OXFORD CAMBRIDGE AND RSA EXAMINATIONS
Advanced Subsidiary GCE
APPLIED INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY
G041/IC
UNIT 2: How Organisations use ICT
JUNE 2006
Pre-release Material and Tasks – Candidate Instructions
TO BE OPENED ON RECEIPT
These instructions consist of 12 printed pages and 4 blank pages.
SP (NH/CGW) T08827/3
© OCR 2006 [Y/102/6808]
Registered Charity Number: 1066969
[Turn over
2
BLANK PAGE
G041/IC Jun06
3
PRE-RELEASE TASKS – INSTRUCTIONS FOR CANDIDATES
Read the attached case study and these instructions carefully, then carry out the tasks detailed below.
In Task 1 you will produce notes that will help you to answer questions in the examination. There are
30 marks available for Tasks 2 and 3.
You will need your completed tasks when you take the examination for this unit.
Make sure that your name and Centre number is on each page.
When you have completed the tasks you must sign and date a Candidate Authentication Statement.
You must then ask your teacher to sign to confirm that the work is your own.
Task 1
Carry out your own research and make notes which:
•
•
•
•
•
•
describe the functions of the sections and departments within Peta’s Party Plan
describe the organisational structure of Peta’s Party Plan
describe the main processes carried out by Peta’s Party Plan, including the inputs, processing and
calculations, and the outputs involved
describe the ICT systems used in Peta’s Party Plan
identify the strengths and weaknesses of the ICT systems used in Peta’s Party Plan and
recommend and explain improvements/extensions to the systems in relation to the needs of the
company
explain how legislation relating to ICT affects Peta’s Party Plan.
Task 2
The re-order log on the warehouse computer shows that more goods need to be ordered.
Draw a diagram to explain how information moves, within Peta’s Party Plan and with outsiders, during
the process of re-ordering goods by the warehouse. The process starts when the warehouse manager
decides what needs to be ordered and finishes when payment is received.
Your diagram should show:
•
•
•
•
who sends the information
who receives the information
the types of information communicated
the method by which it is communicated.
[15]
Task 3
Mobile devices have provided the party organisers at Peta’s Party Plan with the opportunity for more
flexible working practices.
Carry out some research and produce a word-processed report for the Managing Director of Peta’s
Party Plan. Your report must describe and evaluate the possible impact of the use of mobile devices on
the working practices of the party organisers.
Briefly evaluate the method(s) you used to complete this report. The quality of your written
communication will be assessed through this task.
The work you produce for Task 3 must not exceed 500 words.
G041/IC Jun06
[15]
[Turn over
4
Peta’s Party Plan case study
Introduction
Peta’s Party Plan is a company that provides everything needed to hold a children’s party. The
company has a number of town centre shops where the general public can buy party items. However,
the main business of Peta’s Party Plan is the organisation of themed children’s parties. This operation
is run from the company’s Head Office. The company also has a central warehouse, which holds
stocks of all the items sold in the shops and required to run a party. The Head Office and warehouse
are on different sites. The company uses ICT to help manage its information.
Goods and services supplied
The shops sell everything, other than food and drink, that is needed to run a successful party, as well
as other party related items. This includes balloons and other decorations, printed paper plates, cups
and serviettes in a number of designs, invitations, gift bags and a range of small gifts, greetings cards
and wrapping paper. The shops also take orders for themed parties that they pass on to the Head
Office. The party organisation operation involves all aspects of organising and running a party. This
includes organising a venue, hiring entertainers, hiring caterers, organising games and clearing up
afterwards.
Staffing and functions in the organisation
Each shop has a manager, an administration assistant and a small number of full and part-time sales
assistants. In the warehouse there is a manager, four stock assistants and two delivery drivers. Head
Office has departments for human resources (HR), finance, sales, marketing and operations. The
Managing Director, Operations Director and Sales and Marketing Director are based at Head Office.
Appendix 1 shows the structure of the organisation.
ICT facilities in shops
Each shop has two electronic point-of-sale (EPOS) terminals with barcode readers and chip and pin
card readers. The EPOS terminals are connected to a server that holds the stock database. Each shop
has a small office with two computers, one for the manager and the other for the administration
assistant. These are also linked to the server in a local area network (LAN). Word processing and
spreadsheet software is stored on the server and can be accessed from both computers. A laser printer
attached to the server provides printing facilities to both computers. A router provides a broadband
connection to the Internet for email and a link to the banking system for the authorisation of credit/debit
card transactions.
Procedures in shops
When customers have chosen the items they require they take them to one of the EPOS terminals.
The sales assistant uses a barcode reader to input the product code of each item. The product code is
used to search the stock database and return the product description and price. These are displayed
on the sales assistant’s screen and on a small screen that the customer can see. If a customer buys
more than one of an item, the sales assistant usually enters the quantity via the keypad. The system
multiplies the unit price by the quantity to give item totals, which are added to give the total due. All
prices are inclusive of VAT. If the customer pays cash, the sales assistant enters the amount tendered
and the system calculates the change due. A receipt is printed and given to the customer with the
goods. The receipt shows product descriptions, unit prices, quantities and item totals for all items. It
then shows the total price, the amount tendered and the change due. A cash receipt is shown in Fig. 1.
G041/IC Jun06
5
PETA’S PARTY PLAN
PETA’S PARTY PLAN
2 Trowbridge Road
Bromsgrove
B61 3GA
Telephone 01527 881 999
2 Trowbridge Road
Bromsgrove
B61 3GA
Telephone 01527 881 999
SALES TRANSACTION
CARD TRANSACTION
BALLOONS ASSORTMENT PACK
3 @ £1.95
PAPER PLATES PACK
PAPER CUPS PACK
SERVIETTES PACK
GIFT BAG ASSORTMENT SPECIAL
NO ITEMS: 7
TOTAL DUE
CASH
£ 5.85
MASTERCARD
£ 3.95
£ 3.75
£ 1.65
£ 6.25
**** **** **** 9009
EXP 09/07
ICC
£ 21.45
SALE
CARDHOLDER COPY
Please keep a copy of this receipt for your records
£ 30.00
CHANGE
£ 8.55
TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH
NOTIFIED TERMS AND CONDITIONS
YOU WERE SERVED TODAY BY K J BHARA
STORE TILL OP NO. TRANS. DATE
013
002 4563
6312
29/10/2005 16:03
VAT NUMBER 002 7783 26
AMOUNT
£36.50
TOTAL
£36.50
VERIFIED BY PIN
AUTH CODE: 07896
10/01/2006 15:04
Thank you for shopping with us
Please come again
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Customers who pay by card place this in the card reader. If the card is chip and pin enabled, the
customer is asked to enter their PIN on the keypad. The card reader links to the banking system to
authorise the payment. If it is authorised, the system instructs the customer to remove their card and
a card receipt is printed, (see Fig. 2). If the customer’s card is not chip and pin enabled, once the
transaction is authorised, a transaction slip will be printed that the customer has to sign. The sales
assistant then checks the signature matches that on the card before pressing a button to complete the
transaction and print the card receipt.
If a customer wants to enquire about booking a party, the administration assistant is called. The
administration assistant shows the customer a catalogue of the parties offered and uses a party enquiry
form, (see Appendix 2) to take down the customer’s details and requirements. This will include their
name and contact details, the date the party is required, how many children it is for, the age of the
children, the occasion (eg birthday), the theme, the venue and the type of food required. The
administration assistant goes back to the shop’s office and enters the details from the hand-written form
into a word-processed template. This is attached to an email and sent to the sales department in Head
Office.
Other duties of the administration assistant include:
•
keeping a record of the hours worked by each member of staff
•
removing cash, cheques and credit card records from the EPOS terminals at regular intervals,
depending on how busy the shop is
•
taking a record of the daily transactions from each till at the end of each day and checking this
against the money taken
•
reporting any discrepancies to the manager
•
emailing details of staff hours and money taken to the relevant Head Office departments every
Friday.
G041/IC Jun06
[Turn over
6
Stock control in shops
All goods sold in the shops are obtained from the warehouse. When an item is sold and its barcode
scanned, the quantity is subtracted from the number in stock in the stock database. Each item has a
pre-set re-order level. After each transaction, the system compares the number in stock with the reorder level. If the number in stock is less than or equal to the re-order level, a flag will be set on that
item’s record in the database.
Once a week the manager prints out all the flagged records and decides how many more of each item
are needed. The manager writes the number required of each item on this printout and hands it to the
administration assistant. The administration assistant enters the items required into a word-processed
order template and attaches this to an email that is sent to the warehouse.
Although birthday party products have fairly consistent sales throughout the year, the shops also sell
seasonal ranges for events such as Halloween, Diwali, Eid, Hanukah and Christmas. The seasons for
sales of these goods come to an abrupt end and so the manager must use product knowledge to
ensure that there are sufficient goods to meet demand, but not too many left over after the event.
When the goods arrive from the warehouse, the stock database must be updated to show the new
stock levels. To do this, a sales assistant uses a handheld terminal (HHT) to scan the barcode of each
item and enter the quantity received on the keypad. The HHT is connected to the server so that the
data can be used to update the stock database.
ICT systems and processes in the warehouse
The warehouse has a single computer. This has a barcode reader and a dot-matrix printer attached,
and has broadband access to the Internet. Records of stock held in the warehouse are stored in a
database on the computer’s hard drive. When an order is received by email, the warehouse manager
prints it out on 2-part carbonised paper. The top copy is handed to a stock assistant who picks the
order. The stock assistant scans the barcodes of the goods and enters the quantity of each item using
the keyboard. This quantity is deducted from the stock database. The second copy of the printed order
is given to a delivery driver who loads the goods onto a van and delivers them to the shop. The delivery
driver hands the printed order to the shop’s administration assistant who uses it to check the delivery
before filing it.
As in the shop’s stock database, there is a pre-set re-order level for each item. When the quantity of
an item reaches this level, the item is added to a re-order log. The warehouse manager checks the reorder log regularly. When there are a number of different items required from a particular supplier, the
warehouse manager uses a template in word processing software to create a purchase order. This is
printed on 3-part carbonised paper, (see Appendix 3). The top copy is posted to the supplier, the
second copy is sent to the finance department in Head Office by internal mail and the warehouse
manager keeps the bottom copy. The supplier posts an invoice to the finance department when the
order is despatched. A delivery note is also produced and handed to the lorry driver who delivers the
goods. The lorry driver hands the delivery note to the warehouse manager who checks the goods
against the delivery note and the bottom copy of the purchase order. If all is correct, the warehouse
manager sends the delivery note and the bottom copy of the purchase order to the finance department
by internal mail. When these are received, the finance department uses the on-line banking system to
instruct the company’s bank to transfer payment to the supplier’s bank by BACS.
A stock assistant scans the barcode of each item and enters the quantity via the keyboard so that the
goods received are added to the stock database.
G041/IC Jun06
7
ICT Systems in Head Office
A diagram has been removed due to third party copyright restrictions
Details:
A diagram of the computer network structure in head office
Fig. 3
Fig. 3 shows the ICT system in Peta’s Party Plan’s Head Office. Each department has a number of
networked workstations and at least one local laser printer. All software and data is stored on the server
and can be accessed from any workstation. However, managers and staff have different levels of
access so that they are restricted in what data they can see and edit. For example, only HR staff can
see and amend personnel files.
G041/IC Jun06
[Turn over
8
Functions and procedures in Head Office
Party booking and organisation
Currently, customers can only book parties by visiting a shop and discussing their requirements with
the administration assistant. When the sales department receives a word-processed party enquiry
form, a member of sales staff first telephones a party organiser to check that the customer’s
requirements can be met. If they can, the member of sales staff then enters the customer and party
details into sales order processing software using a data input form (see Fig. 4).
Customers
Customer Quotation
Surname
Initials
Title
Address
PostCode
Telephone
FAX:
E-mail:
Date:
No. children
Record:
Occasion:
Age Range
1
Item code
Description
Unit Price
Total Price
of 1
Confirm Quotation
Fig. 4
The cost of the party is made up of a cost per child based on the theme and food required. This is
multiplied by the number of children. The cost of the entertainer and venue are then added. All costs
are stored on the system and retrieved when the item code for each requirement is entered. The
system produces two copies of a quotation (see Appendix 4) that are posted to the customer.
If the customer decides to go ahead, s/he signs one copy of the quotation and posts it back to the sales
department. The member of sales staff confirms the booking on the system and prints out the detailed
party requirements. The member of sales staff sends this printout to a party organiser by internal mail.
The party organiser faxes a confirmation booking form to the venue and contacts an entertainment
agency by telephone to check the availability of entertainers. The party organiser then posts a booking
confirmation to the entertainment agency. The party organiser also posts details of the food required to
a local catering firm. When all the arrangements are completed, the party organiser emails confirmation
to the member of sales staff. The member of sales staff generates an invoice for the cost of the party
G041/IC Jun06
9
and posts this to the customer. After the party has been held, the customer must pay the invoice by
post or in person at the shop where the enquiry was made.
Operations
Party organisers are responsible for running the parties. This includes putting up decorations and
setting out the venue, greeting the guests, leading the games, introducing the entertainers and clearing
up after the party. As well as organising parties, the operations department is also responsible for
maintaining a list of venues, entertainment agencies and caterers.
Marketing
The marketing department is responsible for all advertising for the company. An important responsibility
of the marketing department is carrying out market research to find out which party themes are likely
to be most popular. Often, these relate to recent film releases, books or toys. The marketing manager
is responsible for negotiating permission to use these themes with the copyright owners. The
marketing department also works with designers to create original party themes.
Finance
The finance department keeps records of all financial transactions. This includes the weekly takings
from each shop, payments for party bookings and invoices from suppliers, venues, entertainers and
caterers. The finance department is responsible for ensuring all these invoices are paid. The finance
department uses the records to produce monthly and annual reports for directors. The department
must also produce annual accounts for the Inland Revenue and quarterly VAT returns. An important
responsibility of the finance department is arranging for staff salaries to be paid into their bank
accounts.
HR
The HR department is responsible for recruiting staff. As party organisers work with children, an
important responsibility of the HR department is to request an enhanced disclosure check from the
Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) on anyone being considered for this job. To do this members of the HR
department must request a significant amount of personal information from the applicant. The
disclosure certificate issued by the CRB may also contain sensitive personal information about the
applicant. The HR department will only issue contracts for party organisers when an acceptable
disclosure certificate is received. The HR department also keeps standard personnel records on a
database and calculates the wages due to hourly paid staff.
G041/IC Jun06
[Turn over
G041/IC Jun06
Shops
Administration
Assistants
Sales
Assistants
Shop
Managers
Sales
Staff
Sales
Manager
Sales and Marketing
Director
Marketing
Assistants
Marketing
Manager
Appendix 1 – Organisational Structure of Peta’s Party Plan
Accounts
Clerks
Chief
Accountant
Managing Director
HR
Assistants
HR
Manager
Party
Organisers
Operations
Manager
Operations Director
Delivery
Drivers
Warehouse
Stock
Assistants
Warehouse
Manager
10
11
Appendix 2 – Party Enquiry Form
G041/IC Jun06
[Turn over
12
Appendix 3 – Purchase Order
G041/IC Jun06
13
Appendix 4 – Party Quotation
G041/IC Jun06
14
BLANK PAGE
G041/IC Jun06
15
BLANK PAGE
G041/IC Jun06
16
BLANK PAGE
Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every reasonable
effort has been made by the publisher (OCR) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the publisher will be
pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.
OCR is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of Cambridge Local Examinations
Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department of the University of Cambridge.
G041/IC Jun06