Chapter 9: Bussiness

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using IT system in work environment?

*Advantages*: - lower personnel costs - improved efficiency *Disadvantages*: - negative effect on all workers>>> reducing worker morale - cause unemployment

distinguish between functions and formulae.

functions, such as SUM, are features built into the spreadsheet software whereas formulae are created by typing cell references and mathematical operators to perform a calculations.

Explain each of the IT elements used in a supermarket.

*Barcodes*: used to identify products, manage prices, and stock levels ------------------------------------------------------- *RFID*: they are placed on individual items to help identify them in a stock. *Advantages* It may be later used in more stores to provide even more detailed information about products and customers' buying habits, but the cost of using them is a concern. It can be used in warehouses to automatically count boxes of items entering and leaving warehouses, to help ensure stocks of any given item never run out. they are much faster than barcodes because the tags are automatically scanned by readers (even at long distances) at the warehouse entrances without any human intervention. *Disadvantages* The slow implementation by suppliers may cause problems. If goods are not shipped from the factory already tagged, they cannot be managed by the system unless time is spent manually tagging them upon arrival. ------------------------------------------------------- *Point of Sale (POS)*: are used in the smallest shops. -They are electronic checkout systems that scan the barcodes of products and are connected to the *central database* to update the prices and manage stock levels. - They are also connected to the *bank* to transfer funds and if the customer chooses to pay with credit card. - They can also store the customers' loyalty card number and data about his/her purchases ------------------------------------------------------- *Loyalty or reward cards*: are issued by the supermarket to reward customers with points when purchases are made. <<The card>> each card has a unique identification number (a primary key in a database) which allows the store to track the buying habits of the person using the card. Over time, using the data collected, targeted advertisements, involving sending adverts only to customers whose data suggests they are likely to respond positively, are created. even though this saves money by reducing the need to send advertisements of all sorts to everyone, it raises concerns about the privacy issues especially if the data is sold or shared with third parties. ------------------------------------------------------- *self checkout*: current self-checkout systems involve customers scanning the bar code of each item at a dedicated machine, just as the checkout operator does. This is no more efficient and sometimes even less efficient. Inn the next generation self-checkout systems, where RFID tags are used, this could be improved drastically (by having customers walk through the gate which reads the tags of all items in shopping trolley at once, then immediately generating a bill). ------------------------------------------------------- *Smart trolleys and smart shopping baskets*: are smart shopping baskets that read the tags of items as they are loaded in. In addition to the automatic price telling, it could also contain: - features such as suggested recipes in accordance to the items loaded into the basket. - Suggestions for healthier alternative products, - advertising related to the customer's purchases.

What is the main problem with online banking and digital money?

*Electronic Fraud* this can include credit card fraud which can be done in a variety of ways: - by unscrupulous employees when the customer is paying for an item in a store - by devices criminals have attached to legitimate ATMs to read the details of inserted cards

What are the common spreadsheet functions?

*Maths functions* >>> rounding numbers (*round*) >>> calculating powers or factorials (*pow*) >>> factorials (*fact*) >>> calculating averages (*average, median*, and *mode*) >>> absolute values (*abs*) >>> square roots (*sqrt*) >>> trigonometry functions (*sin, cos, tan*) >>> standard deviation (*stdev*) >>> data conversion between decimal, octal, binary, and hexadecimal (*oct2bin, oct2dec, oct2hex*) -------------------------- *Logic functions*produce results based on the status of other parts of the spreadsheet >>> *count* function counts the number of cells in a given range >>> *countif* counts only the cells that meet certain criteria >>> *if* function produces different results depending on the condition specified in the function. these conditions can utilize Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) >>> *min* and *max* functions return the lowest and highest values in a range, respectively. ------------------------- *Text manipulation functions*: >>> *value* and *text* convert between numeric and text data >>> *upper* and *lower* change text from uppercase to lowercase or vice versa >>> *trim* removes extraneous spaces from text cells ------------------------ *Date functions* aid calculations involving dates and times >>> *now* and *today* simplify tasks such as returning the current time and date and also convert date information to and from text. thee functions are used particularly in businesses because they can perform calculations while taking into account the number of working days in a week and the number of days in a month.

What are languages can be used to create web pages in addition to HTML and CSS?

*Scripting languages* such as *JavaScript* can be used to enhance web pages and make them more interactive and dynamic. Features like: - drop-down menus - images which change as the mouse moves over them - validation of data in input forms all use JavaScript, which is virtually supported by all web browsers.

what is a "Sitemap"? what is it used for?

*Sitemaps* show an overview of all pages on a web site. They are used to help users locate specific pages quickly, and can also be a useful aid during the design process.

What is Web Content Management Systems (WebCMS)? Where are they used for? What happens behind the scenes of (WebCMS)?

*Web Content Management Systems (WebCMS)* allows users to post information onto web sites with minimal knowledge of HTML or CSS. They present the user with an editor similar to a basic word processor, and automatically upload submitted content to the web site and apply a predefined style. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: They are used mainly for blogs and other sites which have content added regularly, especially if many users are involved and they lack technical skills. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Behind the scenes, the entries are stored a database and extracted and published into a web page as needed.

What do teleworkers require?

- A secure internet connection>>> this can be achieved by using a VPN

What are some of the features of a collaborative software?

- Group calendars - Simultaneous editing of a shared space - A central repository of shared documents - History and revision control for documents - Voice and video conferencing - Chat and instant messaging - Emailing lists - Project time lines or work flow diagrams - Secure connection to other users - Powerful search features to locate documents and previous communication - Cloud based application software

What elements are used to create a web page that is easy to customize, interactive, and highly functional?

- HTML and CSS language - JavaScript language - Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight

What data can be linked to and stored on the central database?

-- Packing & Shipping data -- RFID tag information for package tracking -- Suppliers information -- Credit card information -- Enterprise Information System used for data mining -- Point of Sale (POS) -- E-commerce web site -- Customer views

What are other innovations in shopping addition to the ones mentioned?

-- customers using using camera equipped mobile phones as an alternative to barcode scanners. >>>> they can take pictures of the barcodes as they load the items into the trolley. An app then keeps running the total and when the customer indicates shopping is over, produces a unique barcode representing the total cost of the shopping.

What are the uses of RFID in addition to their use in supermarkets?

-- replacing barcodes in supermarkets -- tagging items in warehouses -- automatic toll road -- package tracking

what are the advantages of using *payment gateways*?

-- they are trusted gateways between the customers and the smaller business that are reluctant to make use of digital certificates. -- can even handle automatic currency conversions for international purchases. -- in some cases, payment gateways can take money from the buyer but defer its transfer to the seller until the buyer confirms that the goods have been received. This method is advantageous to both sides because it allows them to know that money has been received before they ship the goods, but the customer still has the advantage of knowing their money can be returned if the goods do not arrive. -- can improve security because customers need to worry less about many separate companies holding their data. -- they are more likely to have securely configured its systems against unauthorized access than a business which has installed its own payment system.

Give 2 examples of using intranet.

1) Intranet can especially be used at school to share information only intended for its own user-- for example, student grades and reports, timetabling information, and online courses must be made available to people in the school but must not be available on the internet. 2) Businesses must make use of intranet to share information about a project, so that all members of the team can access the project's files and information about its progress.

What makes a good e-commerce site?

1- Multiple images of each product 2. Previews of different product versions 3. Effective search options 4. Search filters 5. User reviews 6. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) 7. Related products links

What are the steps of shopping via "E-commerce" shops?

1- the person has to log into their account by providing their username and password 2- if two-step authentication is used, a code will be sent to the user's phone to confirm they are authentic 3- When logged in, many e-commerce sites offer content and suggestions based on their purchase, viewing, and search histories. this data is stored on a central database and is analyzed via the *enterprise information system* by using *data mining* to look for trends. 4- When a customer decides to purchase an item, it is placed in an *electronic shopping cart* until the customer decides to complete the transaction. 5- then the site will require credit card number and password which may/ may not have been previously saved on the user's computer 6- Usually email confirmation is sent when purchases are made, along with a tracking number to check the status of the package online

What are the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping for customers?

<<Advantages>> - Access to shops from a wider geographical area - No need to travel or wait in lines - Instant access for materials like software or manuals - Very useful for products which don't need to be seen or checked first (e.g. Books, tickets) - Price comparison sites can help find the best deals - Some web sites can make automatic recommendations based on past purchases or items viewed - Shopping can be done at any time of day or night - Allows customers to read other purchasers' opinions (and the shop gets this feedback for free). - A wider range of products may be available, including customized products ================================================== <<Disadvantages>> - Returning items might be difficult - There may be privacy concerns about collection of viewing and purchasing history, and how it is used - There may be security concerns about the transmission, storage and use of credit card details, especially for smaller, less well known businesses - Certain items are difficult to check online, such as clothing or fresh food - Shopping can be slower because you have to wait for delivery of the product - Lack of help or customer service during purchasing process may make decision making harder

What are the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping for businesses?

<<Advantages>> - Customers from a wider geographical area can be served - Money is saved on renting and running physical shops - Wide range of products can be in the store but not actually in stock at the time - Customers can read other purchasers' opinions (which is effectively free advertising) - Smaller, start-up companies can compete with larger companies (for example, Amazon lets suppliers sell through their store). Also, Amazon allows users to publish their own books. - Allows customized targeted advertising to help find the products you need ================================================== <<Disadvantage>> - Some customers may be reluctant to supply credit card details online - Poorly designed web pages with lots of graphics or flash animations may tum off customers - Customers are used to getting material for free on the Internet and may not like to pay for certain items (especially news and articles) - Lack of help or customer service during purchasing pro- cess may turn off customers - Credit card companies charge retailers an overhead for using their cards. - There may be security concerns about the transmission, storage and use of credit card details, especially for small- er, less well known businesses. - Excessive online marketing (spam, pop-ups) can annoy customers and tum them away from a company - Security issues: 'card holder not present' transactions are harder to authenticate than face-to-face transactions

What are the general uses of IT in the businesses?

> Employee monitoring > Monitoring technology

What are the benefits of teleworking for employees?

> Environmental and financial benefits by reducing commuting > Flexible working hours can benefit people with children or other dependents>>> this can decrease the childcare costs

What are the types of monitoring technology?

> Internet monitoring software > Desktop monitoring software

What are the benefits of teleworking for employers?

> Office overheads including rent, power, and other consumables can be reduced > Employees can be retained even if they have home commitments such as children or other dependents > People can be employed from a much larger geographical area, making it easier to find people with the right skills, or people who will work for lower wages > Workers can continue to work even during events like natural disasters, extreme weather, or public transport strikes > It is possible to implement *follow-the-sun* working, whereby work is transferred from one location when the work day finishes to another time zone where the work day is just beginning.

What are the advantages of Internet monitoring software?

> Reduce the amount of internet misuse by employees -- it makes it very easy for network administrators to monitor the web sites accessed by individual users, along with any downloaded files and blocked pages they have tried to access > The company can easily monitor the incoming and outgoing emails even if they are not stored on the company's server, and so they can: - reduce the accidental and deliberate leaking of business data by the employees. - monitor email customer services according to the employees' responses

What are the advantages of employee monitoring?

> Reduce the amount of time employees waste (especially in web browsing) > Reduce the amount of internet misuse by employees > Monitoring can help identify and provide evidence in legal cases in which the companies are held legally responsible for material sent using their computer systems, including malware, inappropriate, and illegal content. > Can prevent both accidental and deliberate leaking of business data by the employees. This can be done by monitoring the files copied or the data downloaded. > Software can also monitor the systems systems for the installation of unlicensed copies of software, which could leave the company with legal charges for copyright infringement > Can be used to identify potential problems in a business by identifying areas where employees may need additional training. > Employers can also monitor the conversations between employees and customers to measure the level of customer service provided.

What are the problems of monitoring?

> raises ethical concerns, especially the invasion of privacy employees might feel>>> this is however fixed by providing Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs), which clarify the extent to which monitoring will occur. > Statistics can be misleading; for example, when a particular web site is open for a long time, it does not necessarily mean it is causing a distraction. The fact that an employee is on a work related web site or has a work related document open is no guarantee that he or she is working.

what are the tools that are suggested for web designers to us for aiding disabled or other users?

>> Alt attributes >> Using methods of distinction other than colors for the color blind to be able to use >> Altering the page layout to have navigation links placed at the the start of the page before other content so that the reader does not need to read the entire page before being presented with navigation options to the use this can help increase the equality of access to webpages.

Give examples of the use of IT in supermarkets.

>> Barcodes >> RFID (radio frequency identification) tags >> Point of Sale (POS) systems >> Loyalty cards or reward cards >> self checkout >> smart trolleys and smart shopping baskets

What features do all spreadsheets have?

>> automatic recalculations >>absolute cell referencing >>relative cell referencing >>conditional formatting >>functions >>*charts and pivot tables* for graphical representation of data >>*Cell locking* for prevent accidental changes to values in cells

How do Alt attributes aid disabled users?

>> using a *screen reader* means that when a screen reader reaches an image in a web page, by default it will read the URL of the image which is not particularly useful for the user, so the web designer will use *Alt attribute* that adds a human language description to images. The screen reader will then read that instead. for images that are not essential, empty Alt attributes should be used to prevent screen readers reading the file name. >> *title attribute* is the similar tools used for providing more meaningful explanations of hyperlinks. this is particularly useful if the hen the link is a non-text item such as a photo or an icon. adding alt attributes has the added bonus of helping search engines index the page by giving meaning to non-text items; without the Alt tag, the web spider can obviously not understand the content of an image.

What are different types of E-commerce?

>>> *Business-to-Customer (B2C)* is the type of e-commerce whereby businesses sell products and services directly to customers, typically via web sites. As part of the B2C model, many businesses provide information to support a customer's purchase, such as *package status* and *tracking information*, *user generated reviews*, and *online catalogue of products and specifications*. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: >>> *Business-to-Business (B2B)* is the type in which manufacturers use online transactions to order and pay for materials to make their products, while retailers order products from their suppliers. As many B2C purchases are made using a credit card, retailers will also need to engage in B2B transactions with financial institutions in order to perform funds transfer. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: >>> *Customer-to-Customer (C2C)* is the type whereby transactions are made directly between a seller and a buyer, usually facilitated by some third party such as an online auction site. the difference between B2C and C2C is that both sellers and buyers in a C2C transaction are ordinary people, rather than organized businesses. Even though the third part facilitates the transaction, it is not involved in it. The problem with this type of commerce is the issue with fraud because the seller and buyer do not normally know each other. As a result, many sites allow buyers and sellers to rate each other, thus establishing online reputations which other users can view.

Name and explain the different methods of payment.

>>> *Direct payment*: the retailer is sent the customer's credit or debit card details and immediately processes the transaction. Credit card details should never be sent over email or unsecured connections; therefore, a standard secure web page (indicated by *https*) is used for transactions in addition to the standard secured web page, *digital certificates* could also be used to ensure the authenticity of a web site owner and help prevent phishing attacks. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: >>> *Payment gateways*: also known as third party payment services (such as PayPal) can help in situations whereby smaller businesses do not make use of digital certificates.

What are CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)?

A HTML file can then contain the page content and assign named styles to it, while a CSS stylesheet is used to define the appearance of those styles. For example a style called 'headline' could be applied to the title of every page using HTML, and defined in the CSS stylesheet to use a large font and a white background. When a style property in the CSS stylesheet is changed, all items marked as 'headline' will change automatically, in every page where the stylesheet is used. the advantage is that: -- consistent site-wide changes are easy and convenient to make -- it also benefits disabled users as their browsers can automatically apply stylesheets which use larger fonts and colors with a greater contras

What is the intranet? What is its difference with the internet?

A network that shares information privately among the employees of an organization. Intranet content may still be accessed outside of the organization's network, but requires users to authenticate themselves. Information on an intranet takes the standard protocol form of web pages (HTTP) and email (SMTP) with the only difference being the size and visibility of networks. The internet is a global, public network of information, whose information unlike the intranet can be accessed without users having to authenticate themselves.

a) What is Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)? b) give examples of this.

Any method in which money is moved electronically through computer systems. this includes: - *automatic teller machines* (ATM) - paying for purchases using a debit or credit card - direct debit systems

What is HTML and what are the problems associated to it?

Basic web pages are written in *HTML--HyperText Markup Language* which contains contains both data (the web site content) and page styling information (colors, fonts, and etc.) This presents problems especially if frequent or wide-spread changes need to be made to a site's appearance or content. To make a change, every single HTML file would need changing to reflect the new design- which could be hundreds of files. Changing each file would be time consuming and error prone. A solution to these problems would be to use *CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)*.

What is the potential harm of macros?

Because many macros are written in a programming language (for example, those in Microsoft Office are written in Visual Basic for Applications), they also have the potential to be harmful, altering data and sending volume emails. This is exactly what macro viruses do

What are macros and what can they be used for?

Companies must consider the use of a consistent style or 'look and feel' to their documents; for instance, brand recognition can be increased if all materials of a company have a similar appearance. This can be achieved using macros. Macros are software features that can help achieve this consistency. they allow users to record a sequence of actions or instructions which can then be later repeated.>>>> this is useful when you want to apply the same formatting styles to multiple documents.

what is conditional formatting in spreadsheet?

Conditional formatting can change the formatting of a cell depending on its content. for example you can condition cells with a value lower than 80 to appear red and higher to appear as green.

Explain package tracking. What are the advantages?

E-commerce companies and couriers usually offer package tracking to their customers, enabling them to the view the last known status of their packages from a web site. This is done using *RFID tags*. The packages are scanned at the start of each step of the journey and the results are transmitted to a central database with details of the *time* and *location* of the scan. When the vehicle reaches its destination and unloads the goods, they are scanned again, updating the database. The customer can then enters his/her package tracking number, which will fetch the data regarding the package from the database and will display it on the screen. <<Advantages>> 1-customers no longer have to worry where their goods are or whether they will arrive. 2- Accountability is increased because any lost goods can be traced back to a last known time and location.

What is *Electronic commerce*?

E-commerce, or electronic commerce, refers to business transactions made online via the Internet.

Give an example of using extranet.

For example, a business might share information about a project's progress, but not its internal budget information, with the customer who commissioned the project.

Distinguish between "first party" and "third party cookies".

If the information about the user is directly stored by the web page visited, the cookies used are called *first party cookies*. These are used to better understand the user and offer them the best experience. When a third party has adverts on a website, the cookies used to gather data are called *third party cookies*. Because these advertising companies have adverts on lots of sites, reading the same cookie on each site allows them to identify you as the same user. Over time, the company build a personal profile for the user by knowing which websites you have visited. As a result, third party cookies are sometimes called *tracking cookies* and are most likely used to enabled targeted advertising.

what is cell locking used for?

It is used to lock cells to prevent accidental changes to their values

What does desktop monitoring software do?

It provides a complete report of almost any aspect of a computer's use: - Individual application use - Disk space use - Idle time - Instant message chat logs - Installation of software - Accessing, copying, and changing of files - Documents opened - Windows opened - Items printed - Insertion and removal of USB devices - Key strokes typed >>> this is in fact done by key loggers (they are designed to capture every keystroke typed by users. Software key loggers run in the background, silently record- ing key presses.) - It allows remote viewing and remote desktop features>>> these allow a remote user such as an administrator to view and interact with the screen of another computer respectively

What can be used to add functionality to web pages?

Multimedia *plugins* such as *Adobe Flash* and *Microsoft Silverlight* can be used to add more functionality. they are often used for: -- games -- animations --embedded video -- interactive quizzes, and other multimedia applications web designers must think carefully before implementing these technologies on their web sites because they require plugins to operate and not all web browsers have these plugins installed by default. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Even if the plugins are installed, the web designers need to carefully limit the use of multimedia to reduce the bandwidth and page load time.

How can the problem of electronic fraud be addressed and reduced?

OFFLINE FRAUD 1- *chip and pin* cards can reduce offline fraud by requiring the card PIN to be entered at the Point of Sale terminal. In this way, instead of requiring the signature of the cad owner, which can easily be forged, the PIN can be a safer way to authenticate the customer as the card owner. ---------------------------------------- ONLINE FRAUD 2- Reducing online fraud (card-not-present transactions) is more difficult but can be reduced by using *data mining* and *artificial intelligence* techniques. these are used to collect data about suspicious transactions such as repeated purchases, purchases at unusual times of the day, or purchases made in foreign countries. These suspicious activities can be blocked or further investigated by calling the card owner. 3- another method of reducing online fraud is when banks redirect their customers to their own website and require them to enter their online banking password that provides an extra layer of authentication. (the problem with this however is the DNS poisoning of the bank's website)

What is the advantage of using a single database for an organization?

One set of data can have multiple uses in a company: for example - product data and prices can be displayed on the company web site - the same data, plus stock levels, can be used in the warehouse to manage inventory - this database can be connected to Point of Sale (POS) systems too Using a single set improves data integrity by removing redundant copies which could be inconsistent.

Name the steps involved in publishing a web site. Explain each step thoroughly

Step 1: Choose a web host Step 2: Purchase a Domain Name Step 3: Upload the site Step 4: Get the site indexed ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: *Step 1: Choose a web host* when a web site is created, it needs to be uploaded to a *web host* so that users can access it. Web hosts run *web servers*, which are responsible for receiving requests from users and returning web pages. There are two options: 1- using third party hosting 2- hosting the web site on your own company's servers the second option involves the costs and expertise to install, configure, and maintain one's own web server, so small companies rely on third party hosts, who provide dedicated web space and email addresses. The costs of 3rd party hosts depends on the features, such as the bandwidth and the amount of disk space provided for the website. Addition of features like SSL connections and support for data-driven web sites using PHP, ASP, or SQL databases usually add to the cost. The cheapest hosts tend to host several web sites on each server, thus slowing down access to them; conversely, the most expensive ones have individual servers dedicated to them, which is essential for sites with frequent and a lot of visitors. *Uptime* is the time a server runs without interruption and is an important factor in choosing one's host. The best hosts have multiple backup and redundant systems to obtain a high level of uptime even if they suffer power or hardware failures. Free web hosts provide hosting in return for placing advertisements on each site, but these are intended primarily for hobbyist use. Larger companies may choose to host their websites on their own servers. This has the advantage of removing monthly hosting charges, and giving complete control over the servers, including uptime and security; however, this also adds to the costs of the company: the cost of installing, configuring, and maintaining the required hardware, backup and failover systems, and the servers. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: *Step 2: Purchase a Domain Name* Domain name registrars charge a small fee to register a domain name, which usually depends on the top-level domain (TLD) required. TLDs such as *.com* are more expensive than less well known options such as *.net*. Once a domain name is registered, it must be configured with the IP address of the web server hosting the web site--the precise method of doing this varies, but once done, the DNS server will be updated with the domain name and the corresponding IP address, allowing visitors to access your site. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: *Step 3: Upload the site* The final step in the process is to upload the web site to the web host. In the case of simple sites which utilize only HTML and CSS technologies, this can be achieved using a *File Transfer Protocol (FTP)* program, which copies files from the designer's computer to a directory on the web host. However, for more complex data-driven sites, databases need configuring and data transferring before the site can go live. once this is done, the site would be accessible by typing the domain name into any web browser. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: *Step 4: Get the site indexed* Search engines regularly index the world wide web, but with most search engines it is also possible to submit a URL for future indexing. search engines do not search the whole World Wide Web when you click the Search button. Instead, search engines use dedicated programs called *web spiders* or *web crawlers* which constantly index the web. These programs start at a given web site and record key information about it, then give the page a ranking using a *ranking algorithm.* When one page is indexed, the spider moves to another page by following links from the first page. On each page it indexes, the spider follows the links it finds, building up the search engine's index. Because the web is constantly changing, web spiders need to constantly revisit pages to index the latest content. When somebody uses the search engine, the keywords they enter are checked against the index to find the pages containing those words. Of the sites containing those words, the highest ranked sites are returned first.

What is E-Marketing?

Strategic process of creating, distributing, promoting, and pricing goods and services to a target market over the Internet or through digital tools. E-marketing is used by both offline businesses, to attract more customers to their physical stores, and online business to increase the number of web site visitors and improve their conversion rates.

What is a collaborative software and what can it be used for?

Teleworkers can often use collaborative softwares. It can be used : >to increase their productivity and maintain their communication with one another. > to allow people to work together on documents and projects from anywhere with an Internet connection

What is *electronic store front*? What does it do?

The front page of an e-commerce site is sometimes called an *electronic store front.* Function: 1- Links to different shop departments or types of products, 2- Shows any special deals that are currently available 3- Usually offer a search function

What is deskilling? give an example.

The replacement of a skilled worker with an IT system that can be operated by semi-skilled or unskilled worker. for example: - A shop assistants who no longer need to have maths skills - Carpenters and metal workers whose manual skills have been replaced by computerized machinery.

What are teleworkers?

They are employees who work away from the office: either working from home or while traveling. They use information technology to stay in touch with colleagues.

What are "mobile commerce"?

Using mobile phones and other portable device to make purchases. Individual *mobile applications* are responsible for many features of this type of shopping: 1- 'push' news and updates to customers 2- alert customers to deals 3- provide an electronic shop front to make purchases

Explain web page compatibility.

Web designers need to test pages carefully to ensure they appear and function in the same way across different browsers, operating systems, and screen resolutions. it is ideal not to require plugins to view essential web site features because not all users have them available. However, best solution for these problems is for web developers to detect whether a user's browser supports the technologies used, and provide an alternative if it does not. this complicates the web design process but it instead prevents users with older browsers from being excluded from using the site.

a) What are cookies? b) How do they work? c) What data is stored using cookies? d) how can they be blocked?

a) *Cookies* are small text files stored in a special folder on your hard disk by some of the web sites you visit. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: b) 1. When you visit a web site, the site checks if you already have a cookie for that site. 2. If you do not, the site creates a new cookie, usually with a new unique identification number (UID). 3. Otherwise, if your computer already has a cookie for the site, this indicates that you are a returning visitor. The data from the cookie, including the UID, is sent to the web site. 4. The UID from the cookie can be used to look up your data in a database held by the web site. most web sites store only a UID in a cookie, and store all their other data about you in a database on their systems. the UID is merely the primary key used for identification in the database. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: c) Data stored includes: - the last time you visited the site - the time you spent on the site - the exact pages you visited - user preferences: • language • page layout • color scheme - systems with login requirements remember that you're logged on ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: d) Many people block third party cookies because they feel they do not offer useful functionality, but it would be hard to navigate without 1st party cookies since most websites rely on them for functionality. Newer web browsers support Stanford University's *'Do Not Track'*initiative to let users opt out of tracking cookie systems. Add-ons for older browsers can be downloaded to do the same thing.

a) What are pivot tables in a spreadsheet? b) what can they do? c)What is the advantage of using them?

a) Pivot tables are an advanced output feature which can provide a summary of data in a spreadsheet. b) They can can *count items*, *sum fields*, and *sort and filter data* to produce a summary table which can be filtered to show only the required information. c) This makes it easier to understand trends in large spreadsheets

What is meant by automatic recalculation in spreadsheets?

mean that when a value in a cell changes, the results produced by any formulae depending on that cell will be updated

What is an extranet and how does it doffer with an intranet?

sometimes information in an intranet is shared with a limited number of people outside the organization. This is called extranet.

What are Data Driven Websites?

sometimes, the contents of a webpage depend on what the user has recently posted or searched up; therefore, it would be impossible to create a static web page for every possible search the user might make. Page like this are *Data-driven* meaning that the contents are fetched from a database using a query which is run when the page is requested. <<Process>> 1- Data is stored in a *back end database* such as SQL or Oracle. Usually lower end databases such as Microsoft Access are not used for this purpose because they do not meet the performance requirements. 2- Programming language such as *ASP* or *PHP* is used on the web browser to extract the required data from the database and build a HTML web page, which is sent to the user for viewing.

Name a few of the things that banks now enable customers to perform online.

the online facilities include: - customers can see the status of their accounts - perform transactions such as money transfers - online bill payment, where customers can pay for their electricity, gas, and other utilities without having to write a cheque

Distinguish between relative and absolute cell referencing.

when a formula is copied and pasted elsewhere, the cell references in it are updated depending on the distance copied. this is known as *relative cell referencing* because it changes relative to the formula's position -------------------------- sometimes when the cell reference needs to stay the same, *absolute cell referencing*, in which the ell reference stays the same no matter the position, is used. Absolute cell referencing uses a dollar sign to indicate 'never change this cell reference'.

What is reskilling?

when existing workforce are trained to do the new jobs required with the introductions of robots in workforce.

What is mail merge and what are its benefits?

when wanting to send hundreds of emails, manually typing the names of all customers for every email would be time consuming and placing a more general heading would be unprofessional and likely to be treated as spam. Mail merge helps solve this problem; this option allows the user to insert fields (e.g. name, address) of data into a document from a source such as a database table >>>> this creates multiple copies of the document each of which contains information from a different record.

what are the notable standards developed by W3C?

• *HTML*>> The standard language for web pages • *CSS*>> standard for formatting web pages • *XML*>> eXtensible Markup Language, along with several related standards such as XSLT and XQuery, is used to encode structured data in text format. • *SVG*>> A standard file format for vector graphics, which uses XML. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: These standards are important in ensuring consistency in the way web pages and services appear and operate.

Common mistakes about cookies:

• Do not gather information about you; they just identify you • Do not store private information such as passwords or credit card numbers • Are not programs - they're text files • Are not viruses, and cannot contain viruses or any other malware • Cannot help a web site access files on your hard disk • Cannot be read by sites other than the one that created the cookie.