Report on IT Role, Ethical and Social Issues for Marks & Spencer

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Marks and Spencer, examining the role of IT in its success, ethical and social issues faced by the business, and different types of networking technologies utilized. The report details the importance of intranet and internet for the company's operations, and also explores the different stages of the system development life cycle. The main body of the report discusses how IT has contributed to Marks and Spencer's success by facilitating efficient data storage, decision-making, and strategic planning. It also addresses ethical issues such as integrity, diversity, and compliance, along with various networking technologies including PAN, LAN, MAN, and WAN. Furthermore, it highlights the significance of intranet and internet in enhancing internal communication, data sharing, and customer engagement, as well as exploring the system development life cycle to guide the development of new systems within the organization. The report concludes with an overview of the key findings and their implications for Marks and Spencer's business strategies.

Individual Report

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Role of IT in the success or failure of Marks and Spencer..........................................................1
Ethical and Social issues that pertain to running businesses.......................................................2
Identification and differentiation between different types of networking technologies..............3
Importance of intranet and internet in the business.....................................................................4
Different stages of system development life cycle......................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Internet is a tool which is used by all the business entities in current era for various
purposes such as advertising, market research, promotions etc. With the help of it companies
gather market data and then use it to form future strategies which can help to attain long term
organisational goals (Avgerou and Walsham, 2017). The organisation which is selected for this
report is Marks and Spencer. It is one of the largest British multinational retailer which is mainly
based in Westminster, London, United Kingdom. This report covers various topics such as role
of IT in success or failure of organisation, ethical and social issues which pertain to run a
business, different types of networking technologies etc. Along with this, importance of intranet
and internet for business and different stages of system development life cycle is also covered
under this assignment.
MAIN BODY
Role of IT in the success or failure of Marks and Spencer
Information technology can be defined as the process of using computers for the purpose
of storing data and use it whenever it is required. All the business entities attain success by using
it to store important information which could be used in future to formulate strategies. Marks and
Spencer is also using IT and it has helped it to achieve success as it has transformed the way of
organisation in which business is executed. It helps to formulate innovative business idea which
can guide through out the way of success. Different types of software are used by Marks and
Spencer with the help of IT which direct it to hire skilled workforce and recruit such employees
who have such skills which are required by organisation. Transaction processing system is
used by Marks and Spencer which helps it to keep track record of all the transactions which are
made by it on daily basis. Decision support system is also used by Marks and Spencer in order
to form effective and appropriate decisions which can help it to attain organisational goals.
Marks and Spencer has also achieved success with the help of information technology because
top level executives use such systems for various purposes such as formulating decisions,
keeping track record of transaction etc. When all the business processes of the organisation are
conducted appropriately then it helps to attain success (Dahlstrom and Bichsel, 2014).
From the above analysis it has been determined that IT has played a vital role in the
success of Marks and Spencer because top level managers has used it appropriately so that
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organisational goals could be achieved. With the help of information technology executives in
the organisation form strategic decisions for future so that organisational tasks could be achieved
successfully.
Ethical and Social issues that pertain to running businesses
All the business entities face some issues which are related to the environment in which
operations are executed. All of them are known as ethical and social issues. While operating
business companies have to face various such types of problems. These are also dealt by Marks
and Spencer and in order to resolve them managers form effective strategies which can help to
respond the issues. Some of them that pertain to run the business are as follows:
Integrity and trust issues: One of the major ethical issue which is faced by business
entities now a days is dealing with problems regarding trust and integrity. This challenge is also
dealt by Marks and Spencer and in order to deal with it, it is vital for the organisation to operate
business activities ethically and be honest to the stakeholders such as investors, customers,
suppliers etc. When customers think that company is not providing them accurate information
regarding products which are bought by them then their level of trust gets decreased and they try
to switch to other enterprises (Laudon and Laudon, 2015). It affects business execution
procedure because it affect mind set of customers.
Diversity and respectful workplace: Each and every employee who is working within
the company have right to get respect from superiors. It is another ethical issue which is faced by
Marks and Spencer because lower level employees think that top executives does not treat them
appropriately. This mentality of them may result in decreased productivity which may lead
organisation toward failure. When employees are not able to work productively due to this issue
then business cannot be operated properly.
Decision making issues: It is one of the social issues which is faced by Marks and
Spencer because while taking strategic decisions it is very important to analyse social conditions
so that possibilities of such problems could be reduced. When organisation is not able to form
strategies according to mind set of clients and other external stakeholders then it may leave
negative impact upon market image of company (Lloyd, 2017).
Compliance and governance issues: All the entities are required to comply with all the
governmental forces in order to operate business operations in appropriate manner. As legal rules
and regulations changes with time so it is not possible for companies such as Marks and Spencer
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to modify organisational policies according to it. In this situation government can take strict
action against the companies which are not able to comply with new legislation. It is a social
issue because it can result in change of market image on the company in mind of custoemrs.
All the above described social and ethical issues are faced by Marks and Spencer while
operating business activities. Top level executives take all of them in to consideration and form
strategies accordingly so that possibility of taking place again can be reduced.
Identification and differentiation between different types of networking technologies
Network technologies: It can be defined as connected systems which are used with the
help of cables, wireless connections and satellite. It is mainly used for the purpose of building
infrastructure to relay information through internet networking or communication. With the help
of them companies such as Marks and Spencer can execute business in more effective manner.
Some of the network technologies used by companies are as follows:
 Personal area network: It is a computer network which is used for the purpose of
communicating between computers near by a human being. PAN could be in the form of
wired or wireless network which connects different devices. USE devices are considered
as wired connection and Bluetooth, drop boxes, ultra wide band (UWB), infrared etc. are
wireless devices. In Marks and Spencer, these are used for the purpose of communication
between staff members (Personal area network (PAN), 2019).
 Local area network: This type of network is mainly used to connect computer systems
in a limited area. It is mainly used in one building where different devices get connected
with each other. It is used in the stores of Marks and Spencer for the purpose of billing
(Local area network (LAN), 2019).
 Metropolitan area network: It is mainly used in geographic area to connect different
computers. It is larger than local area network and smaller than wide area network. It is
used by top executives of Marks and Spencer in specific cities in order to control the
stores.
 Wide area network: It is used in large geographical area which covers states or regions.
It can be public or private which could be used to connect parts of business and small
networks together. Wide area network technology is used by top executives of Marks and
Spencer in its headquarters in order to keep detailed information of all the outlets around
the world.
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Difference between networking technologies:
PAN LAN MAN WAN
It is used to connect
computers near by an
individual.
LAN is used to
connect computer
devices in a building.
WAN is used by
managers to keep an
eye on the business
activities of all the
stores in a city.
It is mainly used by
top executives of
business to keep track
record of all the outlets
which are operating
business all around the
world.
Range of PAN is short
as it covers a small
area where data rate if
around 250 KBPS.
In LAN data rate is
from 10 MBPS to
1000 MBPS.
Data rate of MAN is
around 10000 MBPS.
In WAN data rate if
more than 10000
MBPS.
Cost of setting up a
PAN is very low.
Set up cost of LAN is
low as less hardware is
required.
Setting up cost MAN
is higher than LAN.
It is the most
expensive network
technology.
Bandwidth of PAN is
very low.
Bandwidth in LAN is
low.
Its bandwidth is higher
than LAN.
It has the highest
bandwidth among all
types of network
technologies.
Importance of intranet and internet in the business
Intranet: It is a private network which can be used by staff members of an organisation's
staff members. All the information which is shared with the help of intranet is not accessible for
general public like internet. In other words it can also be defined as restricted communication
network which is created with the help of world wide web software. It is also used by Marks and
Spencer in its stores in order to facilitate the staff members to communicate with each other.
Importance of it for the company is as follows:
 For Marks and Spencer intranet is important because with the help of it internal
information can be shared without any threat related to theft of confidential data.
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 With the help of it lot of information could be stored by company which help employees
to enhance their knowledge regarding organisation (Marchewka, 2014).
 With the help of intranet collaboration and feedback can be improved because it is
accessible by employees only.
 With the help of intranet transparent culture of the organisation can be established which
helps to bring out the best from workers.
Internet: It is a tool which is used by individuals to gather information regarding all the
aspects which are required by them to enhance their knowledge. It is also used by business
entities for various purposes such as collecting customer data, analysing market conditions,
conducting marketing campaign and promotions. With the help of internet Marks and Spencer
aware clients regarding all the products which are going to bought by them (Piotrowicz and
Cuthbertson, 2014). Importance of it for marks and Spencer is as follows:
 Internet is very important for all the businesses as it helps to enhance digital presence of
the organisation.
 With the help of internet Marks and Spencer can gather information regarding market
conditions which can help to formulate effective strategies for betterment of company.
 There are various types of technologies of internet which are beneficial for organisations.
One of them is cloud storage which helps to store data online and access it whenever it is
required.
 Internet is also a tool which helps companies to market their products online. With the
help of it Marks and Spencer can promote all the items sold by it to the clients. It can help
to attract large number of customers with the help of attractive marketing strategies.
Different stages of system development life cycle
System development life cycle: It is a guideline which is required to develop a system.
In order to develop it various stages are followed by companies which are as follows:
 Planning: It is the first stage which is used to form plan to make sure that the project
should be started or not. In this step first of all a problem is identified and then a team is
formulated which is going to handle the tasks.
 Analysis: In this stage requirements of organisation is analysed and requirements of the
system is monitored. This step of system development life cycle refined the project goals
in to defined operations and functions (Schwalbe, 2015).
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 Design: At this stage the way in which all the requirements of user are going to be
fulfilled is mentioned. The solution which is proposed for the problem is also analysed
with the help of it.
 Implementation: At this stage physical system specification are converted in to the
reliable and working solution. This step is taken with the help of coding, integration and
testing. At the end new system is installed.
 Maintenance: After implementation it is very important to maintain the new system and
improve the information system (Sittig and Singh, 2015).
All the above described stapes are followed while planning to design a system. In order to
implement a new system successfully it is very important to focus on all these aspects.
CONCLUSION
From the above project report it ash been concluded that internet is a network technology
which is used all around the world by business entities and individuals in order to be social.
Organisations use it for different purposes such as marketing, promotion, advertising etc. There
are various types of technologies which are used by companies in order to execute operations
effectively. These are LAN, MAN, PAN and WAN, which are used according to requirements of
the company. In order to develop a system various steps are followed which includes planning,
analysis, design, implementation and maintenance.
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REFERENCES
Books and 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.
Dahlstrom, E. and Bichsel, J., 2014. ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information
Technology, 2014. Educause.
Laudon, K. C. and Laudon, J. P., 2015. Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital
Firm Plus MyMISLab with Pearson eText--Access Card Package. Prentice Hall Press.
Lloyd, I. J., 2017. Information technology law. Oxford University Press.
Marchewka, J. T., 2014. Information technology project management. John Wiley & Sons.
Piotrowicz, W. and Cuthbertson, R., 2014. Introduction to the special issue information
technology in retail: Toward omnichannel retailing. International Journal of Electronic
Commerce. 18(4). pp.5-16.
Schwalbe, K., 2015. Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.
Sittig, D. F. and Singh, H., 2015. A new socio-technical model for studying health information
technology in complex adaptive healthcare systems. In Cognitive Informatics for
Biomedicine(pp. 59-80). Springer, Cham.
Online
Personal area network (PAN). 2019. [Online]. Available through:
<https://urgentcomm.com/2007/11/01/connecting-on-a-personal-level/>
Local area network (LAN). 2019. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-lan-4684071>
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