UNIVERSITY OF BALOCHISTAN

INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

TOPIC: HOW COMPUTERS CAN BETTER HANDLE THE BUSINESS

ADMINISTRATION

SUBMITTED TO: MISS HINA AMBREEN

SUBJECT: IT APPLICATIONS

SUBMITTED BY: KHALID KHAN

MBA 1 SEMESTER
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SECTION (A)
M-10

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DATE: 12-MAY-08

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 CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITION

O COMPUTERS
O ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS
O COMPUTER BASED BUSINESS APPLICATIONS

• ROLE OF COMPUTERS IN VARIOUS FIELDS TO MAKE THEM

MORE EFFICIENT

O EXAMPLES OF HANDLING AND HELPING IN BUSINESSES

O COMPUTER BASED SYSTEMS FOR CREATING BETTER AND EFFICIENT
MANAGEMENTS

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 INTRODUCTION
A computer is a device that, given some instructions, can perform work at extremely fast
speed by drawing upon a large memory. It can also be programmed to draw certain types of
conclusions on basis of the input it receives of the results of computations it performs. A
good deal of human mental activity involves these same processes. For this reason, the
abilities that can be imparted to computers to enable them to display intelligent, human-like
behavior is commonly referred to as artificial intelligence.

TECHNOLOGY AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE AND MANAGEMENT TOOL

There are a number of examples of Integrated Learning Systems (ILS), where entire course
structures, lecture, practical and assignment schedules and supplementary resources are held
electronically and available for student consultation whenever needed. The management of
assessment schedules is just one small part of an ILS, and an equivalent benefit is available
through the use of other, less holistic tools.

For departments where electronic mail is available this offers both tutors and students an
efficient and straightforward means of communication. One application is to use e-mail to
remind students of impending deadlines. Even students who are absent when the message is
first posted are certain to receive the message when they next access their mail. Similarly any
changes, revisions to the assignment, or hints can be delivered to all students.

Assignments can be submitted electronically. For distant learners this avoids the need to rely
on the speed of postal services, and for all students the date and time of delivery is
automatically attached, so meeting deadlines can be monitored accurately.

Computers are an ideal tool to track attendance or achievement records, allowing monitoring
of trends, for individuals and cohorts, comparison between years or classes and early
identification of problems.

ELECTRONIC SEMINARS

Electronic mail has already been mentioned as a useful administrative tool. It can also play a
supporting role in the whole process. Examples exist of courses where seminars are presented
electronically, rather than in a tutorial room as is conventional. The student leading the
seminar prepares a paper and submits this by e-mail to the group for consideration. Some

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electronic discussion follows, prompted where necessary by the tutor. After a few weeks the
student 'presenting' summarizes the discussion, and presents a revised paper.

Such a structure is extremely flexible in making demands on the student's time. The
contribution of all students to the discussion is marked by the tutor, hence all students are
encouraged to contribute, and however those who might naturally be more reserved have the
opportunity to consider their contributions rather than being forced to make them as soon as
an idea or question occurs to them.

Management of such seminars does require skill from the tutor in judging just when to
contribute a comment in order to keep discussion going. It also offers possibilities for peer
group assessment and other less traditional methods.

Expert systems are software systems that imitate the reasoning processes of human experts
and provide decision makers with the types of advice they would normally receive from such
human experts.
BUSINESS APPLICATIONS:
ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE
 Providing tax advice and assistance
 Helping with credit authorization decisions
 Selecting forecasting models
 Providing investment advice
MARKETING
 Establishing sales quota
 Responding to customer inquiries
 Referring problems to telemarketing centers
 Assisting with marketing timing decisions
 Determining discount policies
MANUFACTURING
 Determining whether a process is running correctly
 Analyzing quality and providing corrective measures
 Maintaining facilities
 Scheduling transportation routes

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  Assisting with product design and facility layouts
PERSONNEL
 Assessing applicant qualifications
 Giving employees assistance at filling out forms

GENERAL BUSINESS
 Assisting with project proposals
 Recommending acquisitions strategies
 Educating trainees
 Evaluating performance

ROBOTICS is the field of artificial intelligence concerned with the design, manufacture, and
implementation of robots. Robots are computer-controlled devices that mimic the motor
activity of human beings.

NEURAL NETWORKS are knowledge-based computer systems that emulate the human brain’s
pattern recognition process. Neural-net systems aren’t preprogrammed to provide predictable
responses like conventional algorithms, even those found in expert systems; instead, they are
designed to “learn” by observation and repetition.

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 ROLE OF COMPUTERS IN VARIOUS FIELDS TO MAKE THEM MORE EFFICIENT

COMPUTERS early after its birth started helping organizations for processing large
amount of data either statistical or manufacturing with a few seconds of time, this has help
organizations to achieve what they always wanted to and has helped them to create software
which can be used for special purposes such as databases of different organizations need
different kinds of programs which can easily be created by computer languages. The use of
computer has also made it easy to transfer a large amount of data from one place of the globe
to the other. Similarly organizations can access to different servers and work collectively on a
project.

From the time when computers came into existence it started supporting almost every sector
of a country to flourish at much more quick speed then it would have until now without
it , its importance can be felt by the following examples:

COMMUNICATION

Computers make all modern communication possible. They operate telephone switching
systems, coordinate satellite launches and operations, help generate special effects for
movies, and control the equipment in all phases of television and radio broadcasts. Local-area
networks (LANs) link the computers in separate departments of businesses or universities,
and larger networks, such as the Internet, permit modems telecommunication devices that
transmit data through telephone lines to link individual computers to other computers
anywhere in the world. Journalists and writers now use word processors to write books and
articles, which they then submit to publishers on magnetic disks or through telephone lines.
The data may then be sent directly to computer-controlled typesetters, some of which actually
design the layout of printed pages on computer screens.

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

Computers are used by scientists and researchers in many ways to collect, store, manipulate,
and analyze data. Running simulations is one of the most important applications. Data
representing a real-life system is entered into the computer, and the computer manipulates the
data in order to show how the natural system is likely to behave under a variety of conditions.
In this way scientists can test new theories and designs or can examine a problem that does
not lend itself to direct experimentation. Computer-aided design, or CAD, programs enable

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engineers and architects to design three-dimensional models on a computer screen. Chemists
may use computer simulation to design and test molecular models of new drugs. Some
simulation programs can generate models of weather conditions to help meteorologists make
predictions. Flight simulators are valuable training tools for pilots.

INDUSTRY

Computers have opened a new era in manufacturing and consumer-product development. In

the factory, computer-assisted manufacturing, or CAM, programs help people plan complex
production schedules, keep track of inventories and accounts, run automated assembly lines,
and control robots. Dedicated computers are routinely used in thousands of products ranging
from calculators to airplanes.

GOVERNMENT

Government agencies are the largest users of mainframes and supercomputers. They use
computers for hundreds of tasks, including research, breaking codes and interpreting data
from satellites. The Inland Revenue uses computers to keep track of tens of millions of tax
returns. Computers are also essential for taking the census, maintaining criminal records, and
other tasks.

EDUCATION

Computers have proved to be valuable educational tools. Computer-assisted instruction, or

CAI, uses computerized lessons that range from simple drills and practice sessions to
complex interactive tutorials. These programs have become essential teaching tools in
medical schools and military training centers, where the topics are complex and the cost of
human teachers is extremely high. Educational aids, such as some encyclopedias and other
major reference works, are available to personal-computer users either on magnetic disks or
optical discs or through various telecommunication networks.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Video games are one of the most popular applications of personal computers. The constantly
improving graphics and sound capabilities of personal computers have made them popular

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tools for artists and musicians. Personal computers can display millions of colors, can
produce images far clearer than those of a television set, and can connect to various musical
instruments and synthesizers. Painting and drawing programs enable artists to create realistic
images and animated displays much more easily than they could with more traditional tools.
"Morphing" programs allow photographers and filmmakers to transform photographic images
into any size and shape they can imagine. High-speed supercomputers can insert life-like
animated images into frames of a film so seamlessly that movie-goers cannot distinguish real
actors from computer-generated images. Musicians can use computers to create multiple-
voice compositions and to play back music with hundreds of variations. Speech processors
even give a computer the ability to talk and sing.

COMPUTERS HAVE HELPED IN THE CREATION OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS

1. Transaction processing systems (TPS): Computer-based transaction processing

systems are often considered the bread-and-butter Management information system
application. Transaction processing systems in many organizations today are used in
this way as competitive weapons. Additionally, they moved from dumb terminals to
intelligent microcomputer-based workstations.
IMPLICATION OF TRANSACTION PROCESSING SYSTEM IN
• Bookkeeping: Different organizations uses different COMPUTERS made softwares
and machines to record transactions and other important data. Such as bans use
automatic teller machines to record deposits and withdrawals of account holders. The
airlines have reservation systems that keep track of all tickets purchased by
passengers. Supermarkets and department stores capture customer item purchases
with a variety of sophisticated input equipment.
• Issuance: Issuance refers to the production of such documents as paychecks,
invoices, periodic statements, and payment reminders. The software for recording
these are also made by COMPUTERS.
• Control reporting: Reports that are produced as a by-product of transaction
processing operations, and that also serve operations-control purposes, are called
control reports. COMPUTERS plays a ole in handling large volumes of business
transactions, an error report is often used to flag invalid transactions that were rejected
by the system and must be reprocessed.

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2. Management reporting systems: A management reporting system (MRS) is an
information system that provides types of information to management. The main
output was hardcopy summary and exception reports that were distributed by the MIS
department to the line departments at periodic intervals or on demand. With infusion
of display technology into today’s business workplace, however, many of the
information outputs traditionally available in hardcopy form with an MRS are now
available in screen form.
3. Decision support system: As Developments in interactive display technology,
micro computing, and easy-to-use software systems changed the way in which
managers were provided with information – and led to growing understanding of how
technology could support difficult decisions—a new turn was coined to distinguish
this new system from a report-based MRS. These systems are used to make routine,
structured decisions, such as approving loans or credit, reordering inventory,
triggering remainder notices, and selecting audit samples. In programmed decision
systems, the focus is on doing something more efficiently; in decision support
systems, the focus is on helping decision makers become more active.
4. Executive information systems: An executive information system (EIS) – which
is sometimes referred as to executive support system (ESS) – is a DSS that is
designed to meet the special needs of top-level managers. Any distinction between the
two usually is because executive support systems are likely to incorporate additional
capabilities such as electronic mail. Information technology and application software
have become increasingly user friendly. Operating systems graphical user interface,
such as windows, have helped stimulate chief executive officers interest in using
computers. In addition, on-line computer services that carry environmental
information such as news, industry arid economic reports, and worldwide and
government data, are used more frequently by executives.

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