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Information for Learners
Many employees work remotely from their main
office with their daily routine organised for them by a
manager. This manager will be responsible for
scheduling the work of each employee so that the
needs of the customer are best met. (Scenario 1)
Customer feedback is a useful method of gauging
the effectiveness of employees. (Scenario 2)
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Scenario 1
Cable Ties Ltd is a company that specialises in installing and maintaining cable television
systems. The company employs seven Cable Technicians and provides each of them with
a smartphone to help them complete their work. Each Cable Technician is required to sign
an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) before they are issued with their smartphone. As part of
this AUP, each technician has to agree not to download any Apps other than those
included with the smartphone when it is issued.
At the end of each day, Jackie, the Office Controller, looks at all the jobs that have been
booked and creates a work schedule for the next day for each technician. These work
schedules are then remotely synchronised with the technicians’ smartphones.
At the start of the day, and when a job is completed, each technician contacts the next
customer on their schedule to confirm that the planned visit is still convenient.
Cable Ties Ltd has some ‘priority’ customers. A call from a ‘priority’ customer must be
dealt with within four hours of being received. When such a call is received, Jackie will
make any necessary changes to work schedules for the day. Updated work schedules are
then sent remotely to the smartphones of any Cable Technicians affected by the change.
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Scenario 2
Jackie, the office controller, wants to collect feedback from
customers. She is not sure whether to ask customers to fill in
a paper-based form while the technician is at their premises
or to ask them to give feedback online after the technician’s
visit. Jackie knows that whichever method she chooses, she
will receive a lot of feedback. She would like to be able to link
the feedback from each customer to the job to which it refers.
Marcus has just started working for Cable Ties Ltd as a Cable
Technician and his work is being monitored for his first four
weeks. When he completes a job, he has to send an SMS
message to Jackie, with the word ‘Done’ and the job
reference. This information is then used to monitor the time
that Marcus takes to complete each job.
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Preparation
In order to prepare for the examination, you should find out the features
of smartphones and how these can be used to support the day-to-day
work of a travelling technician.
This should include:
the use of wired and wireless technology to transfer information to
portable devices and the benefits and drawbacks of doing so
how information and data can be stored on portable devices
possible drawbacks of providing technicians with smartphones.
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You should also research
into:
legal and moral restrictions on the use of personal and other data
methods by which personal data can be protected
methods of storing data and information that is no longer required
for day-to-day use
methods of tracking the work of travelling technicians
methods of collecting and using data about customer satisfaction
the impact of the use of ICT on the efficiency of businesses.
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LO1
Input, Output & Storage
Input Devices (keyboard, mouse, microphone)
Output Devices (monitor, speakers, printer)
Storage Devices (hard drive, flash drive)
A ‘USB’ is not any of the above – you probably
mean a flash drive – and that’s storage, not input or
output
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LO1
Storage & Connectivity
Storage & Connectivity Devices:
Optical discs (CD & DVD)
Magnetic media (Internal & External HDD, tape)
Solid State Drives (SSD)
Memory cards & Flash Memory
Network devices (modems, routers)
Cloud Storage
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LO1
Smartphones
Features
Relate features specifically to day to day work of a
travelling technician
Apps
Diary software, Syncing with office
Methods of communication
SMS, Calls, Email
Advantages & Disadvantages of giving technicians
smartphones
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LO1
Application Software
Specifically:
Communications software
Web browsers
Apps for portable devices
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LO1
Monitoring Employees
Using GPS location tracking
Monitoring internet use and comminicatons
GPS and Sat Nav are not the same thing!
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LO2
Data Storage
File formats:
Proprietary formats: .doc, .xls, .ppt, .fla, .wma,
.aac
Open formats: .rft, .pdf, .csv, .exe, .txt, .mp3, .wav
Date storage technologies
Local and removabe media
Remote storage (offsite storage, cloud storage)
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LO2
Security
Security measures to be taken when storing data:
Network/Computer Security
Usernames/Passwords
Access rights/permissions
Document Security
Passwords
Other ways to restrict access to or editing of content
How and why data is encrypted
Physical security to prevent loss of data/devices (e.g. locked
doors)
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LO2
Connectivity
Be able to give definitions and uses of each:
Wired:
USB, Firewire, Ethernet, HDMI
Wireless:
Wifi, Bluetooth, Infrared
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LO2
Connectivity
Be able to state the benefits and drawbacks of:
Wired connections
Wireless connections
A benefit is a good feature or an advantage.
A drawback is a bad feature of a disadvantage.
If you’re asked about implications, you need to look
at the benefits and the drawbacks
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LO2
Connectivity
Mobile data transmission – 3G & 4G
Remote methods – Email, Internet, Cloud, P2P
Security methods – data encryption
How the following impacts choice of method:
File size, transfer speed, future-proofing, data security, user
needs
Factors effecting transfer speed:
Bandwidth, router, technology
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LO2
Connectivity
Factors affecting the appropriate optimisation of
electronic files (e.g. download speeds, quality of
product)
How to connect a computing device to an existing
wireless network:
Network name – SSID
Use of security keys
Firewalls for public and private networks
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LO2
Data Capture Methods
Online & Paper-Based Forms
Automated Data Capture: control system
sensors, barcode readers, RFID, NFC
How can following factors affect choice of
method:
Nature of information to be collected, cost,
availability, ease of use, data security
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LO2
Data Capture Methods
How to design data capture forms to obtain
specific information
How to code information for use in spreadsheet
or database
Data validation methods
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LO2
Storing Data
How to use backup and recovery systems:
Data storage media, backup frequency, archiving,
automated vs manual systems
How the following factors can affect the choice
of method:
Cost, ease of use, availability, data security
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LO3
Diary Management (DMS)
What is DMS?
What can DMS do?
Appointments, reminders, syncing
How is DMS accessed?
Mobile app/cloud
Closed/open – Access Rights
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LO3 & LO4
Smartphone Drawbacks
Consider:
How organisations monitor employees:
GPS location tracking, monitoring internet use,
monitoring communications
How legislation effects business computer users:
Health & Safety, Data Protection, Copyright,
Computer Misuse
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LO3 & LO4
Smartphone Drawbacks
Moral and ethical issues:
Use and abuse of personal and private data
Cyberbullying
Monitoring individuals
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LO3 & LO4
Smartphone Drawbacks
Implications and consequences for
organisations of data loss:
Legal implications
Impact on customer
Impact on employees
Impact on organisation
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LO4
Legislation
Computer Misuse Act
Health and Safety at Work Act
Data Protection Act
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
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LO4
Monitoring Individuals
CCTV
Swipe or RFID cards
Key logging
Mobile phone triangulation
Cookies
Call monitoring / recording
Electronic consumer surveillance (loyalty cards)
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LO4
Acceptable Use Policies
What are they?
What might they include?
Relate to legal, moral and ethical