Role of IT in Tesco

This report discusses the role of information technology in Tesco, including the use of Oracle marketing platform, employee training programs, and ethical and social issues related to IT.

Information Technology

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Literature Review ............................................................................................................................3
Role of IT in general business ....................................................................................................3
Ethics and social issues of IT in business ..................................................................................4
Networks and their types ............................................................................................................4
Importance of social media ........................................................................................................5
Software development Life cycle ...............................................................................................6
Analysis and Discussion .................................................................................................................7
Role of IT in Tesco ....................................................................................................................7
Ethics and social issues of IT in Tesco ......................................................................................7
Networks and their types in Tesco .............................................................................................8
Importance of social media in Tesco .........................................................................................8
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Information technology is known as the usage of storage, computer, networking,
infrastructure and physical devices as well as processes for creating, processing, storing and
securing of different forms of electronic data. IT plays an essential role in business as it provides
accuracy and convenient functioning of processes. The present report includes role of IT in
business, ethics and social issues of IT, network types and importance of social media. There is
also explanation of software development life cycle. In the analysis part, role of IT in
manufacturing industry is discussed in which Tesco is taken into consideration.
Literature Review
Role of IT in general business
As per the views of Baller, Dutta, and Lanvin, (2016), It has developed the way in
which business is done. This has provided various techniques and tools to business for solving
complex problems and issues. There are new and improved hardware within market which have
more memory, faster processes, sharper visual displays which are combined with smarter
applications. Advancement of information technology has allowed businesses to make more
effective decisions. Decisions of the company totally depend upon market research and this is
done by engaging teams by using video conferences, reviewing public sentimental on social
media and using online surveys and providing customers an ease for giving feedbacks about
products and services. There are various ways of internet marketing and online advertising such
as PPC, Facebook Ads, SEO, etc. which are more accurate than the traditional marketing.
Moreover, by using information technology, there is improve in customer support. There are
various channels by which customers can receive support like emails, channels telephone,
webinars, social media platforms, etc. The CRM is helpful for analysing customer behaviour
effectively and providing good services to clients. The main IT technology on which
organisations are working today is cloud computing and this allows to use devices anywhere,
anytime and access for enterprise level software. Main objective of business is to maximise
profits and sales and innovation is the best way for doing this. Businesses, whether small or big
require IT technology for providing good services and products to people. The use of IT is
helpful for managing customers in proper manner. IT fosters innovation in business and

organisations and this results in development of smarter applications and improved data storage.
Innovation is helpful in running businesses in more efficient manner and boosting productivity.
Ethics and social issues of IT in business
As per the views of Carpenter, and Agrawal, (2018), IT is an important department of
the company which is used for providing good services to customers and clients. There are some
social, personal and ethical issues in IT which are faced by clients and organisations. The
personal issues include increase in work load and responsibilities that leads to job stress.
Sometimes there are problems within employees when they are not good at using computers and
other people are better at using that. This creates information anxiety which must not be the
issue. Employees must be provided learning of new technology as it will help in increasing their
efficiency of working. The exposure to new technologies and computers causes radiation
exposure. A main affect of this is on eyesight. Computer screens can also cause backaches and
muscle tension. Social issues related with information technology are mostly positive. There is
increase in flexibility in jobs which is useful for improving quality of leisure time. Individuals
who are handicapped can use voice feature for using computers and other applications. This has
brought good improvement in health providing organisations. The accuracy for treating patients
has increased a lot. On the other hand, ethical issues related with information technology
includes development of code of ethics. This is collection of various principles that guide
members of an organisation. There are basically four types of ethical issues like accuracy,
privacy, accessibility and property. The right to information privacy determines the extent of
exchanging information. Organisations have to take care of various IT advancements like
personal information in database and electronic surveillance. Within, companies information of
clients and customers is present within database and it is important that they are protected
effectively. There must be no breach of information. If the company is maintaining data security
and safety then it is easy to build trust and loyalty among customers.
Networks and their types
From the viewpoint of Gelinas, Sutton Jr, and Federowicz, (2019), network helps
computers to connect and communicate with other computers through a medium. There are
three major type of computer networks LAN, WAN and MAN which are used for operating .
These networks depend upon the geographical area they are covering. LAN is used for small
area network, MAN are used for larger area and WAN covers the largest area. Some of the

network types are Storage area network, Personal area network, Enterprise Private network and
Virtual Private network. These are mentioned below -
Local Area Network ( LAN) - This network area connects devices as personal computer
or workstations. This is meant for them to share tools, data or programs. These computers are
interconnected with the help of devices such as switches and a private addressing scheme as per
TCP/IP protocol.
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) - This network covers larger area network than
LAN. This connects two or more computers which are in two different cities. This network
covers large geographical area and it serves as ISP i.e. Internet Service Provider.
Wide area network (WAN) – WAN is a network which is spread in a large area.
However, it may be bounded by geographical areas such as state or country. A WAN is a group
of LAN which are connected via radio waves or telephone lines.
There are various advantages and disadvantage of network connections that provide
excellent reliability, good rate of data exchange and sharing of peripherals. LAN cannot reach
networks of cities and towns. Thus, for connecting countries and group of countries , there is
requirement of Wide area network.
Importance of social media
As per the views of Long, (2018), Social media is important factor that helps to
maximise profits and sales. By using social media, there is opportunity for analysing different
aspects of business. The importance of social media can be easily estimated by increase in
number of social media users. The social platforms provide opportunities for legitimatising the
brand of company. This is helpful in allowing to demonstrate expertise in different ways. Social
media is helpful in attracting lot of customers within less time. An attractive message is created
about the product that resonates with clients and audiences. This is an important aspect as it
allows to reach people across the world. For success of any company, it is important to use social
media for promoting products and services. Social media provides value and also develops way
for marketing business effectively. This increases ability for connecting with target audience and
maximising the return on investment. There are some popular platforms and purpose which are
helpful in reaching potential customers. Some of the social media platforms for marketing
products and services are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.

Software development Life cycle
As per the thoughts of Luftman, Lyytinen, and Zvi, (2017), streamlined development
depends upon consistent methodology and clarified process for reaching somewhere. SDLC
consists of detailed plan for developing, altering, maintaining and replacing software system
(SDLC,2017). There are various steps involved in SDLC such as planning, designing, building,
testing and deployment. Some of the common model of SDLC are spiral model, waterfall model
and Agile model. The different stages of SDLC are described below -
Identification of current problems - According to this step of SDLC, inputs from all
stakeholders is obtained. It is asked from employees, customers, industry experts, programmers
and salespeople about the present system used in the company. The strengths as well as
weakness of this system is analysed in proper manner.
Plan - As per this stage of SDLC, it is decided what are the requirements for preparing
new software. This includes managing costs and resources needed for using new software. This
also consists of determining risks involved in planning and sub plans are considered for
analysing these risks.
Design – As per this stage of SDLC, the first step is to start by turning up the
specifications of software into design plan that is known as design specification. Different
stakeholders review the plan and offer suggestions and feedbacks. This is important to prepare
plan for collecting and incorporating input of stakeholder into the document.
Build - The SDLC stage develops software by generating actual code. When the
previous step is followed with attention then this step becomes less complicated.
'Test - According to this stage, there is testing of defects and deficiencies within system.
These issues are fixed until products are according to original specification.
Deploy - This step depends upon feedback taken from customers and clients. There are
opportunities for making more product more perfect.
Maintain – This step specifies that it is important to analyse the effectiveness of system
made for working. The system is developed and then it is implemented in real world. There is
need of updating and advancing the software within regular intervals.

Analysis and Discussion
Role of IT in Tesco
Tesco used Linux system for digital marketing purpose. Now this company has started
using Oracle marketing platform. The services provided to customers of Tesco have been
increased after using this system. Oracle generates a personalised incentive and discount scheme
for customers and in this way customer loyalty is enhanced. Customers of Tesco have to register
themselves for receiving Oracle promotion with the swipe of cards. When customers who are
present on Oracle subscriber makes a transaction, data is electronically transmitted to database.
In this way, Tesco is able to identify and learn about trends of customers (sNovickis, Mitasiunas,
and Ponomarenko, 2017). The Oracle accounting hub is helpful for Tesco in doing day to day
operations like inventory control, invoices, supplier detail, customer detail, product detail, sales
and purchase ledgers, etc. The financial accounting hub of Tesco given as internal control
structure for ensuring successful audit and compliance review. Tesco provide various
opportunities to it's employees and subordinates for participating in higher educational programs
and develop professional skills. There are two courses developed by Tesco which include
training program. After this programs are given, employees are promoted for working at higher
positions. The use of IT has developed various opportunities for Tesco to make it's employees
feel more involved within company and do great job.
Ethics and social issues of IT in Tesco
There are various ethical and social issues within IT that has made business of Tesco
successful. As all other companies, Tesco is also not able to work without using IT. There are
some ethical and social issues that are may occur within Tesco. Some of the issues are mentioned
below -
Cyber crime – This is known as use of IT for committing crime. Sometimes, there are
some people who uses data of Tesco accounts. This can develop huge financial loss. The main
reason for growth in cyber crime is increased users of smartphone and mobile device users.
Theft - Theft is occurred when a cyber criminal impersonates someone else identity for
practising malfunction. This is generally done by assessing personal details of customers of
Tesco. There are details used in these crimes such as date of birth, credit or debit card numbers,
social security numbers, etc.

Copyright infringement - Piracy is one of the major problem that is faced by Tesco.
There is threat for Tesco by various websites that can use name of Tesco for delivering products
online. The reason for growth of infringement crime is due to fast internet access.
Data loss - There can be some cases in which data centre caught fire or flooded, in this
case hardware within data is damaged or lost. Tesco develops backups so that data can be
recovered (Pan, and Seow, 2016). This company makes periodic backups for customer's data so
that they can be used effectively. Tesco is using biometric identification for employees. In this
way, staff of Tesco cannot cheat and they have to complete their working hours.
Networks and their types in Tesco
Tesco uses LAN, MAN as well as WAN. The devices in a single billing section are
connected through LAN .It connects the system ,a printer and a barcode reader. MAN in tesco
connects the system throughout a store it includes those at warehouse or storage space as well.
Through this the position of stock can be evaluated and purchase orders can be made easily.
WAN connects all the stores worldwide. This helps in comparing the performances of various
stores. With the help of it the stores generating losses can be identified and required measures
cam be taken in order to run businesses smoothly. There are various networks used within Tesco
for communicating with various individuals across the world. This is an essential part of any
organisation as it leads to talk to various potential customers that are located in different
countries. While using online services, Tesco needs to have high accessibility and accuracy of
data.
Importance of social media in Tesco
Social media is used by Tesco to attract more number of customers and increase sales of
the company. Tesco understands that there is need for competing within market by reducing
price of products and services. This company has shifted to digital marketing. Billions of money
is invested by this company to have competitive advantage and maximise the number of satisfied
customers. There are several businesses that enjoy market share of Tesco such as TV, cinema,
radio, etc. Tesco is using digital marketing in good manner for adding value to the marketing
strategies and promotional benefits. Tesco is having huge global presence but internet is needed
for maximising customer interaction with the company. Marketing is very creative and
innovative filed and it includes various applications and implications (Shaheen, and Cohen,
2018). Online marketing is used by Tesco for attracting customers and having efficient and

effective marketing strategies. Brand identity is developed in Tesco by using online medium and
attract customers.
CONCLUSION
It is analysed from the above discussion that IT has helped business to develop in positive
manner. IT is helpful in solving organisational and business problems at a large scale. It is
important for new businesses to use IT effectively as they help in maintaining a standard level of
service, connectivity and security. IT helps organisations to out deliver competitors in market. In
every sector and industry, there is need of using IT for making work easier and effective.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Baller, S., Dutta, S. and Lanvin, B., 2016. Global information technology report 2016. Geneva:
Ouranos.
Carpenter, D.A. and Agrawal, V.K., 2018. Infusing information technology into the core
business curriculum: a change management project. The Journal of Business
Inquiry, 7(1), pp.3-20.
Gelinas, U.J., Sutton Jr, S.G. and Federowicz, J., 2019. Business processes and information
technology.
Long, R.J., 2018. New office information technology: Human and managerial implications.
Routledge.
Luftman, J., Lyytinen, K. and Zvi, T.B., 2017. Enhancing the measurement of information
technology (IT) business alignment and its influence on company performance. Journal
of Information Technology, 32(1), pp.26-46.
Novickis, L., Mitasiunas, A. and Ponomarenko, V., 2017. Information technology transfer model
as a bridge between science and business sector. Procedia Computer Science, 104,
pp.120-126.
Pan, G. and Seow, P.S., 2016. Preparing accounting graduates for digital revolution: A critical
review of information technology competencies and skills development. Journal of
Education for Business, 91(3), pp.166-175.
Shaheen, S. and Cohen, A., 2018. Is it time for a public transit renaissance?: Navigating travel
behavior, technology, and business model shifts in a brave new world. Journal of Public
Transportation, 21(1), p.8.
Online
SDLC.2017.[online].Available through:<https://stackify.com/what-is-sdlc/>