Introduction to Information Technology

This document provides an introduction to information technology and its role in businesses. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of implementing IT, ethical and social issues, different networking technologies, and the stages of the system development life cycle. The document focuses on Marriott International as a case study.

Introduction to
Information Technology
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Abstract
Information Technology has completely reshaped the way in which businesses conduct
their operations and has thus taken the industry by storm. It has become an essential component
of the day to day activities of different businesses. If implemented and used effectively,
information technology can help in the success otherwise in failure of the organisation. Besides
having several advantages, there are various issues, both ethical as well as social that can impact
the overall performance. Also, to ensure a smooth flow of activities different networking
technologies can be used like PAN, MAN etc. For a successful implementation of technology, a
business can make use of system development life cycle.
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Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
Literature Review.............................................................................................................................4
Role of IT in the success or failure of a business...................................................................4
Ethical and social issues that are concerned with running businesses...................................5
Different types of networking technologies...........................................................................5
Importance of Intranet and Internet in selected business.......................................................6
Different stage of system development life cycle..................................................................7
Benefits and drawbacks of investing in Information Technology..........................................8
Discussion and Analysis..................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11
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INTRODUCTION
Information can be defined as the use of computers, storage , networking or any other
devices in order to create, process, secure and store useful and important electronic data. All
organisations today, require implementation of effective information technology to carry out
their business activities smoothly (Benckendorff, Xiang and Sheldon, 2019). IT has various
advantages like the amount of manual labour can be reduced, more efficient output etc.
Organisation chosen for this report is Marriott International, which a leading hospitality
company having operations across the world. The company was founded in the year 1927 by J.
W. Marriott and his wife Alice Marriott. The report describes the role of IT in the failure and
success of a company, various social and ethical issues related to running a business as well as a
differentiation between various networking technologies. A discussion of the importance of
internet as well as intranet within a business is also provided.
Literature Review
Role of IT in the success or failure of a business
Innovation is the driving force in today's age and information technology is one of the
major contributors of the same. It has completely transformed the way in which businesses carry
out their operations. Today, people have access to smartphones as well as a high speed cellular
network. This has made it essential for companies to incorporate latest technology in their
systems. Information Technology can play a role in the success as well as failure of a business
like- decision making is one of the main processes which can either make or break a company
(Beynon-Davies, 2016). Information Technology helps a company to make effective decisions as
the various factors that affect the same like data collected from conducting market research can
be analysed using various technological tools like Google analytics, Big Data as well as other
tools. Such tools not only provide responses that are real time, but also make sure that the data
that is collected is analysed accurately so that the amount of human errors can be minimised.
Marriott International uses various IT tools that direct its decision making in order to
remain competitive in the market. Also, the success of an organisation lies in the way it markets
its business as In formation Technology helps in identifying the various opportunities of growth
in the market. It helps in identifying the target audience as well as promoting, advertising of the
products. Direct marketing is a phenomena that has grown immensely over the last few years. On
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the other hand, if a business does not implement information technology in its system, it can face
a lot of problems as well as challenges that can hinder its overall growth as well as performance.
Absence of information technology can lead to the data not being analysed effectively, increased
human efforts etc. Therefore, Marriott international should implement latest information
technology in it system to remain competitive.
Ethical and social issues that are concerned with running businesses
It is a known fact that information technology has completely changed the way in which
companies carry out their businesses (Castle and et. al., 2016). However, improper use of the
same can lead to various challenges as well as issues that can impact not only the performance
and productivity levels of the employees but organisation as well. Some ethical and social issues
that are concerned with running businesses are explained below -
 Personal Privacy – This is among most important ethical issues within information
technology as people can have access to their personal hardware and software tools,
operating systems etc. This facilitates transfer of a huge amount of data between the
systems. This can lead to chances wherein people disclose important information and use
the same illegally. Therefore, it is essential for organisations with information technology
to maintain the privacy as well as integrity of their data.
 Harmful Actions – Harmful actions in information and technology can lead to negative
consequences on the business. Such actions can include alteration or destruction of
programs as well as important files. Thus, Marriott International has strict policies that
are related to practising effective ways in which they can be minimised.
 Harassment and Discrimination – This is one of the most common social issues that
employees of an organisation can face both inside as well as outside the same.
Embarrassment can impact the personal identity of a person which can further lead to a
loss of motivation as well as productivity (Faraj and et. al., 2016). This is the reason why
Marriott takes strict actions against any kind of discrimination that can take place based
on religion, culture, age, gender etc.
Different types of networking technologies
Networking technologies can be defined as a technology by which two or more computer
systems are connected with each other and can communicate information between them. It
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allows exchange of information between different information systems. The different kinds of
information technologies are explained below -
 Local Area Network (LAN) – In a LAN, different computer systems are interconnected
with each other over a small area like an office or a building. The computer systems in
this kind of network can be connected via coaxial cable or any other kind of cable (Lloyd,
2017). A LAN is a relatively cheaper network technology and since computers are
connected with each other in a small area, the transferring of data can be done at a high
speed.
 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) – This is a kind of network that is spread across a
large area and is formed by interconnecting different LANs together (Computer Network
Types, 2018). This type of network is usually used in order to communicate between
banks in a city, for making airline reservations, within a city or a college etc.
 Personal Area Network (PAN) – This type of network comprises of a mobile or a
computer and thus can be used for establishing communication between various personal
communication devices. Marriott International provides this kind of network to the guests
who stay with it. This is because these kinds of networks are relatively safe than other
networks but are also strictly restricted to a smaller area.
 WLAN – It stands for Wireless Local Area Network and helps an organisation in linking
several devices by using wireless communication. This is the most frequently used kind
of network and is also used by Marriott International. It allows the users to move from
one place to another within a local coverage.
Importance of Intranet and Internet in selected business
We as people often treat both “INTERNET” & ”INTRANET” to be same, while both are
different in their own ways (Lugmayr and Grueblbauer, 2017). Internet is a thing that is available
to everyone with no particular restriction. Whereas Intranet is a private network owned by a
particular organization to monitor and filter the content that is being used by their employees.
Importance of Internet
 Information collection becomes easier, comes in handy and available when everything
else fail to help, can be accessed from anywhere to everywhere.
 Can be used to access info from all around the world with no high costs incurred, follows
unique internet protocol to identify each computer that is being used to surf.
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 Marriott International has high speed internet installed in all its properties to provide
guests a seamless and easy experience (Mikalef and Pateli, 2017).
 Is the fastest method of communication to reach large number of people and also helps in
things like paying bills, booking tickets etc. Internet connects people from different locations at any time and any place because there
are large number of people spread across different geographic locations that have access
to high-speed cellular data.
Importance of Intranet
 Being a private network makes it more credible for the users to trust the services
provided by intranet, and monitoring and filtering the results comes easier to the authority
 As it needs access to login, it is used for the confidential services by the private
organizations.
 In order to run various internal departments efficiently, Intranet is used so that there is no
problems and issues within the system. Intranets serve as a very important business tool
as it facilitates effective communication among different departments.
Different stage of system development life cycle
A System Development life cycle can be defined as a model that consists of different
stages that are involved in bringing a project from start to completion. The model includes
various stages such as planning, system design, analysis, development, implementation etc. The
different stages of the model are explained below -
 System Planning – This is the most crucial stage in the model in order to create a
successful system. During this stage, an organisation decides what does it want to do and
identifies the various problems that it is trying to solve (Rajaraman, 2018). It includes
defining the problem, resources available as well as the objectives of the same. The
company should seek ways in which it can innovate and make its products as well as
services better.
 System Analysis – During this stage, the needs and requirements of the end users as well
as their expectations should be identified. Therefore, it is very important for companies to
maintain effective communication with their customers and clients.
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 System Design – When a complete understanding of customers' requirement is done, the
stage of system design comes into picture. A general design can be made with the help of
pen and paper in order to determine the way in which the system will look like.
 Implementation and Deployment – During this phase the system which was designed is
ready to be implemented and deployed for the customers to use (What is System
Development Life Cycle?, 2020). This may require training of the end users so that they
know how to use the new system.
 Testing and Integration of the System – Testing is a crucial stage and can be performed
either by customers or end users. It can also be carried out by a team of specialised
professionals to ensure that the system is performing effectively and the way in which it
was designed to perform.
 System Maintenance – Timely maintenance of the system is carried out to ensure that
the system does not worn out and lose its overall efficiency. If any such thing happens,
replacement and evaluation of the existing hardware is done.
Benefits and drawbacks of investing in Information Technology
Information technology has become an important aspect for organisations which is why
most of them invest in the same. There are various benefits and drawbacks of the same which are
discussed below in context of Marriott International as well as Marks and Spencer.
Benefits
Information Technology has made the process of communication much easier through
emails, instant chats, internet based voice and video calls etc. Sharing of knowledge and
information across international borders as well as organisations in different industries has
become much easier (Ransbotham and et. al., 2016). For example – both Marks and Spencer as
well as Marriott International have implemented information technology in their systems which
has proved out to be beneficial in creating new jobs as well as improvement of overall
productivity.
Drawbacks
On the other hand, there are several drawbacks of investing in information technology as
well. Like there can be a sense of job insecurity among the employees which can lead to a
decline in the overall performance. Also, since both Marriott International as well as Marks and
Spencer operate at a global level, there can be security issues wherein a hacker can use important
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information to conduct illegal activities. Also, the cost of implementation of new information
technology is high which can affect the finances of these organisations.
Discussion and Analysis
Information Technology plays an important role in determining the success and failure of
a company and thus has become essential to succeed and survive in a highly competitive
environment. It helps in saving time and effort of a company (Tavani, 2016). This is because
companies can ease out various complex processes of collecting as well as analysing data by
using different technological tools like Google Analytics, Big Data etc. It also provides an access
to the different growth and business opportunities. Digital Marketing is one concept that has
gained a lot of popularity and is predicted to grow been bigger with the integration of different
kinds of technologies.
Also, there are various issues that are associated with implementing information
technology like useful and confidential information being getting used for illegal purposes in an
unethical manner. Cyber security, hacking etc. are some other issues that are associated with
information technology. Therefore, companies should adopt various measures and policies in
order to avoid such situations from affecting their overall performance as well as image in the
industry. Effective measures should be taken to improve efficiency as well as carry out the
business activities in a much more refined and ethical way. This is important because such issues
can directly impact the motivation and confidence levels of the employees which can further
influence their performance.
Intranet and Internet are many a times misunderstood by people and thus it is important
to note the difference between the two (Theis and Wong, 2017). Both hold equal importance for
a business in being successful in the market, although internet has become one of the key drivers
of a successful business. It has enabled multinational companies to monitor and track the
performance of employees in their other locations of operations. Apart from this, it is also a
great source of learning and enhancing knowledge about a particular subject. This is because
companies can now train their employees, who work in different locations through various online
channels. IT also helps in tracking as well as monitoring their performance. Whereas Intranet on
the other hand is much more useful for internal departments of a company. Marriott International
has implemented both internet as well as intranet in its system to make sure that productivity
levels are maintained.
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Lastly, in order to implement information technology effectively, a systems development
life cycle can be used which will ensure hat the products or services that are launched in the
market are designed properly and cater the needs of the end users (Wishart, 2016). The life cycle
model can also help in reducing the complexities that are associated with the development of a
system, from the start and dividing the same into different stages that make the process easier .
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that Information Technology has completely
changes the way in which businesses are conducted today. It has proved out to be helpful for
different companies and the way in which they conduct business. The hospitality industry is one
that has effectively implemented the same in its system as well as adapted itself to the
technology at the same time. Apart from having several advantages, there are various social as
well as ethical issues concerned with the same. There can be cases wherein important data is
used for illegal practices which can impact the overall functioning of the organisation. In order to
carry out business operations effectively, different kinds of networks can be implemented like
WLAN, LAN, MAN etc. Lastly, Systems Development life cycle can be adopted in order to
implement information technology successfully.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Benckendorff, P. J., Xiang, Z. and Sheldon, P. J., 2019. Tourism information technology. Cabi.
Beynon-Davies, P., 2016. Information Systems Development: an introduction to information
systems engineering. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Castle, M. and et. al., 2016. Introduction to reproduction: online education for the millennial
learner. Biology of reproduction. 95(1). pp.29-1.
Faraj, S. and et. al., 2016. Special section introduction—Online community as space for
knowledge flows. Information systems research. 27(4). pp.668-684.
Lloyd, I. J., 2017. Information technology law. Oxford University Press.
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.
Mikalef, P. and Pateli, A., 2017. Information technology-enabled dynamic capabilities and their
indirect effect on competitive performance: Findings from PLS-SEM and fsQCA.
Journal of Business Research. 70. pp.1-16.
Rajaraman, V., 2018. Introduction to Information Technology. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd..
Ransbotham, S. and et. al., 2016. Special section introduction—Ubiquitous IT and digital
vulnerabilities. Information Systems Research. 27(4). pp.834-847.
Tavani, H. T., 2016. Ethics and technology. Wiley.
Theis, T. N. and Wong, H. S. P., 2017. The end of moore's law: A new beginning for information
technology. Computing in Science & Engineering. 19(2). pp.41-50.
Wishart, D. S., 2016. Introduction to cheminformatics. Current protocols in bioinformatics.
53(1). pp.14-1.
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Computer Network Types. 2018. [Onbline]. Available
through:<https://www.javatpoint.com/types-of-computer-network>.s
What is System Development Life Cycle?. 2020. [Online]. Available
through:<https://airbrake.io/blog/sdlc/what-is-system-development-life-cycle>.
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