Information technology makeover

The Small Business Makeover series continues with a look at Information Technology management, something I think many small businesses ignore until something goes wrong.

But not you, right?

Learn how to secure and manage your business data, manage customer contacts, set up a document management system and prepare an Information Technology maintenance and crisis plan in this Information Technology Makeover.

Learn how to provide the kind of customer service that builds customer loyalty, gives positive word-of-mouth advertising, and increases sales - in short, the good, better or even superior customer service that consumers want.

More of the Small Business Makeover

• The Business Planning Makeover - create a Business Action Plan that will provide your small business direction for the coming year or longer.

• The Business Finance Makeover - Follow the steps in this business finance makeover, from separating your personal and business finances through financial statement analysis, to make sure that your business finances are in good shape.

• The Customer Service Makeover - Learn how to provide good customer service, the kind of customer service that builds customer loyalty, gives positive word-of-mouth advertising, and increases sales.

Information Technology's Role Today

Every day, people use computers in new ways. Computers are increasingly affordable; they continue to be more powerful as information-processing tools as well as easier to use.

Computers in Business
Computers in Medicine
Computers in Science and Engineering
Integrated Information Systems

Software

Computer software consists of the programs, or lists of instructions, that control the operation of a computer. Application software can be used for the following purposes:

• As a productivity/business tool
• To assist with graphics and multimedia projects
• To support household activities, for personal business, or for education
• To facilitate communications

Hardware

Information processing involves four phases: input, process, output, and storage. Each of these phases and the associated devices are discussed below.

Input devices: Input devices include the keyboard, pointing devices, scanners and reading devices, digital cameras, audio and video input devices, and input devices for physically challenged users.

Processing: After data are captured, they are processed. When data are processed, they are transformed from raw facts into meaningful information.

Output devices: Four common types of output are text, graphics, audio, and video. Once information has been processed, it can be listened to through speakers or a headset, printed onto paper, or displayed on a monitor.

Storage devices: Storage devices retain items such as data, instructions, and information for retrieval and future use.

Information and Data Processing

Data processing is the input, verification, organization, storage, retrieval, transformation, and extraction of information from data. The term is usually associated with commercial applications such as inventory control or payroll. An information system refers to business applications of computers and consists of the databases, application programs, and manual and machine procedures and computer systems that process data. Databases store the master files of the business and its transaction files. Application programs provide the data entry, updating, and query and report processing. Manual procedures document the workflow, showing how the data are obtained for input and how the system's output is distributed. Machine procedures instruct the computers how to perform batch-processing activities, in which the output of one program is automatically fed into another program. Daily processing is the interactive, real-time processing of transactions. Batch-processing programs are run at the end of the day (or some other period) to update the master files that have not been updated since the last cycle. Reports are printed for the cycle's activities. Periodic processing of an information system involves updating of the master files— adding, deleting, and changing the information about customers, employees, vendors, and products.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware."^[1] IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.

Today, the term information has ballooned to encompass many aspects of computing and technology, and the term has become very recognizable. IT professionals perform a variety of duties that range from installing applications to designing complex computer networks and information databases. A few of the duties that IT professionals perform may include data management, networking, engineering computer hardware, database and software design, as well as the management and administration of entire systems.

When computer and communications technologies are combined, the result is information technology, or "infotech". Information technology is a general term that describes any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information.

In recent days ABET and the ACM have collaborated to form accreditation and curriculum standards for degrees in Information Technology as a distinct field of study separate from both Computer Science and Information Systems. SIGITE is the ACM working group for defining these standards.

We use the term information technology or IT to refer to an entire industry. In actuality, information technology is the use of computers and software to manage information. In some companies, this is referred to as Management Information Services (or MIS) or simply as Information Services (or IS). The information technology department of a large company would be responsible for storing information, protecting information, processing the information, transmitting the information as necessary, and later retrieving information as necessary.
There can be a lot of overlap between many of the job descriptions within information technology departments. In order to clarify the descriptions, skills and career paths of each, I have put together a Jobs in IT listing. The jobs in IT listing includes information on education and training required for each position. It also includes lists of companies that typically have IT jobs open, as well as links to IT-specific resumes, cover letters and IT interview questions.
Information Technology Departments will be increasingly concerned with data storage and management, and will find that information security will continue to be at the top of the priority list. Cloud computing remains a growing area to watch. The job outlook for those within Information Technology is strong, with data security and server gurus amongst the highest paid techies. Check out the Information Security Certifications and Highest Paying Certifications for more information. In order to stay current in the Information Technology Industry, be sure you subscribe to top technology industry publications.

Presentation Skills for Emergent Managers

by Gerard M Blair

Presentations are one of the first managerial skills which a junior engineer must acquire. This article looks at the basics of Presentation Skills as they might apply to an emergent manager.

Introduction

Management is the art of getting things done. A Presentation is a fast and potentially effective method of getting things done through other people. In managing any project, presentations are used as a formal method for bringing people together to plan, monitor and review its progress.

But let us look at this another way: what can a presentation do for you?

Firstly; it puts you on display. Your staff need to see evidence of decisive planning and leadership so that they are confident in your position as their manager. They need to be motivated and inspired to undertaking the tasks which you are presenting. Project leaders from other sections need to be persuaded of the merits of your project and to provide any necessary support. Senior management should be impressed by your skill and ability so that they provide the resources so that you and your team can get the job done.

Secondly; it allows you to ask questions and to initiate discussion. It may not be suitable within the presentation formats of your company to hold a discussion during the presentation itself but it does allow you to raise the issues, present the problems and at least to establish who amongst the audience could provide valuable input to your decision making.

Finally; presentations can be fun. They are your chance to speak your mind, to strut your stuff and to tell the people what the world is really like. While you hold the stage, the audience is bound by good manners to sit still and watch the performance.

The Objectives of Communication

The single most important observation is that the objective of communication is not the transimission but the reception. The whole preparation, presentation and content of a speech must therefore be geared not to the speaker but to the audience. The presentation of a perfect project plan is a failure if the audience do not understand or are not persuaded of its merits. A customers' tour is a waste of time if they leave without realising the full worth of your product. The objective of communication is to make your message understood and remembered.

The main problem with this objective is, of course, the people to whom you are talking. The average human being has a very short attention span and a million other things to think about. Your job in the presentation is to reach through this mental fog and to hold the attention long enough to make your point.

The Plan

It is difficult to over estimate the importance of careful preparation. Five minutes on the floor in front of senior management could decide the acceptance of a proposal of several months duration for the manager and the whole team. With so much potentially at stake, the presenter must concentrate not only upon the facts being presented but upon the style, pace, tone and ultimately tactics which should be used. As a rule of thumb for an average presentation, no less than 1 hour should be spent in preparation for 5 minutes of talking.

Visual Aids

Most people expect visual reinforcement for any verbal message being delivered. While it would be unfair to blame television entirely for this, it is useful to understand what the audience is accustomed to, for two reasons: firstly, you can meet their expectations using the overhead projector, a slide show, or even a video presentation; secondly, if you depart from the framework of a square picture flashed before their eyes, and use a different format, then that novelty will be most arresting. For instance, if you are describing the four functions of a project manager then display the four "hats" he/she must wear; if you are introducing the techniques of brainstorming then brandish a fishing rod to "fish for" ideas.

The Delivery

"The human body is truly fascinating - there are some I could watch all day."

Conclusion

Once the speech is over and you have calmed down, you should try to honestly evaluate your performance. Either alone, or with the help of a friend in the audience, decide what was the least successful aspect of your presentation and resolve to concentrate on that point in the next talk you give. If it is a problem associated with the preparation, then deal with it there; if it is a problem with your delivery, write yourself a reminder note and put it in front of you at the next talk.

DEFINITION OF ETHICS

Ethics is a set of beliefs about right and wrong behavior.Ethical behavior conforms to generally accepted social norms,many of which are almost universal.However, although nearly everyone would agree that lying and cheating are unethical, what constitutes ethical behavior on many other issues is a matter of opinion.For example, most people would not steal an umbrella from someone's home, but a person who finds an umbrella in a theater might be tempted to keep it.A person's opinion of what represents ethical behavior is strongly influences, life experiences, education, religious beliefs, personal values, and peer influences.
As children grow, they learn complicated tasks▬walking, riding a bike, writing the alphabet▬that they perform out of habit for the rest of their lives. People also develop habits that make it easier to choose between what society considers good or bad.

WHAT IS ETHICS?

Each society forms a set of rules that establishes the boundaries of generally accepted behavior.These rules are often expressed in statements about how people should behave, and they fit together to form the moral code by which a society lives. Unfortunately , the different rules often have contradictions, and you can be uncertain about which rule to follow.For instance, if you witness a friend copy someone else's answers while taking an exam, you might be caught in a conflict between loyalty to your friend and the value of telling the truth. Sometimes, the rules do not seem to cover new situations, and you must determine how to apply the existing rules or develop new ones.You may ctrongly support personal privacy, but in a time when employers track employee e-mail and Internet usage, what rules do you think are acceptable to govern the appropriate use of company resources?
The term morality refers to social conventions about right and wrong that are so widely shared that they become the basis for an established consensus.However, one's view of what is moral may vary by age, cultural group, ethnic background, religion, and gender.There is widespread agreement on the immorality of murder, theft, and arson, but other behaviors that are accepted in one culture might be unacceptable in another.For example, in the united states it is perfectly acceptable to place one's elderly parents in a managed care facility in their declining years.In most Middle Eastern countries, however, elderly parents would never be placed in such a facility;they remain at home and are cared for by other family members.
Another example concerns attitudes toward the illegal copying of software (piracy), which range from strong opposition ti acceptance as a standard approach to business.In 2003, 36 percent of all software in circulation worldwide was pirated, at a cost of $29 billion ti software vendors.the highest piracy rates where in vietnam and china, where 92 percent if the software was pirated.In United States, the piracy rate was 22 percent.
Even within the same society, people can have strong disagreements over important moral issues▬in the United States, for example, issues such as abortion, the death personalty, and gun control are continously debated, and both sides feel their arguments are on solid moral ground.