Q1. What is the role of a computer in business?

The computer plays many roles in business, including communications, data storage and data
analysis. Computers have tremendously improved the way businesses operate in their respective
industries. Technology has advanced so remarkably that those who are not using computers in their
business are at a major disadvantage against their competitors. In particular, there are several important
advantages that computers can provide to small businesses.

1. Inventory Management

Retail and wholesale business have increasingly come to rely on computers' advanced ability
to keep track of inventory and assist in ordering more when stocks get low. In fact, one of
the central approaches to the success of retail giant WalMart was real time ordering in which
WalMart's computer systems place orders for goods as they are needed. This allowed them
not to carry too much or too little of any particular item as well as to save on the manpower
required to manage much of the supply chain. However, businesses of all sizes use inventory
management and point of sales systems to do smaller scale versions of the same thing.

2. Presentations and Documents

While it's still possible to find a typewriter at a garage sale, the days of typed papers and
documents are dead and gone. Word processing is a must in today's business environment.
Not only are computers the medium for document creation, but the ability to email and
share documents electronically has become central to the editing, approval and delivery
process. Similarly, presentations and reports are commonly delivered in electronic slide
show presentations or via webinars. Creators must use programs, such as PowerPoint, to
create them as this is the standard for modern business.

3. Electronic Communications

A business not involved in electronic communications -- particularly email -- closes off one of
the largest communication channels today. Customers, clients, vendors and business
partners use email to make contact and transact business. Some companies go beyond
email and actually encourage the use of in-house instant messaging as a method of
communications between employees and departments.

4. Internet Access

Internet access is a business' communications lifeline. Internet-enabled computing allows

you to receive orders from customers, place orders with suppliers, research businesses,
explore business ideas, communicate with government agencies and even manage your
business' banking. In addition, online presence with at least a website is critical to
legitimizing a business. Many companies go further and participate in social networking sites
for marketing and branding purposes.

5. Multi-site Networks

If your business has more than one site or branch, then multi-site networking provides
tremendous benefits for accounting, standardizing and managing your multi-faceted
operation. Many companies use point of sale systems to ensure standardized operations
within a chain of stores or sites. Companies that sell similar products or services in multiple
locations find that computer systems help them keep track of revenues, costs and their
supply chain from a central office. This allows a centralized management team to get reports
on any or all sites and get a macro-view of the business when needed

6. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems stores every interaction a

company has with a customer for future reference . The customer has a better,
more focused experience and the company benefits from improved productivity.

7. Payroll System
Computerized pay roll system is used in different organizations to maintain pay
accounts of employees, easily and quickly.
8. Advertisements
Computers play a vital role in advertising. Whether they are paper notices on
boards or electronic billboards and online advertisements, every advert via any
media is fully done with a computer.
9. Data Management
Today, most companies store digital versions of documents on servers and
storage devices. These documents become instantly available to everyone in the
company, regardless of their geographical location.
10. Management Information System
Management Information Systems (MIS)enable companies to track sales
data,expenses, productivity levels, profitabilityover time, identify areas of
improvement anduse the data as part of their strategicplanning process .
11. Human Resource Management
The HRIS helps in:Human Resource Planning, Recruitment, Wage and Salary
Planning, Personnel Record Keeping, Training and Development.

In an age of booming technology, running a business without computers is like trying to breathe without
lungs. Like it or not, technology has become an integral part of the way business is done. Even if you
perform services or provide products which are not technology related in and of themselves -- such as dry
cleaning and hairstyling -- you may find that without a computer, it's difficult to place orders with suppliers
or pass information to your accountant.
An Introduction to Payroll Systems

Payroll consists of the process by which a business pays its employees for work performed
during a specific period. A payroll system allows businesses to follow a set series of
processes in order to make timely, correct payments in compliance with government
regulations. A payroll system may be manual or computerized and handled in-house or
outsourced to another provider.

Payroll Process Overview

The payroll process typically includes calculating employee pay, recording payroll
transactions and determining and paying payroll taxes. A company must have in place a
timekeeping system that accurately reflects the hours put in by nonexempt employees as
well as the regular salary payments for exempt workers. Employers typically withhold
federal income tax from employee earnings; at the end of the year, they must report all
wages, tips and other compensation paid. Companies also must withhold Social Security and
Medicare contributions from employees' wages and pay a matching amount.

In-House

Some smaller businesses conduct their payroll using a manual system. While inexpensive,
this method may increase the chances of errors and could prove time-consuming for
companies with more than a few employees. With a computerized system, the employer can
utilize payroll software to process its payroll on-site. Some larger companies can afford the
computer systems and staff to process payroll on their own. Because they spread their costs
over a large workforce, they experience lower per-check expenses than smaller firms.

Outsourced

Outsourcing takes place when a business hires a third-party payroll service provider to
process its payroll. Such firms typically can handle all aspects of the payroll cycle as well as
other reporting services. With an external system, the employer sends payroll data to a
service provider to process payments for the upcoming payday. This data includes hours
worked as well as benefits, taxes and withholding information. Online payroll service
providers offer companies the ability to manage employee payroll accounts and create
reports online. However, a company that outsources its payroll to a third-party provider
always should review its output for errors to avoid punishment by regulatory agencies
should a mistake occur.

Hybrid

Some businesses utilize a hybrid method that takes advantage of elements from both in-
house and outsourced payroll systems. This allows employers to split the payroll functions
between themselves and the vendor, keeping outsourcing costs lower and allowing for more
 internal control over payroll data. Typically businesses using the hybrid method calculate
pay and distribute paychecks themselves while having the third-party payroll service handle
tax filings, direct deposits and the actual printing of the checks.

Inventory Control System

An inventory control system is a set of hardware and software based tools that automate the process of
tracking inventory. The kinds of inventory tracked with an inventory control system can include almost any
type of quantifiable good, including food, clothing, books, equipment, and any other item that consumers,
retailers, or wholesalers may purchase. Modern inventory control systems are almost exclusively based
on barcode technology. Though barcodes were initially developed to automate the process of grocery
store checkout, their ability to encode a wide variety of alphabetic and numeric symbols makes them ideal
for encoding merchandise for inventory applications. Inventory control systems work in real-time using
wireless technology to transmit information to a central computer system as transactions occur.

Following are
the popular Inventory Control Systems that are being used by big
manufacturers and the retail units:

1. ABC Inventory Control System

2. Three-Bin System

3. Just-in-Time (JIT) System

4. Outsourcing Inventory System

5. Computerized Inventory Control System

6. Fixed Order Quantity

7. Fixed Period Ordering

ABC Inventory Control System

The ABC Inventory Control System is applied by those firms that have to maintain several
types of inventories. Ideally, it is not desirable to keep the same degree of control over all the
inventory types, since each vary in terms of its value of annual consumption.

Thus, the ABC Inventory Control System is used to determine the importance of each item of the
stock in terms of its value of annual consumption and are categorized as A, B, and C.

Three-Bin System

It is like a two-bin system, wherein the third bin of inventory is reserved with
the supplier. In other words, a manufacturing firm keeps a stock of inventory in
two bins, and at the same time, the supplier of the inventory will keep one bin
reserved at his location.

The Three-bin is built on the concept of Kanban system, a system used by the
Japanese manufacturers, who regulate the supply of the components through
the use of a card, displaying the set of specifications and instructions. This card
is shown by the work centres when they wish to draw inventory from the supply
bins.

Just-in-Time or JIT

It is an inventory management system wherein the material, or the products

are produced and acquired just a few hours before they are put to use. The
Just-in-time system is adopted by the firms, to reduce the unnecessary burden
of inventory management, in case the demand is less than the inventory raised.

The objective of Just-in-time is to increase the inventory turnover and reduce

the holding cost and any other costs associated with it. This concept is again
popularized by the Japanese firms, who place an order for the material, the
same day the product is to be produced.

Outsourcing Inventory System

It is adopted by the firms to reduce the burden of manufacturing the
components of the finished goods in-house i.e. within the organization. Thus, a
system of buying the products or components from outside vendors rather than
manufacturing internally is called as Outsourcing Inventory system.

Many companies develop a single source of supply from where the needs of the
material can be fulfilled. While many others help in developing the small and
medium sized ancillary units to supply the adequate quality components, as
required for the manufacturing of the finished goods.

Computerized Inventory Control System

It is the integration of sub-functions involved in the management of inventory

into a single cohesive system. It is software installed on the computer systems
that enables a firm to keep a check on the inventory levels by performing the
automatic counting of inventories, recording withdrawals and revising the stock
balance.

It is very difficult for any firm to maintain a large stock of inventories, and
therefore, many firms have adopted the JIT system in terms of Minimum and
Maximum limit for the stock. There is an inbuilt system for placing orders in
computer systems that automatically generates a PO to the supplier when the
minimum level of the stock or the reorder point is reached.

The benefits of a computerized inventory control system can be derived, when

the business integrates its inventory control system with the other systems such
as accounting and sales, that helps in better control of inventory levels.

Fixed Order Quantity

It is the inventory control system, wherein the maximum and minimum

inventory levels are fixed, and maximum and fixed amount of inventory can be
replenished at a time when the inventory level reaches the auto set reorder
point or the minimum stock level.

In other words, an auto-reorders point is linked with the pre-fixed amount of

inventory in the system, which automatically places an order with the supplier
for the maximum stock capacity, as soon as the inventory level reaches its
minimum set-point. The firm is required to set the maximum and minimum
stock capacity based on its storage space and the sales trend.

Fixed Period Ordering

It is an inventory control system, wherein the order for the replenishment of

inventory items is sent periodically or after a fixed time interval. It is also called
as Fixed Period Deficit Ordering system, because every time the order is
placed, the order quantity is different.

Thus, fixed period ordering is a method wherein the firm places an order with
the supplier for the supply of different quantities of material at a fixed time
interval. This enables a firm to take into consideration the sales trend and the
customers preferences in a particular period before placing the replenishment
order with the supplier.

There are several inventory control systems that are in practice, and these
range from simple system to a complex one depending upon nature and the size
of the business operations. Talking about the simple system, several small
manufacturing firms operate a Two-Bin System; wherein inventory is stored in
two bins. Once the inventory in one bin is used, and the order is placed,
meanwhile, the inventory from the other bin is used by the firm.

This system is quite inadequate for the larger firms that deal in several product
lines and maintain a heavy sales counter. Thus, self operating or an automatic
computer system is to be employed to keep track on the inventory stock and
place the order in case of a shortage.

For Loop in VB
It repeats a group of statements a specified number of times and a loop
index counts the number of loop iterations as the loop executes.

The syntax for this loop construct is:

For counter [ As datatype ] = start To end [ Step step ]

[ statements ]
[ Continue For ]
[ statements ]
[ Exit For ]
[ statements ]
Next [ counter ]

Flow Diagram:

Example
Module loops
Sub Main()
Dim a As Byte
' for loop execution
For a = 10 To 20
Console.WriteLine("value of a: {0}", a)
Next
Console.ReadLine()
End Sub
End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following
result:

value of a: 10
value of a: 11
value of a: 12
value of a: 13
value of a: 14
value of a: 15
value of a: 16
value of a: 17
value of a: 18
value of a: 19
value of a: 20

If you want to use a step size of 2, for example, you need to display only
even numbers, between 10 and 20:

Module loops
Sub Main()
Dim a As Byte
' for loop execution
For a = 10 To 20 Step 2
Console.WriteLine("value of a: {0}", a)
Next
 Console.ReadLine()
End Sub
End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following
result:

value of a: 10
value of a: 12
value of a: 14
value of a: 16
value of a: 18
value of a: 20

while Loop in VB
It executes a series of statements as long as a given condition is True.

The syntax for this loop construct is:

While condition
[ statements ]
[ Continue While ]
[ statements ]
[ Exit While ]
[ statements ]
End While

Here, statement(s) may be a single statement or a block of statements. The

condition may be any expression, and true is logical true. The loop iterates
while the condition is true.

When the condition becomes false, program control passes to the line
immediately following the loop.

Flow Diagram:
Here, key point of the While loop is that the loop might not ever run. When
the condition is tested and the result is false, the loop body will be skipped
and the first statement after the while loop will be executed.

Example
Module loops
Sub Main()
Dim a As Integer = 10
' while loop execution '
While a < 20
Console.WriteLine("value of a: {0}", a)
a = a + 1
End While
Console.ReadLine()
End Sub
End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following
result:
value of a: 10
value of a: 11
value of a: 12
value of a: 13
value of a: 14
value of a: 15
value of a: 16
value of a: 17
value of a: 18
value of a: 19