Introduction to Information Technology

This document provides an introduction to information technology, its role in organizations, different types of networks, ethical and social issues, and the importance of social media in business. It also discusses Tesco's use of IT systems and the systems development life cycle.

Introduction to
Information Technology
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Abstract
Information Technology is used by almost all organisations today as it makes the
operations function smoothly. Tesco uses various information systems like Management
Information System (MIS), Decision support System (DSS) etc. to carry out its operations
effectively. Use of all these information systems has helped the company in being successful and
recognised worldwide. Implementing information technology comes with its own advantages
and disadvantages like enhancement of productivity and performance of the employees, goodwill
of the company etc. The respective company uses different types of networking systems like
WAN, MAN and WLAN to help employees and management across different locations say
connected with each other. Also, it can implement Systems Development Life Cycle to
implement technology effectively.
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Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
Literature Review.............................................................................................................................4
Role of IT in the success of retail businesses.........................................................................4
Networks and their types in a business...................................................................................5
Ethical and social issues.........................................................................................................6
Importance of social media in business..................................................................................6
Analysis and Discussion..................................................................................................................7
Role of IT in Tesco.................................................................................................................7
Ethical and social issues of IT in Tesco.................................................................................8
Networks and their types in Tesco.........................................................................................8
Importance of social media in Tesco......................................................................................9
Systems Development Life cycle...........................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12
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INTRODUCTION
Information Technology can be defined as the method in which a computer is used to
store data and to create, process, protect, store and share different forms of electronic data
(Avgerou and Walsham, 2017). In today's age, technology is advancing rapidly and is changing
the way in which organisations operate. There are various benefits and drawbacks of the same
like information technology has reduced the cultural gap all over the world and also helps in
saving time and cost. The report is based on Tesco, which is a leading British grocery retailer
with headquarters in United Kingdom. The report explains the role of IT in general, different
types of networks and the importance of social media in general as well as in the selected
business. It also describes the different stages of a systems development life cycle as well as
different ethics and social issues in Tesco.
Literature Review
Role of IT in the success of retail businesses
Technology is continually enhancing the way in which a business works in order to
provide the customers with the best quality services. It is important for companies to stay
informed about all the latest trends in the market so as to gain a competitive advantage against its
competitors in the market. The different roles if Information Technology in retail business are
explained below -
 Customer Service – Technology has improved the way in which a company provides
services to its customers. As per the views of Emily Pribanic, today, with technology
advancements, the customers can now shop for products and services online without
having to visit stores and wait in queues for long time (Role of Technology in Retail
Industry, 2020). Also, augmented reality allows them to a get better insight of what they
want to buy before making any final decision.
 Point of Sale – Implementation of technology within retail businesses have also made the
processes of payment easier as the customers can now pay through various digital wallets
and even through their bank accounts directly (Wu, Straub and Liang, 2015). RFID and
NFC technologies have eliminated the need for passwords as the customers can directly
pay through their smartphones.
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 Inventory Management – Until today, the process of inventory management was
considered to be very expensive but with the introduction of information technology,
businesses can now easily track the live status of inventory which has provided managers
to get a better sense of what materials are being purchased and the ones that need to be
ordered.
Networks and their types in a business
A networking technology is a technology by which two or more computers can be
connected to each other and can communicate the facts or information between them. The
different types of networks that are used by businesses are explained below -
 Personal Area Network (PAN) – According to the viewpoint of Stéphane Bourgeois,
this is one of the smallest and the most basic network and is made up of a modem that is
wireless, a computer, printer and a phone etc. with each other. The network generally
revolves around a single person and can be found in small offices or residences.
 Local Area Network (LAN) – This is the most frequently used network by
organisations. A LAN connects devices that are of low voltage and groups of computers
together that are present at small distances in order to share information.
 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) – This network is similar to a Local Area
Network but makes use of wireless technology instead like Wi-Fi. The devices in this
network don't have the need to rely on cables to facilitate the connection to connect to the
network.
 Campus Area Network (CAN) – A Campus Area Network is larger than a LAN and is
usually seen in universities, college campuses and small businesses (Xiang, Magnini and
Fesenmaier, 2015). The network can spread across buildings that are close in order to
facilitate the sharing of information.
 Wide Area Network (WAN) – A Wide Area Network connects computers that are at
large distances through which different low-voltage devices and computers to connect
with each other remotely (Logan, 2020). Internet can be counted as the most easiest
example of a Wide Area Network.
Ethical and social issues
It is a fact that Information technology has made the way in which operations are
conducted successful. However, improper use of the same can create problems not only for the
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organisation but employees as well. There are various ethics as well as social issues of using
technology which are explained below -
 Cyber Crime – It refers to using information technology to commit crimes which can
involve annoying computer users using someone else's identity and portraying it as
theirs. Increase in the usage of smartphones has also resulted in increased cyber crimes.
 Client security and privacy of employee data – every organisation has a major
concern of protecting the personal and professional data of its employees as well as
clients so that they cannot be used to conduct any illegal activities (Lugmayr and
Grueblbauer, 2017). This is done to avoid cases where the data is hacked and used in an
wrong manner.
 Compliance and Governance Issues – The managers of an organisation have the
responsibility of developing and formulating strategies that are in accordance with the
rules and regulations of the government. Also, it is necessary for them to develop
policies that fulfil the needs of the employees.
 Discrimination and Harassment – This is among the most common social issues that
is faced by employees of a company or people in general who use technology devices.
This particular issue not only impacts the identity of the person but his/her overall
position as well. Discrimination can take place on the basis of religion, gender , colour,
age of a person.
Importance of social media in business
Social media can be defined as interactive computer technologies that facilitate sharing of
knowledge, facts, information etc. Social media is an essential component within a business as
various social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc. help a business to connect
with customers and increase its brand awareness and thus increase sales. The importance of
social media in a business is explained below -
 Builds brand awareness – According to the viewpoint of Sharron Nelson, being present
on social media platforms, increases the channels of a business to share information and
connect with customers. This not only helps in building brand awareness but also makes
the brand more accessible to the audience also so that it is easier for the customers to find
it.
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 Cost effective – Social media is a cost effective way for a brand to market itself and its
products without having to invest in the traditional forms of advertising and marketing
Orlova and Mokhova, 2017). This helps organisations in attaining a greater ROI and
greater conversion rates.
 Improved customer satisfaction – With the help of social media platforms, a business
can improve its overall brand image as customers today favour the fact when people post
comments on a brand page. Also, businesses that value their customers invest time in
composing a message and replying to the customers.
 Improved brand loyalty – When a brand has a social media presence, it is easier for the
customers to find and connect with it. Social media helps in improving the overall brand
loyalty of the customers as it keeps them constantly engaged. IT is not only limited to
introducing a product but also a great platform for carrying out promotional campaigns.
Analysis and Discussion
Role of IT in Tesco
Information Technology has played a vital role by helping Tesco to generate strong
profits and revenues. The managers of the respective company use information systems in order
to understand the requirements and expectations of customers in a much more effective way.
Tesco also uses information technology to manage, assess and ensure an effective running of
different departments. This provides them with data insights of the past, present and future. The
IT systems also help the management in tracking the performance of its employees as well as the
company on a whole.
Different types of Information Systems that are used in the selected business are described
below -
Tesco uses different types of information systems based on the need. Some of the
Information Systems used by the company are explained below -
 Management Information System – Tesco uses Management Information Systems to
ensure that all the information is available with the managers of the company whenever
they need it. The system is also used to obtain monthly reports of the expenses that are
incurred by the company and compare them with the costs (Ota and Plews, 2015). The
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information received through a management information system helps in taking effective
decisions.
 Decision Support Systems – The respective organisation also uses a Decision Support
System to quickly address important business questions by exploring information. It also
helps the HR department to analyse the success rate of recruitment, reasons for dropout
etc. The decision support system also provides various tools to the managers to make
strategic decisions.
Ethical and social issues of IT in Tesco
Being a multinational company, Tesco uses different types of network technologies
within its premises to help its employees perform in a better way. Some network types used by it
are explained below -
 Wireless Local Area Network – The company uses Wi-Fi in its different offices that are
situated in various locations (Rajaraman, 2018). All the computer systems within the
organisation are connected with a high-speed Wi-Fi which helps the employees to
complete their tasks effectively on time.
 Wide Area Network – Since the companies has operations across the world, all the
computer systems of the company are connected with each other through Internet as it
has a vast reach. The network is maintained by multiple administrators in its different
offices.
 Metropolitan Area Network – Tesco also uses Metropolitan Area Network as it
provides fast communication through fibre optic cables that are high speed (Tate and et.
al., 2015). A MAN offers higher speed than the WAN as a result of which transfers
information between different computers. Also, the security level of MAN is higher than
WAN.
Networks and their types in Tesco
Today, almost all organisations are investing in implementing the best possible
technology in their systems in order to enhance their operations. But there are several ethics and
social issues that come associated with Information Technology. Some of them in context to
Tesco can be an employee using some other employee's identity to harass another employee and
gain advantage. Also, a hacker can hack all the important data of the employees as well as the
organisation and then implement the same in his business operations (Smith and Wong, 2016).
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All of this can affect the overall performance and productivity of not only the organisation but
employees as well as they will be mentally diverted and will not be able to pay attention to their
jobs. The goodwill of the company can also get impacted in a negative way which will give the
competitors a chance to take advantage. Thus, appropriate measures should be taken by the
management of the company to avoid such circumstances.
Importance of social media in Tesco
Social media helps retailers in building awareness about their brand and also reaching out
to potential customers (Tsohou and et. al., 2015). It is important for the retail industry as it helps
organisations in tracking the purchase process of their customers, understand their feedbacks and
thus adjust their offerings accordingly. The importance of social media for Teso is explained
below -
 The respective company has nearly 1.6 million followers on Facebook which is
considered to be one of the most interactive social media platforms. Tesco posts one to
two updates every day to keep its customers engaged and also updated about its latest
offerings.
 Tesco also operates on various other social media platforms as well like Twitter,
Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest. Being present on all these platforms has helps the
brand in increasing its reach among the customers and gain their loyalty.
 The respective brand also provides excellent service to its customers through customer
support professionals being present 24/7 to assist the customers and resolve their issues.
They also have the responsibility of replying to queries that customers post online as
comments on its various social media pages. The company is also present on Youtube
where it posts videos about any new products that are launched by it.
Systems Development Life cycle
Systems development life cycle can be defined as a framework that is implemented in
project management and describing of different stages which are associated with development of
project. It is applied to both technical and non-technical systems. The different stages of a
systems development life cycle are explained below in brief -
 System Planning – It is the first stage of the cycle in which management of business has
to conduct analysis as well as identifying about requirement of fresh software as well as
hardware. The people who are included in respective stage are manager, stakeholders,
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employees, investors of business. It is crucial phase for creation of proper as well as
successful system.
 System Analysis - It is the stage that plans expectations and requirements of customers
and ways about system performance are documented. The feasibility study is prepared for
project in which there is determination of system to be organised, economic and
technologically feasible. It is important to maintain good communication among
customers for clarity in vision for end products.
 System Design - It is the phase that defines about different elements of system, their
security level, architecture, components and kind of data that can be installed into system
in proper manner. System design is performed with assistance of using paper, pen and
deciding about how system will appear and function.
 Implementation and Deployment - It is the system which is ready for deploying,
installing and used by people (Wiig and Wyly, 2016). This phase required proper training
and development for customers in order to make ensure about familiar with using of
system.
 System testing and Integration - It is the phase in which system testing and integration
are performed by customer or team of experts in best possible manner.
 System Maintenance - This is the final stage of life cycle where professionals perform
the maintenance of system should be performed from time to time for checking that
system should not be outdated. In this replacement of old parts are done with new one by
following standards.
CONCLUSION
The above report report concludes that the use of information technology is increasing
day by day as it is helpful for businesses in conducting their operations effectively. It plays a
vital role within retail businesses as by implementing this, they can cut down unnecessary costs
and time. Also, there are several ethics and social issues that a firm goes through when it
implements and uses technology. Thus, it should develop and formulate strategies and plans
accordingly. Organisations should adopt the Systems Development Life cycle to ensure the
effective implementation of the Information Technology. Thus, it is essential for a firm to
conduct proper analysis before implementing the same in its system.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Avgerou, C. and Walsham, G. eds., 2017. Information technology in context: Studies from the
perspective of developing countries: Studies from the perspective of developing
countries. Routledge.
Logan, P.Y., 2020. Crafting an undergraduate information security emphasis within information
technology. Journal of Information Systems Education. 13(3). p.3.
Lugmayr, A. and Grueblbauer, J., 2017. Review of information systems research for media
industry–recent advances, challenges, and introduction of information systems research
in the media industry. Electronic Markets. 27(1). pp.33-47.
Orlova, N. and Mokhova, I., 2017. Introduction of Information Technologies in the System of
Corporate Governance. Electronic Scientific Professional Journal “OPEN
EDUCATIONAL E-ENVIRONMENT OF MODERN UNIVERSITY”. (3). pp.355-365.
Ota, M. and Plews, R., 2015. Development of a software tool as an introduction to Geospatial
Information Technology based on geospatial standards. Cartography and Geographic
Information Science. 42(5). pp.419-434.
Rajaraman, V., 2018. Introduction to Information Technology. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd..
Smith, L.C. and Wong, M.A. eds., 2016. Reference and Information Services: An Introduction:
An Introduction. ABC-CLIO.
Tate, M. and et. al., 2015. Introduction to the special issue: The literature review in information
systems. Communications of the Association for Information Systems. 37(1). p.5.
Tsohou, A. and et. al., 2015. Managing the introduction of information security awareness
programmes in organisations. European Journal of Information Systems. 24(1). pp.38-
58.
Van Lieshout, M., Egyedi, T.M. and Bijker, W.E., 2018. Social Learning Technologies: The
introduction of multimedia in education. Routledge.
Wiig, A. and Wyly, E., 2016. Introduction: Thinking through the politics of the smart city.
Wu, S. P. J., Straub, D. W. and Liang, T. P., 2015. How information technology governance
mechanisms and strategic alignment influence organizational performance: Insights
from a matched survey of business and IT managers. Mis Quarterly. 39(2). pp.497-518.
Xiang, Z., Magnini, V. P. and Fesenmaier, D. R., 2015. Information technology and consumer
behavior in travel and tourism: Insights from travel planning using the internet. Journal
of Retailing and Consumer Services. 22. pp.244-249.
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