Outcome assessment free essay sample

Team Name Computing Networking Sector Name Business, Computing and Land Based Professional Issues in Computing (F0N0 35) Assessment Instructions ? The assessment is a supervised open book assessment based on a case study. ? You must write a report of approximately 2,000 words that covers the requirements of Outcome 3, 4 and 5. ? The report should be word processed and presented in an appropriate format for a professional report. ? All sources used should be referenced correctly in a bibliography. ? A word count should be displayed on the front page of the report. ? Ensure that your name and class code appear on each page and that the pages are numbered. ? The report should be submitted through the Turnitin Link. Professional Issues in Computing (F0N0 35) Your Task You have been employed by Hi-Electricals Ltd as a Consultant and have been asked to produce a report for the management team. In this report to the management, you must research, describe and address the following concerns: 1. The management, recognising the importance of IT to their expanded organization, is about to add a Director responsible for all of the computing and associated areas. Suggest a suitable structure for this Computing Department taking into account organisational structures recommended by the Professional Computing institutions. Use a diagram to show the responsibility relationships that you are recommending. 2. Provide an accurate and clear evaluation of three pieces of legislation you have identified as relevant for the organisation from situations described in the case study. Describe the effects on the organisation itself, specific employees and other individuals if they do not comply with these pieces of legislation. 3. Design a code of conduct that could be used by the management. Describe the main parts of the code of conduct with an accurate and clear evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages to the organisation and individuals employed within it. You should take account of a professional code of conduct, code of ethics and specific professional practices. 4. Identify two ethical problems that are faced by people in two different job roles in the case study. Describe two different ways of solving each of these ethical issues and the consequences of each suggested approach. Describe the ethical principles that apply in the two different solutions eg rule based, relativist etc Professional Issues in Computing (F0N0 35) Case Study Hi-Electricals Ltd is a company specialising in the servicing of electrical appliances (televisions, cookers, refrigerators, dishwashers etc) and it is keen to expand its new area of Personal Computer equipment and peripheral repair, particularly monitors and printers. The company operates throughout Scotland, though mainly in the Grampian, Moray, and Highland areas, and has agreements with a number of the larger retailers to offer a servicing contract to customers who purchase appliances from them. When a customer purchases an electrical appliance, they are offered the opportunity to take out a servicing contract at an extra cost for a fixed period during which any repairs or servicing will be carried out free of charge. The Company also advertises in the national press and has an active internet site that receives 500 hits per week. The site is maintained by Robert Mackay (Web Developer) and captures data such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and times available at home for repairs or servicing. A number of customers and employees have raised concerns about the security of the data collected through the website. A large number of its customers do not have service contracts but contact the company directly usually some time after purchasing the appliance. Clearly the cost of the contract varies with the type of product and the age of the appliance at the time the contract is made. When an appliance is five years old, the contract can be renewed each year, usually on an increasing scale cost. The Service Engineers employed by Hi-Electricals Ltd are based at seven regional Service Centres. Most of their work is carried out in customers’ homes, but occasionally it is necessary to bring an appliance into the Service Centre for a major repair. The Service Centres carry a stock of frequently used parts and the Service Engineers also carry a small stock in their vehicles. A much larger stock of parts (10,000) is held at a Central Warehouse in Oldmeldrum, which is easily accessible from all areas that the company cover. This central stock is used both to refill the Service Centre stock and to replace items used by the Service Engineers in their daily routine. Any part that is ordered from the Central Warehouse by a Service Centre will be delivered the following day. When a Service Engineer requires stock then the engineer has to specify which Service Centre their items are to be dispatched to and they collect these items from the Service Centre. The items stored at the Central Warehouse are purchased from the manufacturers of the domestic electrical appliances. Jennifer Anderson is the Information Systems Manager responsible for all internal systems. A large computer system located at the Central Warehouse is used for Customer Accounting and Stock Control. The Customer Accounting procedures are separate from any of the Service Centres or Service Engineers. All contact with customers over invoices, contract renewals etc, is maintained by the Accounting staff in Oldmeldrum. The only link with this system at the Service Professional Issues in Computing (F0N0 35) Centres is that, when a customer telephones to request a service or repair, an Internet enquiry-based system is used to query a database at the Central Warehouse to check that the customer exists on record and has a current contract. This area of the Central Warehouse is effectively a Call Centre and staff have access to outside telephone lines and Internet connectivity. The Managing Director, Neil Campbell, is concerned about this unrestricted access to telecommunications systems and personal use of the organization’s email and wanted Jennifer to look at ways of ‘keeping an eye on what is going on’ including monitoring telephone calls. Recently there was a problem with a member of staff downloading music and another accessing pornographic websites. Jennifer asked Graham Dudd, IT Services Engineer, if he could provide her with a list of the web sites visited by these members of staff and to check up on their e-mails and other Internet activity such as visiting chat rooms, together with times of access. The staff that work in this Call Centre area have a high rate of absenteeism and complain about the conditions in which they work. The area has poor ventilation leading to a stuffy atmosphere and is fitted out with mainly poor quality second hand office furniture. It is a conversion of an old stockroom at the top of a metal spiral staircase with only a service lift. The Stock Control system is an online, multi-access system. A stock file for the warehouse stock is linked to separate files for Service Centre stock. All stock transactions at the warehouse are keyed in directly and the warehouse file is updated immediately. The Service Centres can access their own records when making an issue or checking stock levels and the warehouse records them centrally when a delivery is requested. The transfer of stock from warehouse to Service Centre(s) is made automatically. There are no transfers of stock between Service Centres allowed although each Service Centre can return items to the Central Warehouse. The computer system analyses stock levels at regular intervals and places orders to manufacturers for the replenishment of stock subject to minimum stock levels set within the Stock Control system database. The Payroll is done using a standard package on a PC connected to the network. There have been a few leaks about certain employees’ salaries and monthly bonuses, which are concerning the Financial Director, Paul Keith, who is certain that it is not the responsibility of the Finance staff. Tayside Electricals Ltd, a large electrical retailer with six outlets in the Dundee area wants to outsource this Service Group business to a partner as they were finding that their operating costs were too high. Hi-Electricals Ltd tendered for this contract and successfully won the business. This development has added another three Service Centres to their existing portfolio. Each of these new Service Centres carries a full range of stock (about 7,000 items). Stock records Professional Issues in Computing (F0N0 35) are kept on a central computer system, which monitors stock levels, supervises transfer of stock between Service Centres, and initiates orders for replenishment of stock to manufacturers, the goods being sent directly to the Service Centres. The computer system supports on-line enquiries about stock levels and collects stock transactions online, but the files are updated overnight, on a modem link. Jennifer will need access to Tayside Electricals Ltd,’s information to allow easy stock control integration. Customer Accounting at Tayside Electricals Ltd is carried out manually at the Service Centres and each Service Centre maintains records of its own customers. These will have to be consolidated into a central database and credit ratings developed. Customers at the moment are required to pay Service Engineers for parts used at the time of the service or repair, including credit card payments for which they issue a paper receipt. Credit card slips are returned to Main Office for processing. The Sales and Marketing Director of Hi-Electricals Ltd. , Ismail Khan, has quickly realised that once they have information stored on all of the customers from Tayside Electricals Ltd , he could use it to target new clients for other parts of the business and he tells Jennifer to make sure he can get this done. An employee from Tayside Electricals Ltd has written their own software, which is being used by the company. The Management would like to implement this software throughout both companies now in the group, but there is a question of ownership. With the take-over of Tayside Electricals’ facilities, the Financial Director has directly informed Graham the IT Services Engineer that it is necessary to establish a stock inventory of all hardware and software within the organisation. For a number of years Hi-Electricals Ltd have intended to establish an inventory of software in use within their organisation but never got round to it, so do not have a track of the software, versions, multiple user licences etc. The combined company uses general purpose and tailor-made software within the organisation. In addition the current network infrastructure of servers and PCs may not be able to cope and therefore might have to be disposed of and replaced. Professional Issues in Computing (F0N0 35) The Senior Management team consists of the following personnel: Managing Director Neil Campbell is 55, and started his working life as an apprentice with a competitor in Dundee. He progressed through the ranks before being appointed to this very important position. Financial Director The financial director, Paul Keith, manages the Administration and Accounting Departments together with an Accountant and a General Manager who controls and oversees the support staff. Sales and Marketing Director Ismail Khan is a typical salesman, extrovert, with an optimistic streak, which usually means that his sales forecasts have to be reduced. He is, however, a firm believer in giving the customer the very best product at a competitive price. If a customer complains, he takes it as a personal insult. He controls a Sales and Marketing team via a Sales Manager, and an Advertising and Promotional Executive. There are four salespersons responsible to the Sales Manager, and one assistant accountable to the Advertising and Promotional Executive. Service Director Christopher Partridge is highly qualified in the technicalities of the trade and manages all the service personnel. He manages the seven regional Service Centres and the Service Engineers who work from these premises. Other key IT employees include: Robert Mackay is the Web Developer, Graham Dudd is the IT Services Engineer and Jennifer Anderson is the Information Systems Manager who is in charge of all internal systems, these three are responsible to the General Manager. Professional Issues in Computing (F0N0 35) Organisational Chart Managing Director Neil Campbell Financial Director Paul Keith Accountant General Manager Web Developer Robert Mackay IT Services Engineer Graham Dudd Sales Marketing Director Ismail Khan Sales Manager Info Systems Manager Jennifer Anderson Advert Promotional Exec 4 Sales Persons Assistant Service Director Christopher Partridge Service Centre Staff Service Engineers