ICT Lecture notes for students and tutors

Information Communication Technology note for lecturers and students

1. LECTURE 1 INTRODUCTION TO ICT AND ITS ROLE IN ORGANISATIONS ICT is an acronym for Information and Communication Technology and is define, as a “ diverse set of technological tools and resources used to create, process, store, protect, transmit and retrieve information from anywhere, anytime.” ICT has become an integral part of everyday life and as such has an impact on nearly every aspect of our lives – from working to socializing, learning to playing.

2. Role of ICT in Organizations Information and communication technologies (ICT) play a crucial role in the operations, management, and decision-making of modern businesses. Nowadays, it is not easy to find an organization that does not use a computer (to keep logs or compute their sales, etc.) or a mobile phone (to communicate). Hence, ICT is now an integral part of the functions and activities of organizations.

3. Some of its role in organizations are as follows : Ensure and Enhance Communication ICT can be used to facilitate communication and collaboration among employees, as well as with business partners such as customers, suppliers, etc., regardless of their location. Improve Efficiency of Business Operations In business operations, ICT is used to automate and streamline processes, improve efficiency, and reduce errors. For example, a company might use ICT to automate its accounting system, track inventory levels, or schedule employee shifts. Improves Customer and Supplier Experience With technologies such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and Supply Chain Management (SCM) software, ICT makes it easier for organizations to provide good customer and supplier experience.

4. Aids in Decision-Making In decision-making, ICT is used to collect, analyze, and present data that can be used to make informed business decisions . Security Systems such as entry systems and cameras, enhance the protection of confidential information and mitigate risk of theft of organizations assets. Other roles include: • ICT enables organizations to reduce paper wastage and enhance backupsL by providing cloud-based databases. • With multi-language websites, organizations can reach customers world wide • Organizations can also use online recruitment • With ICT, telecommuting is made possible • Organizations can easily get information about their competitors

5. As a result of the role that ICT plays in organizations, it enables them to : • Achieve Operational Excellence: improvement in efficiency, leads to improvement in productivity and hence, higher profits. • Create New Products, Services, and Business Models: with ICT, organizations are able to create and develop new products or render services in a new way or develop new ways of producing, delivering and selling its products and services . • Achieve Customer and Supplier Intimacy: customers who are well served become loyal customers . Hence, they purchase more and recommend the organization to others. • Improved Decision Making: relying on ICT for informed decision making rather than guessing or relying on luck, etc. enable managers not to misallocate employees, services, inventory, etc.

6. • Competitive Advantage: with ICT, organizations are able to charge less for superior products , produce products or render services with better performance, be intimate with customers and suppliers . Overall, the role of ICT in business operations and decision-making is to provide organizations with the information and tools they need to operate more efficiently and effectively and to make better decisions that support their strategic goals.

7. THE COMPUTER The word computer is derived from the word compute, which means to calculate . It was originally defined as a super-fast calculator. It had the capacity to solve complex arithmetic and scientific problems at very high speed. Computers nowadays in addition to handling complex arithmetic computations, perform many other tasks like accepting, sorting, selecting, moving, comparing various types of information as well as performing arithmetic and logical operations on alphabetic, numeric and other types of information. A computer is an electronic device, operating under the control of instructions that can accept data (input), manipulate the data (process), produce information (output) from the processing , and store the results for future use or reference.

8. Figure 1. 1: A Typical Computer

9. Basic Functions of a Computer Computers are made in all shapes and sizes, from the common personal computer , to embedded computers that work inside appliances, to the huge, room-sized mainframes. Despite the differences in size and use, all of these computers mainly perform the following four basic functions : 1. Receive input – accept data/information from outside through various input devices like keyboard , mouse etc . 2. Process information – perform arithmetic or logical operations on the data.

10. 3. Produce output – communicate information to the outside through output devices like monitor , printer etc. 4. Store information – store the information in storage devices like hard disk, compact disc etc.

11. Characteristics of Computers Speed: the speed here means the duration that the computer requires in fulfilling a task or completing an activity and is measured in terms of the number of instructions that it can perform or execute in a second. Accuracy: Computers are very accurate. The accuracy here means the level of precision with which calculations are made and tasks are performed. Computers are capable of executing hundreds of instructions without any errors. Efficiency: The efficiency of computers does not decrease with age. The computers can perform repeated tasks with the same efficiency any number of times without exhaustion. Even if they are instructed to execute millions of instructions, they are capable of executing them all with the same speed and efficiency without exhaustion. Versatility: Computers are very versatile, meaning that computers can perform more than one function.

12. Limitations of Computers Although the computers of today are highly intelligent and sophisticated, they have their own limitations . ✓ The computer cannot think on its own. It can only do what is has been programmed to do. ✓ Computers do not learn from previous experience nor can they arrive at a conclusion without going through all the intermediate steps. ✓ Computers cannot generate information on their own. While it is true that a computer has the capacity to put together information from many sources, it can only do this if it has been programmed to do so. ✓ Computers cannot correct wrong instruction.