BAE Systems, ICT, and Data Management: A Comprehensive Report

This report provides a comprehensive overview of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and its applications in a business environment. It begins with a descriptive definition of ICT, its components, and its increasing role in businesses, particularly in South Africa. The report then delves into network topologies, emphasizing the hybrid topology's flexibility and reliability for organizations. A significant portion of the report focuses on BAE Systems, examining the importance of information access, data management cycles (including Siemens's Teamcenter and CATIA), the creation of a data warehouse, and the value of ICT for management. The report also explores BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies, CRM phases to increase customer base, customer relations with online shopping sites, and ethical considerations. Additionally, it discusses how business intelligence can be used by organizations and highlights current trends in ICT, such as mobile technology and gesture-based remote control. The conclusion emphasizes ICT's wide-ranging impact on market analysis, organizational behavior, and predicting market potential, with a strong emphasis on how ICT has helped BAE Systems in various aspects of its business. References to books, journals, and online resources are also provided.

INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
1 Descriptive definition of ICT and its applicability in business environment...........................1
2 Network, its topology and types...............................................................................................1
3.1 Importance of access to information for BAE's aircraft section...........................................1
3.2 Data management cycle that BAE follows...........................................................................2
3.3 Steps applicable to create a data warehouse for BAE...........................................................2
3.4 Issues of legacy system and its solution................................................................................3
3.5 Value of ICT for management in BAE.................................................................................3
4. BYOD and its pro's and con's.................................................................................................3
5.1 CRM phases that can be applied to increase base customers................................................3
5.2 Customer relations with online shopping sites......................................................................4
5.3 Ethical behaviour that is applicable when engaging with customers....................................4
6. How business can be used by an organisation........................................................................4
7. Various trends in ICT..............................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
.........................................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Information refers to as processed data that has a certain meaning whereas
communication refers to as exchanging of information via certain medium. Role of unified
communication in Information Technology(IT) refers to as information and communication
technology. It just extended version of IT. Linking computer system with telephone network
through cabling so that audio and video or any other form of data can be stored or manipulated,
transmitted or received to far distant places across various networks is known as ICT. There is a
very large amount of data in present world that needs to be communicated on various IT
networks. South African ICT is very well established and highly sophisticated.
1 Descriptive definition of ICT and its applicability in business environment
ICT refers to as a technology that is used in communication for transmitting, receiving,
storing and manipulation of information. Various components of ICT includes data, hardware,
software, procedure and people. It is applicable in business environment as these days role of
IT has increased to a large extent. Its use ranges from communicating products to customers,
internal functionality of an organisation. At every stage of working in an enterprise managers
have to have communication with all employees and that too in a very large area in these ICT is
used (Schomberg, 2011).
2 Network, its topology and types
Network refers to as interconnection of more than one system so as to receive and
transmit data or information. Arrangement of systems in a network including its nodes and
connecting lines is known as network topology.Types of networks are Bus, Star, Ring, tree,
mesh and hybrid. For an organisation that needs to connect its system on WAN best possible
topology is hybrid topology because in hybrid technology we can connect systems in all other
topologies according to requirement. For example local computers can be connected in bus
topology while two systems in different network at a very large distance can be connected in
tree topology and both networks can be connected with each other. Since these topologies are
flexible, reliable and can easily be extended so it is highly beneficial for organisation which have
extension plans (Law, Buhalis and Cobanoglu, 2014).
3.1 Importance of access to information for BAE's aircraft section
BAE had a very large set of data which was need to be stored without redundancy.
DBMS tools provided accessibility of these to every employee which resulted in saving time in
manufacturing of aeroplanes. Since BAE has its branch in many countries so previously
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accessing of these large data was a difficult task. DKIW hierarchy helped company to represent
information in terms of instructions, knowledge in terms of information and wisdom in terms of
knowledge.
3.2 Data management cycle that BAE follows
To reduce inconsistency and redundancy management cycle that BAE followed are
Siemens's Teamcenter product life cycle and CATIA CAD/CAM systems. Teamcenter database
included tools for mark-up and roll-up capabilities allowing employees to determine and
visualize the effect of component design changes and configure selection in real time. This
helped to create single repository that can used at the time of decision making.
3.3 Steps applicable to create a data warehouse for BAE
(Drawing 1: Data Warehouse for BAE )
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SALES CUSTOMER
ACCOUNTS MANUFACTURING WEBSITE
TRANSACTIONS
PROCESSING CENTER
DATA FROM
EXTERNAL
SOURCES
Present and historical
data
DATA STORAGE

Steps include:
1) Data originates from various components in an organisation like sales, manufacturing,
customer accounts and website transactions.
2) mixing of present and historical data so as to check redundancy.
3) Data from external sources and goes into processing center where it gets evaluated with
data from external sources.
4) After processing it goes to data storage space.
3.4 Issues of legacy system and its solution
It was manual and not stored at the same place hence it posed a problem to check data
redundancy, inconsistency. Lesson an organisation can learn from this case study is that a
single database management system is very effective in manipulating data and storing large
number of informations. If any organisation has to generate a legacy system it has to be centred
and can be accessible to everyone.
3.5 Value of ICT for management in BAE
ICT plays an important role for management in BAE as earlier managing data and
information was manual and was not central so it was difficult to access data on time and hence
production got reduced. Addition of ICT technology to the management system of BAE helped
top managers to implement plans on time and expand its empire in different countries while
completing with each other (Stepanova, 2011).
4. BYOD and its pro's and con's
BYOD is a growing trend and many companies allows employee to connect their
electronic accessories to the business network. Pros of BYOD is it lowers the cost of the
company expenditure on the laptops or other costly devices. Corporation has increased
efficiency because most of the people are familiar with their own device and can work better on
that technology only. Con's of BYOD includes data leakage threat, different devices have
different technologies and hence may not work on the same platform or operating system which
is suggested by any organisation.
5.1 CRM phases that can be applied to increase base customers
CRM is not only customer relationship it is more about learning more about customers
needs and behaviour in order to develop stronger bonds with customers (Aker, 2011). Increase
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business contact and interacting with them on different products in market so as to retain their
base customers. Acquiring or extending more number of customers by available primary details
of them. Vodafone interacting their customers using their call centres.
5.2 Customer relations with online shopping sites
These days many company are using social networking sites to increase customer
relations. Takealot.com is one of largest online portable where online shopping can be done.
Facebook page of this website helps websites posting new updates about its products in terms
of advertisements, pictures or videos.
5.3 Ethical behaviour that is applicable when engaging with customers
Ethical behaviour includes not indulging into personal interaction with customers. A
company cannot promote its product beyond customers permission. A company cannot post
anything on rubbish on the social media. No stealing of personal information while a company is
connected to any customer.
6. How business can be used by an organisation
Set of data, technology, applications, architecture, processes which are used by an
enterprise to support collection, presentation and data analysis of business information is known
as business intelligence. It can be used by enterprise to support wide range of business
decisions ranging from operational to strategic decision. Product, its positioning and pricing can
be done by using BI. When internal and external data of an organisation is combined then they
can get complete picture of their operations ( Tremblay and Légaré, 2012). This gives insight of
new market and suitability of a product in that market. It helps organisation in predicting its
future growth potential in any market. For example BI can be used in clothing industry as know
trends of market and manufacture clothes according to it.
7. Various trends in ICT
There are number of trends in the ICT technology. Among them there are two which is
discussed here:
 Mobile technology: Now almost every individual have mobiles and they have access to
internet. In transportation industry demand of ICT is increasing, Mobile apps helps the
buyer and seller in tracking their goods (Hutchison and Reinking, 2011). Mobile apps like
google maps are used for the navigation purpose.
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 Gesture based remote control: These systems has robots which work on human
gestures this kind of robots can be used in transportation industry to lift heavy
machineries or goods more efficiently .
CONCLUSION
ICT is a has vary wide range of impact on any organisation. It helps to study the market.
Managing database helps company in studying organisational behaviour. it helps organisation in
predicting the nature of target market. By analysing investor can find out new market places
there scope and its potential to grow. The internal and external data of companies environment
can be checked by using ICT. In many industries like telecommunication it is the lifeline of an
enterprise. It helped organisation in expanding its reach to newer people.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Aker, J.C., 2011. Dial “A” for agriculture: a review of information and communication
technologies for agricultural extension in developing countries. Agricultural Economics.
42(6). pp.631-647.
Gagnon, M.P., Desmartis, M., Labrecque, M., Car, J., Pagliari, C., Pluye, P., Frémont, P.,
Gagnon, J., Tremblay, N. and Légaré, F., 2012. Systematic review of factors
influencing the adoption of information and communication technologies by healthcare
professionals.Journal of medical systems.36(1). pp.241-277.
Hutchison, A. and Reinking, D., 2011. Teachers’ perceptions of integrating information and
communication technologies into literacy instruction: A national survey in the United
States.Reading Research Quarterly.46(4). pp.312-333.
Law, R., Buhalis, D. and Cobanoglu, C., 2014. Progress on information and communication
technologies in hospitality and tourism.International Journal of Contemporary
Hospitality Management.26(5). pp.727-750.
Stepanova, E., 2011. The role of information communication technologies in the “arab
spring”.Ponars Eurasia.15. pp.1-6.
Von Schomberg, R., 2011. Towards responsible research and innovation in the information and
communication technologies and security technologies fields.
ONLINE
THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ON ROAD
FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION. 2017. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S038611121460114X>. Accessed on
22nd July 2017.
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