an overall plan. It
is now having difficulty in getting these systems to work together effectively
and has therefore decided to create a Corporate Information Systems Strategy.
Discuss the influence of the following factors when planning a Corporate
Information Systems Strategy: 1. the structure of the organisation; 2.
information flow around the organisation; 3. personnel in the organisation. 35
How the structure of the organisation influences the
Corporate Information Systems Strategy. 35
How the information flow around the organisation influences
the Corporate Information Systems Strategy. 35
How the personnel in the organisation influences the
Corporate Information Systems Strategy. 35
ESSAY - IS and Organisations' - 'Information
systems are the life-blood of any organisation' Discuss this statement with the
aid of examples. Include in your discussion: 1. the rule and relevance of an
information system to aid decision making;2. the development and life-cycle of
an information system; 3. factors which lead to the success or failure of an
information system. 36
Rule and relevance (R) 36
Dev Life Cycle (D) (need description of a stage for 1
mark - if just listed, then. 36
ESSAY - legislation - Organisations that make use of
Information Technology, and use ICT systems, have to ensure that they comply
with the relevant legislation currently in place. Discuss the implications of
complying with such legislation on the operation of an organisation, showing
how these may impact on the procedures used by the organisation. Your
discussion should cover: 1) data protection legislation; 2) software copyright
and licensing legislation; 3) computer misuse legislation; 4) health and safety
legislation. 37
Marking criteria. 37
(G) Max 4 marks - 2 for introduction and 2 for conclusion
only. 37
(D, S, C, H) Under each of the four headings, allow up to
4 marks. 37
ESSAY - Information and the professional - The expansion
of e-business using the Internet in the past few years has led to more
businesses including this medium for their operations. In the absence of a
regulatory body to police the Internet, the ICT and computing industry must
regulate itself. Using specific examples, discuss this statement. Include in
your discussion: 1) why regulation might be required; 2) the issues in devising
regulation across a world-wide medium; 3) the potential problems in enforcing
regulation. 38
Why regulation is required (R) 38
Issues in Devising regulations (I) 38
Potential problems with regulation (P) 38
ESSAY - Information and Data - Puregreens, a retailer of
organic vegetables, have recently launched a marketing web site. The e-mail
response from the "contact us" button
has been overwhelming, so they are thinking of expanding into selling on-line.
Discuss the implications of this, paying particular attention to the following:
1) methods of data capture that will
be available for on-line or off-line payment; 2) the control and audit issues
associated with this method of selling; 3) the information needs of the management
of this system; 4) the additional information that might be generated. 39
Methods (M) - max 4 - could be. 39
Control and audit (C) - max 6. 39
Information needs (I) - max 4. 39
Information generated (A) - max 5. 39
ESSAY - multiple sections - New
information and communication technologies are frequently introduced into
companies as a result of outdated existing systems, market pressure, new
legislation and other factors. Companies have to adapt quickly, or face going
out of business. Discuss the factors that need to be considered to manage
such changes successfully within an organisation. Particular attention should
be given to: 1) organisation structure and information needs; 2) management
and staffing issues; 3) internal procedures, external procedures and the
customer interface. Illustrate your answer with specific examples. 40
· Strategic
· Tactical (Implementation) (1);
· Operational (1)
· Higher Management
·
They work at the Strategic
level
· Middle Management
·
They work at the Tactical level
· Workers
·
They work at the Operational
level
· Tactical (local in this context) - affecting hour by
hour/day-to-day/short¬term operational decisions (1),
·
e.g. staff rosters, reorder
quantities on previous local sales, how many tills to open etc (1)
· Strategic (central in this context) - long term
decisions (1),
·
where to locate new stores, what
lines of merchandise to carry, based on sales figures etc (1)
· A data processing system is an Operational or low
level system which will in most cases involve electronic data capture(1). Such
systems are used for repetitive and routine business activities (1), including
for day-to-day transactions, like transaction processing. (1)
· Examples:
·
Register/attendance,
·
Point-of-sale,
·
Stock control,
·
ticket booking system etc
· An a system that takes data from different sources and
converts it into information which can be communicated in appropriate format to
managers at different levels, like the tactical and strategic levels, to aid
planning or decision-making
· Examples: Student Info system, Financial
reporting system,
Sales Information system, library information system,
Management Information System, Executive information system,
Decision support system etc
· 1 mark for each of DP and IS, plus 1 for each example
· DP - precise/low level/electronic data capture/used
for repetitive/routine business activities. (1)
·
Examples: Stock control/payroll
calculations/invoices/ point-of-sale (1)
· IS - collection of data to improve performance/aid to
decision making/support for management. (1)
·
Examples: Sales Information
system/Financial info system/stock summary (1)
· Must be in context - first mark for indicating output
from DP system is used/processed by an MIS; second mark is dependant on the
first
· The data from the POS system (items sold, loyalty card
information) is processed (1)
· to show who buys what, location, time of day/week/year
(1) OR
· into information that can be presented in a way to
enable management to make strategic decisions(1)
|
|
Deliverable
|
Stage at which it is produced
|
|
-
|
Feasibility
Study (report)
|
Feasibility/Analysis
|
|
-
|
Cost-benefit
analysis
|
|
|
System Specification
|
Analysis
|
|
-
|
User
requirements
|
|
|
-
|
Project
plan/Time schedule
|
|
|
-
|
Performance
indicators/evaluation criteria
|
|
|
-
|
Or other
sections of a system spec
|
|
|
System Design
|
Design
|
|
-
|
Detailed
plan/schedule
|
|
|
-
|
Prototype
|
|
|
-
|
Data Flow
Diagrams
|
|
|
-
|
Test strategy
|
|
|
-
|
Data Dictionary
|
|
|
-
|
Or other
sections of Design spec
|
|
|
-
|
Program Code/Functionality/Final
system
|
Programming/Build/
|
|
-
|
Test evidence
and actual results
|
Implementation/Development
|
|
-
|
Program/technical
documentation
|
|
|
-
|
System test
evidence
|
System/User
Testing
|
|
-
|
Etc
|
|
|
-
|
User Guide
|
Implementation/Installation
|
|
-
|
User training
plan*
|
|
|
-
|
Implementation
plan*
|
|
|
-
|
Conversion plan*
|
|
|
-
|
Maintenance plan
|
|
|
-
|
Evaluation
report
|
Evaluation
|
|
-
|
Amended code or
test plan
|
Maintenance
|
· An MIS is a system to convert data from internal and external
sources into information (1)
· The information is communicated in an
appropriate/understandable form (1).
· .for use by managers at different levels (1).
· .so that they can use the information produced (1).
· .to enable them to make effective decisions (1)
· Examples:
·
Sales Information system
·
Financial Info system
·
Production summary
· so that managers at different levels of an
organisation (1) can use the information produced (1) to enable them to make
effective decisions (1)
· A supermarket CEO may take a report showing the
comparative performance of all the supermarkets in the country (1) to decide
the long‑term strategy/make strategic decisions (1)
· An MD could use an MIS to analyse financial
information, such as the income of a supermarket, (1) to see whether the store
is making money or not, thus aiding the decision to keep the store open. (1)
1 for action (a), 1 for
description/statement/expansion of how it would help (h)
· Ensuring the right amount of management knowledge
of ICT and its capabilities or having awareness or training sessions (a) so that they do not make excessive demands that are not
technically possible (h)
· Ensuring emphasis is on business process, not on
low level data processing (a) regularly checking
that the development will deliver what is required by the business (h)
· Making only appropriate demands on development and ICT
team (a) by not expecting them to take short cuts
to deliver a sub-standard product (h)
· Allowing development team to adhere to standards (a) not pressurising then to produce a ìquick and dirtyî
solution that would become un-maintainable (h)
· Have all parties working as a team (a) allowing good communication between managers, users and
development team (h)
· Allowing the development team to have enough time
to complete each stage properly (a) by not
pressurising them to cut corners (h)
· Making sure there are no problems with changeover (a) by ensuring that all training and documentation is complete and
that all other departments are ready (h)
· Ensuring the right amount of user
involvement/communication throughout the development cycle (a) and making sure that all parties are available for consultation
(h)
· Allowing for and ensuring the right staff/resources
are available to the project team at all stages (a)
e.g. Users for acceptance testing (h)
· lack of communication between management, users and
the development team
· inadequate analysis/other phase
· emphasis on computer system/ not on info needs of
users
· concentration on low level data processing
· not giving managers what they need/not meeting
requirements
· lack of management knowledge of ICT and its
capabilities
· lack of team work
· lack of standards
· Incomplete documentation
· problems with changeover/procedures not ready
· staff not prepared/ change in roles/ training not
taken place etc
· lack of consideration for post-implementation
maintenance
· excessive management demands
· Problems using the system properly (P), because of lack of training/lack of skill (E)
· May lose job/be made redundant (P), due to new system doing what used to be a manual task (E)
· Changes forced upon staff (P) leading to resentment/attitude problems (E)
· Employment pattern changed (P) may want to relocate (E)
· May have a problem with new system and not know
what to do (P), as new working procedures have been
introduced but not communicated
· (E)
· Have problems with new/changed working conditions (P), which were introduced without consultation (E)
· Fall foul new/updated rules (P) that are included in a new Code of Practice (E)
· Professional standards used (1) so everyone knows what processes and procedures to use during
development (1)
· Effective team working/balanced teams as a norm( 1), with everyone working together on appropriate tasks,
well-controlled by good leadership (1)
· To have a project management methodology in place (1) that allows good control of the development process (1).
· Always follow a life-cycle methodology in a
standard way (1), to allow effective/exhaustive
analysis/design/testing methods, making sure no important steps are missed (1)
· Strong communication links with management (1), so that impossible demands are not made/so that compromises
can be agreed for any particular requirement (1)
· Involvement of manager/user in development (1) needs to be at an appropriate level (1)
· Implementation strategy
(1) making sure that all parties are prepared (e.g. training planned or
documentation written) (1).
· Current system no longer fit for purpose/is
ineffective
· Changes in processes/business methods (Do not allow
business studies reasons)
· New legislation forces changes
· Technical developments mean current system
outdated/redundant
· Current system inflexible/too expensive to
run/developer skills rare therefore expensive
· 1 for factor (F), 1 for expansion/example (E)
·
Technical issues
·
Economic issues
·
Legal issues
·
Operational issues
·
Schedule issues
·
Training issues
·
Changeover issues
·
to have written procedures to
follow (1)
·
that spell out what is to be
protected (1)
·
how it is to be protected (1)
·
and who is responsible (1)
· Informal information is Information that naturally
arises, is not structured and is produced ad-hoc (1)
·
Such as a phone call, personal
conversation, during a meeting or by observation, e-mail, bulletin board,
special interest group (1)
· A system with fully documented/agreed procedures (1)
· Stating stages of flow/control/exception
handling/distribution (1)
· Eg. "Business letter" is good example;
·
"Letter" on its own not good
· Formal flow is a system with fully documented/agreed
procedures (1) Stating stages of flow/control/exception handling/distribution
(1)
· Informal is not a system/ is using the grapevine/is
unstructured/ is naturally arising (1)
· Formal example - e.g. business
letter/report/memo/agenda/minutes of meeting/planned or scheduled meeting( 1)
· Informal example - e.g. note/gossip/non-documented conversation/phone call/personal
conversation/during a meeting/observation/e-mail/bulletin board/special
interest group (1)
· prevention of misuse
· detection of misuse
· investigation of misuse
· procedures for preventing misuse (accept an example
e.g. Access levels etc)
· staff responsibilities
· disciplinary procedures
· 1 mark for an info sys, 1 for use
(planning/decision-making), 1 for describing how.
·
Info sys are (e.g.) MIS, EIS, DSS.
These get the 1 for info sys.
·
Anything else, read the whole
answer and, if the explanation is at strategic level, give the mark for info
sys as a ëbodí.
·
Eg1 A Sales Management information
system (1) could be useful when planning future expansion (1) as the
information provided would show the growth areas in terms of product or
geography (1)
·
Eg2 Use MIS to create analyse
sales in 50 stores around the country, to determine which of the 50 stores to
close down.
·
NOTE: Not IS on its own.
·
NOTE: Not DBMS.
· 1 for stating factor (f), 1 for
description/example/expansion
·
Business strategy/Business objectives
(f) + (e)
·
Legal and Audit requirements (f) +
(e)
·
Information flow within the
organisation (f) + (e)
·
Staff knowledge and experience
with ICT (f), + (e)
·
Management style and
methods/culture (f), + (e)
·
General organisational structure
(f) + (e)
·
Breakdown of functions (f), + (e)
·
Responsibilities for ICT (f), +
(e)
·
Personalities within org (f), +
(e)
·
Ability to adapt to change (f), +
(e)
·
Motivation of staff (f), + (e)
·
Training facilities for staff (f),
+ (e)
·
Hardware/technology
available/considerations (f) + (e)
·
Software/applications/systems
available/considerations (f) + (e)
·
Standards in use within
organisation/within the industry (f) + (e)
·
Behavioural factors (f) + (e)
1 for the
effect on flow, 1 for description/example/expansion
· EFFECTS
·
Time (slower/faster)
·
Accuracy (distorted)
·
Style (formal/informal)
·
Types
·
Quality
· Examples:
·
STYLE - Hierarchical, or pyramid
shape organisation has longer more formal paths for information flow (1) may
take longer (1)
·
TIME - Flatter, matrix/mesh shape
tends to allow shorter routes (1), information may be less reliable/idea of
Chinese whispers (1)
· Organisation and functions of management (1), description of current departments/functions, how information
used (1)
· methods of planning and decision-making (1), levels of (strategic, tactical, operational)/formal and
informal methods/ democratic(consensus)/ project boards/autocratic/automatic/
prescriptive/descriptive/rational (1)
· legal and audit requirements (1), nature of business/compliance with DPA or other acts/industry
standards etc (1)
· general organisational structure (1) pyramid etc and information going up/down between (1)
· responsibility for the information system within an
organisation (1), IT manager/department, managers
of different departments (1)
· information flow (1)
directions/movement/type/procedures (1)
· hardware/technology (1)
age/capabilities/upgrading of/compatibility (1)
· software/applications
(1) compatibility/future direction/ upgrades/ versions/ generic/ bespoke (1)
·