Introduction to Information Technology: Importance of System Software, Social and Ethical Issues, Networking Technologies, AI Impact, SDLC

This report covers the importance of system software, social and ethical issues, networking technologies, AI impact, and SDLC in Introduction to Information Technology. It discusses the impact of IT on businesses, with a focus on Marks and Spencer.

INTRODUCTION TO
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Discuss the importance of system software that is essential for every hardware to be
operated or used by any individual or businesses..................................................................3
Ethical and social issues are increasingly becoming important in the digital world.
Identify and discuss the importance of them to run businesses............................................4
Identify and differentiate between different types of networking technologies..................5
Discuss the impact of Artificial Intelligence in enhancing the business operations............6
Potential benefits and drawbacks of investing in Information Technology........................7
List and explain the different stages of software development life cycle.............................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9
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INTRODUCTION
Information technology is basically a broad term which comprises the development, installing
and use of anything to do with the telecommunication and computing. Information technology
helps in creating, processing, storing, retrieving and exchanging all types of electronic data and
information (Rajaraman, 2018). Telecommunication as well as computer both are encompasses in
IT in the commercial field. The information technology is basically a computer system which not
only include the software but also included the hardware and peripheral equipment which is
operated by an IT user. The following report is bases on the Marks and Spencer which is well
known retailer brand of UK. The respective company is basically a public limited company
which was founded in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer. The headquarter of the
company is situated in London England UK. The following report is going to cover the
importance of the system software for every hardware which are used by the organisation or
individual. This report also covers the social as well as ethical issues are important in the digital
world and their importance for running the business. Along with this, this report also focusses on
the different types of networking technologies and the impact of artificial intelligence in
enhancing the different business activities. In the end this report discusses the different stages of
software development life cycle.
MAIN BODY
Discuss the importance of system software that is essential for every hardware to be
operated or used by any individual or businesses.
System software is basically a computer programme which are designed to run the different
types of application software and computer hardware. Between the hardware and user
application these system software act as an interface (Kaddoura, 2020). The one of the best-known
examples of the system software is operating software which effectively manages all the
programme in a computer. This software basically run in the background and manage all the
functions of the computer so that the user can effectively run the application software in order to
effectively complete their task. An effective platform has been provided by this system software
for applications to run on the top. These system software plays a very important role for the
business organisation. The importance of these software in context to Marks and Spencer in
running their business has been discussed below: -
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 Promotes the business: - these system software takes the business to the new heights as
this not only assist in promoting the business organisation but also help in spreading the
business. So that it can be visible to everyone and almost in every part of the world with
the help of a computer or smartphone.
 Improves the sales as well as services: - it is very important for an organisation to
know that, what the customer think about their products. If the management of the marks
and Spencer want to know their customer opinion then they must have an online
platform and this is done only with the help of system software (Fox, 2020). These online
platforms assist the customers to reach out to the organisation easily and share their view
about the goods and services.
 Direct communication: - with the help of these system software the respective
organisation can effectively and directly communicate with their customers anywhere in
the world. Direct communication is being considered as the fastest way to run to spread
the brand awareness of the product and this is done all because of applications which are
run on this software.
Ethical and social issues are increasingly becoming important in the digital world. Identify
and discuss the importance of them to run businesses
Information technology assist to store, fetch and manipulate the data by having operating system
software. In education and health department information technology become an important part.
Different types of changes have been seen in the society because of the growth in the IT sector.
Social as well as ethical issues are becoming an essential in the digital world from which some of
them discussed below: -
Ethical Issues
 Personal privacy: -disclosing the personal information of an individual is being
considered as the important ethical issue. The violation or the transferred of the personal
information in bulk is done all because of expansion of the network on the large segment
(Lin and et. al., 2022). In relation to the Marks and Spencer, this is being considered as the
most important aspect as well as challenge which exist in the IT sector.
 Harmful actions: -With the increase in the information technology in the digital world,
this will lead to the actions which are harmful like loss of property as well as personal
information, undesirable impact and the ownership. The outsider of the company can not
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use their information without any prior information, it is totally prohibited. This not only
lead to the loss of employee but also impact on the users to the general public. In order to
overcome from this problem, the management of the Marks and Spencer have to devoted
more time and efforts to reduce the viruses form the computer system.
Social Issues
 Identity theft: -this is being considered as the most important social issue which are
faced by the customers of the company. It has been observed that their personal data have
been used by the third party without asking them to any malicious practice like fraud by
doing the online transaction (Jimenez-Jimenez, Martínez-Costa and Rodriguez, 2018). In
relation to the Marks and Spencer, the management of the company bring different types
of privacy sources which help in reducing the fraud related to the customer and
employee.
 Breakdown of communication: -in the digital era, this also being considered as the most
important social issue which is increases because of the excessive growth in the
information technology and their channels. Due to the portable devices the people love
to connect on the social media instead of social gathering. These devices give access to
the information which leads to reduce the bond with the family members. In relation to
the Marks and Spencer, effective communication has been maintained by the
management of the company in order to communicate with their customers directly. Most
of the company operations are handle through online.
Identify and differentiate between different types of networking technologies.
Computer network may be defined as the set of computers in which two or more computer
are connected with the help of nodes with an aim of transferring the data and resources. This
comprises of routers, switches, hubs and bridges which are the hardware and organisation
application in the in the computer network. According to the as well as purpose of the different
computer networking, this is available to share the data. There are different types of networking
technologies available from which some of them in context to the Marks and Spencer has been
discussed below: -
 LAN (Local area network)- this is basically that types of networks in which different
types of computers are connected with each other in a very small distance. It can be a
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building, school or office. In this, two or more computers are connected with this help of
twisted or coaxial cable which provide high security and high speed of transferring the
data (Webb and Ifenthaler, 2018). In relation to the Marks and Spencer, if ethernet cable is
used by the company then this helps them in reducing the cost. With the help of single
internet services within the organisation the devices are effectively connected.
 MAN (Metropolitan area network)- this network may be defined as those network
which are operate in the large geographical area in order to form a large network by
interconnecting the deferment LAN. In context to the Marks and Spencer this can be used
by the management of the company in order to connect with the industries, people and
different government agencies. This is less expensive and emails are sends faster which
provide high security to the business data.
 WAN (Wide area network): -this network is basically extended to the countries, state
with the help of telephone lines, satellite link, fibre optic cable. As compared to the LAN
and MAN, WAN is considered as the biggest network. In relation to the Marks and
Spencer, the management of the company use this network in order to connect with the
different sites, remote employees and their data. This provides traffic to the company and
also help in direct communication which increases the security of the information.
Discuss the impact of Artificial Intelligence in enhancing the business operations.
Artificial intelligence may be defined as an intelligence which is demonstrated by machines. This
is basically the ability of a computer to do the task which is done by the human being because
they require human intelligence and discernment (Magera, 2019). This comprises of four
approaches such as thinking humanly, thinking rationally, acting rationally, acting humanly
which not only result in effective reasoning but also in effective processing. The impact of AI in
enhancing the business in context to the Marks and Spencer has been discussed below: -
 Business insights are generated to take smart decisions- data is considered as the asset
of the company and with the help of AI the data can be easily process. Relevant
information has been provided by the AI machines which help the organisation in
meeting the demand of the consumer.
 Minimizing Errors: - as compared to human being the AI gives more accuracy, it ranges
from the 99 % to 100 %. Artificial intelligence not only reduces the errors but also
increases the growth of accuracy with any manual interface. In relation to the Marks and
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Spencer, forecasting of the company cashflow is done with the help of AI which reduces
the error and increases the opportunities for the growth of the business.
Potential benefits and drawbacks of investing in Information Technology.
The information technology assists the management of the Marks and Spencer in improving its
business services (Howlett and et. al. 2018). Services like booking of the product, payment of the
product not only improves the communication but also enhance the flow of information within
the business. They store their data in electronic form which reduces the use of paper work and
save their time. Along with this, the effective use of technology helps in improving the
relationship with their customers by which they can effective tell all the schemes which are offer
by the company.
The biggest drawback of the information technology is that this require huge being
vestment, time and money. With the help of cookies, the different types of e-commerce website
collect the personal data. Along with this, this also increases the unemployment because of less
use of human being.
List and explain the different stages of software development life cycle.
The software development life cycle process may be defined as the process which assist in
producing the software with the highest quality and low-cost maintenance in the shortest time
possible (Martin, Shilton and Smith, 2019). A well structures flow of phase has been provided by
this life cycle process which assist the organisation in developing high quality of software which
are well tested and ready to use. The different stages of the software development life cycle have
been discussed below: -
Stage 1: Project Planning: - this is the first stage of this life cycle which is all about what an
organisation wants. In this part the team who are developing the software focus on the cost
incurred and effectively defines the requirements of software.
Stage 2: Gathering Requirements & Analysis: -this is the second stage in which information
related to the product required by them has been gathered from the client. The team discusses on
each and every aspect of the product with the customers. The development team will analyse the
requirements. The understand of the customers requirement in relation to the product is being
considered as the main goal of this stage.
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Stage 3 Design: -in this stage the team of developing the software scrutinizes all the information
whether the software meet the need of the customers or not. If the design is approved or selected,
they paid focus on the programming language.
Stage 4 coding and implementation: - in this stage coding is done by using programming
language by the developers. In this task has been divided into different units and units these are
assigned to various developers. This stage is considered as the most difficult and time consuming
of this life cycle process.
Stage 5 Testing: - once the team of developers develop the software then it is transferred to the
testing team and the check the functions of the entire system(Xiehui, 2021). In this stage the team
of testing ensure that all the functions of the software work according to the customers
requirement. If bugs are found then they have to fix the bugs and send it to the QA for retest.
This process goes on until the software become bug free.
Stage 6 Deployment: - this is the sixth stage in which product has been deployed for the
consumer to use. Complexities of the deployment is determined according to the size of the
project. Training has been provided to the user.
Stage 7 Maintenance: - in this stage the customer start using the software and all the needs of
the purchaser have been satisfied from time to time. The software need to be update on regular
basis because of changing environment.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that information technology plays a very
important role within the organisation. As this not only the build the communication
network but also provide security to the data. Different types of social as well as ethical
issue has been faced by the company because of increasing the IT. By using LAN, MAN,
WAN and more network information has been transferred. In the end this report concluded
the SDLC process.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Rajaraman, V., 2018. Introduction to information technology. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd..
Kaddoura, S., 2020. Developing a green curriculum for introduction to information technology course.
In Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility—Volume 2 (pp. 49-52). Springer, Cham.
Fox, R., 2020. Information Technology: An Introduction for Today’s Digital World. Chapman and
Hall/CRC.
Lin, X and et. al., 2022, January. Ideological and Political Teaching Reform: An Introduction to Artificial
Intelligence Based on the OBE Concept. In 2022 11th International Conference on Educational
and Information Technology (ICEIT) (pp. 6-9). IEEE.
Jimenez-Jimenez, D., Martínez-Costa, M. and Rodriguez, C.S., 2018. The mediating role of supply chain
collaboration on the relationship between information technology and innovation. Journal of
Knowledge Management.
Webb, M. and Ifenthaler, D., 2018. Section introduction: Using information technology for assessment:
Issues and opportunities.
Howlett, M.M and et. al. 2018. INT-010 The impact of the introduction of health information technology on
medication errors in a paediatric intensive care unit.
Magera, T., 2019. Socio-psychological aspects of the introduction of information modeling technologies in
construction. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 135, p. 04038). EDP Sciences.
Martin, K., Shilton, K. and Smith, J., 2019. Business and the ethical implications of technology:
introduction to the symposium. Journal of Business Ethics, 160(2), pp.307-317.
Xiehui, L., 2021. Exploration on the Construction of Online and Offline Blending Teaching Mode in the
Introduction to Earth Science. Journal of Educational Theory and Management, 5(2), pp.109-
112.
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