Botswana College of Distance & Open Learning

Diploma in Business Management

Computer Skills
Assignment: 1
Mmoniemang Motsele
Student No: 201006379

Question 1
List five uses of computer in the following fields
a) Educaiton: It seems that more and more often computers and technology are being used in an
educational setting. This trend of wiring schools, using long distance learning, and reliance on
the internet for information is seemingly being pushed forward without any real test or study on
the usefulness of such technology on education. The uncontrolled use of technology without
examining its long-term benefits and potential problems is not something that should be allowed
to happen in education.
This use of computers in education has rapidly changed the way that people learn in a short period of
time. Computers can also be used for the following:
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Administration of students files. A file may contain the following information about a student

Students personal details

Fees account details

Examination and academic details

a)
Information is defined as data which have been processed into a form that is meaningful to a
recipient and is of perceived value in current or prospective decision making. It is anything that
is communicated.
Data: is defined as a body of facts or figures, which have been gathered systematically for one
or more specific purposes
o data can exist in the forms of

linguistic expressions (e.g. name, age, address, date, ownership)

symbolic expressions (e.g. traffic signs)

mathematical expressions (e.g. E = mc2)

signals (e.g. electromagnetic waves)

b) By use of a diagram, describe a computer system

The program may be stored in memory, as software, or written into the memory from tape or
disk.
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The actual computer, its case and printed circuit boards are known as hardware.

Question 2
Write short notes on the following
a) Super computers: A supercomputer is a computer which performs at a rate of speed which is
far above that of other computers. They are used for complex calculations and for things
such as mineral exploration e.g. Debswana where lengthy calculations are required. They
are very expensive.

b) Mainframes: Mainframes are large, expensive computers mainly used by government

institutions and large companies. It is used for crunching extremely large numbers at
extremely high speeds, storing massive amounts of data, generating life-like animation,
processing millions of real-time transactions, and serving thousands of simultaneous users.
For example institutions like university of Botswana and Bank of Botswana use mainframe
computers.

c) Servers: A server computer is a computer, or series of computers, that link other

computers or electronic devices together. They often provide essential services across a
network, either to private users inside a large organization or to public users via the
internet. For example, when you enter a query in a search engine, the query is sent from
your computer over the internet to the servers that store all the relevant web pages. The
results are sent back by the server to your computer.

Question 3
a) Outline the steps of selecting a command from a menu using a mouse
1. On the menu bar point the menu name
2. Click the mouse button once to select the menu
3. Run the mouse pointer down the menu to the required command
4. Click the mouse button once to select the command
b) Outline the steps of saving a word document for the first time
1. Click the Microsoft Office Button and then click save as.
2. Type a name for the document, and then click Save.
3. Word saves the document in a default location.

OR
1. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save, or press CTRL+S.
2. Type a name for the document, and then click Save.
3. Word saves the document in a default location.

An operating system provides a way for the user to communicate with the computer.
An operating system tells the computer hardware what to do.
Operating systems provide tools and run applications.
The operating system manages processes and memory.
The operating system manages workflow.
The operating system handles file and data management.
Operating systems help maintain security

Question 4
a) Outline the steps of opening a file form a memory stick
1. Plug your memory stick into a USB port.
Memory sticks use USB ports to connect to your computer. Look for a USB port on the computer
you want to use; they're small, flat ports with a flat piece inside that lines up with the connector
in your memory stick. Plug in your memory stick.
2. Access files from your memory stick.
You can open files directly from your memory stick if you want to work on them. Go to the Start
menu, and browse to My Computer to find your memory stick. Double-click the drive that
represents your memory stick; depending on the other drives in your computer, it may be F, G or
H.
3. Once you're in your memory stick directory, simply double-click on the file you want to use and
begin your work. Remember to always save a copy of a file on a computer; if the only copy of a
file is on a memory stick, you're out of luck if the memory stick is lost or damaged
4. Remove the memory stick.
When you're done using your memory stick, go to the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the
lower right-hand corner of your screen. This icon looks like a drive with a green arrow over it,
and if you hover the mouse over the icon, it says Safely Remove Hardware. Click on this icon,
and select the drive you want to remove. Press the Stop button. Your computer tells you when it's
safe to remove your memory stick, and then you simply pull it out of the port.
c) Set up costs for Internet connection can be very high. Discuss
An internet is the most effective means of communication
Information is probably the biggest advantage internet is offering. The Internet is a virtual treasure
trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet.
Communication:
The foremost target of internet has always been the communication.
Entertainment
Entertainment is another popular raison d'tre why many people prefer to surf the Internet. In fact,
media of internet has become quite successful in trapping multifaceted entertainment factor.
Services
Many services are now provided on the internet such as online banking, job seeking, purchasing
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tickets for your favorite movies, guidance services on array of topics engulfing the every aspect of
life, and hotel reservations. Often these services are not available off-line and can cost you more.
E-Commerce
Ecommerce is the concept used for any type of commercial maneuvering, or business deals that
involves the transfer of information across the globe via Internet.

Question 5
Describe ten document formatting actions which can be applied t a selected text in Microsoft
Word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

You change the font of the selected text

Change the font size of the selected text
Italicize the selected text
Make the selected text bold
Underline the selected text
Add or remove a border around the selected text
Align the selected text to the left, right centre or even aligns it to both the left and right
margins (Justify)
8. Make s number list of the selected text
9. Mark the selected text so that it is highlighted and stands out
10. Formats the selected text with the colour you click

Question 6
The electronic office makes it easier to communicate and has brought about a revolution of office
life Discuss. (10 marks)
Mostbusinesses use ICT in their office. The aim is to make a paperless office - where all information is
sent and received electronically
In thepaperless office...

finding information should be fast

costs should be reduced (eg cost of paper)

storage space should be minimal

Computers would be used

for word processing eg for documents, letters, contracts

for spreadsheetseg accounts and budgets

for databases eg of customer details, daily transactions

for DTP (Desk Top Publishing) for creating pamphlets, brochures...

for presentations eg annual report

These computers would be networked.

Email would be used to send messages to customers and between employees.
An Intranet would store important information used by the business.
The business may use the Internet for advertising and allowing e-commerce.

Question 7
a) List four services available on the internet
i. communication
ii. news
iii. weather conditions
iv. shopping
v. entertainment
b) Advantages of using email as compared to a telephone
i. You can receive several messages at once, instead of one at a time on the phone
ii. Excellent for record keeping, will always be in your inbox until you move it elsewhere or delete,
therefore you don't have to write anything down and can look back on it at any time, which
improves efficiency.
iii. You don't have to get a hold of the person you are sending it to, simply send the email whenever
you like and they will read it whenever they are available, removing hassle and confusion in
contacting busy people.
c) Advantages and disadvantages of networking
Advantages
i.

Networking allows a person to share hardware devices remotely without connecting them to
individual laptop computers or PCs. For example, a single printer can be used by all computer
users on a floor. This is made available with the help of computer networks.
Computer network allows file sharing and remote file access. A person sitting at one workstation
of a network can easily see the files present on the other workstation, provided he is authorized
to do so.
There are many types of software available in the market which are costly and take time for
installation. Computer networks resolve this issue as the software can be stored or installed on a
system pr a server and can be used by the different workstations.

ii.

iii.

Disadvantages of computer networking

i)

In case the main File Server of a computer network breaks down, the system becomes
useless. In case of big networks, the File Server should be a powerful computer, which often
makes it expensive.

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Question 8
a) What is a computer virus
A malicious computer program, which is designed to infect a computer and damage the programs
already on it. A virus might corrupt or delete data on your computer, use your email program to spread
itself to other computers, or even erase everything on your hard disk.
Computer viruses are often spread by attachments in email messages or instant messaging messages.
That is why it is essential that you never open email attachments unless you know who it's from and you
are expecting it.
b) Four practice that may help prevent virus propagation
1. Install quality Antivirus: Antivirus software, generally detected viruses in computer. Anti-virus
software scans files and attachments you receive for known viruses. The program will warn you if any
virus is detected, and then either clean, quarantine, or delete the infected file
2. Perform daily scans
Occasionally, virus and spyware threats escape a systems active protective engines and infect a system.
The total number and volume of potential and new threats make it inevitable that particularly inventive
infections will outsmart security software. In other cases, users may inadvertently instruct anti-malware
software to allow a virus or spyware program to run.
Regardless of the infection source, enabling complete, daily scans of a systems entire hard drive adds
another layer of protection.
3. Email Attachments: Do not open email attachments you are not expecting. Viruses come with some
very nasty messages to trick you into opening the attachment e.g. "Your email account has been
cancelled, see attachment for details".
4. Install a Firewall: A firewall is a program that screens incoming Internet and network traffic. Along
with your virus program, it can help prevent unauthorized access to your computer.
Using of USB and diskette: Do not use the USB and diskettes without scanning them first.

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Question 9

Outline four advantages and 2 advantages of Application

packages/off-the-shelf software
Advantages
a) The initial cost is lower because the software firm can spread the development costs over many
customers.
b) The software is likely to meet the basic business need you can analyze existing features and the
performance of the package before purchasing.
c)

The package is likely to be of higher quality because many customer firms have tested the
software and helped identify its bugs

d) Software have a wide numbers of users

Disadvantages
a) An organization might have to pay for features that are not required and never use them
b) The software might lack important features, thus requiring future modification or customization.
This can be very expensive because users must adopt future release of the software
References
Brookshear, J. G. (1997), Computer Science: An Overview, 5th Ed.
Nutt, G. (1997), Operating Systems: A Modern Perspective, 1st Ed.
Ralph N., Reynolds G. W. Reynolds G., Principle of Information Systems 9th Ed.

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