ICT WJEC A2 - TOPIC 4: WORKING WITH I.C.T.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF TELEWORKING FOR THE EMPLOYEE:

ADVANTAGES:

• makes it easier for people to live and work where they choose- staff can work from home (less stressful)
• not having to travel to work saves time and money
• flexiblity on working hours

DISADVANTAGES:

• home costs increase (eg. heating and lighting bills)
• employee may feel isolated
• boundary between home and work is lost
• may not be a quiet place in the house to work
• ^ (distractions)

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF TELEWORKING FOR THE EMPLOYER:

ADVANTAGES:

• smaller offices are needed (and fewer)
• less backup staff are employed (cleaners/ caretakers)
• reduces office overheads (eg. electricity)
• employ workers from a wider pool of talent
• greater productivity (as people are generally more comfortable at home so they will get more work done)

DISADVANTAGES:

• hard to determine how hard staff are working
• harder for managers to manage the work
• employers usually have to pay for the employees I.C.T. equipment
• health and safety checks need to be done at the employees home

Code Of Conduct: A set of rules that set out what an employee is/ is not allowed to do in the course of their employment, outlining what they can do with the ICT systems.

WHAT DOES IT NEED TO INCLUDE? (employee)

• responsibilities (what the company expects from them during the course of their employment)
• respecting rights of others (not being racist, making a mockery of another employees religion/ beliefs)
• abiding by the current legislation 
• protecting hardware and software from malicious damage
• permissions on data access
• consequences of breaking the code

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEGAL AND MORAL ISSUES with respect to CODES OF CONDUCT:

MORAL         ETHICAL/LEGAL

• Disinformation: not fully informing potential customers/ clients of all available facts about the product/ service (eg. new models coming out soon)  estate agent putting false information in adverts (legal requirements- 'properties act')
• Privacy: informing data subjects about their legal rights (and complying with these rights) monitoring company emails (legal requirements- 'Data Protection Act')
• Employment patterns: effects upon the workforce. (due to the mass introduction of ICT in work, people have been de-skilled [meanig that the skills they possessed are no longer needed. replaced by ICT] AND other people have gained skills (eg. computer programmers) personal empowerment- businesses are able to reach a wider market on the internet and they can sell their goods online.

METHODS OF MISUSE:

• introduction of viruses
• distribution of material that is racially/ sexually offensive
• misuse of data for ilicit purposes
• using data to set up own business
• blackmail, computer fraud or selling to other organisations

PENALTIES:

• informal (verbal) warnings
• written warnings
• dismissal
• prosecution

• RSI (repetitive strain injury) - ergonomic keyboards, wrist and foot support, correct chair positioning

• EYE STRAIN or epilectic fits - non-flickering screens, screen filter (to remove glare), correct lighting in the room, take regular breaks

• BACK PROBLEMS - adjustable chairs, foot supports, tilting screens, regular breaks (walk)

• STRESS FROM HAVING TO LEARN THE SYSTEM- better training (longer training period/ longer period being supervised)

A national banks wants to ensure that its financial systems are secure against attack. Other than code of conduct, describe four factors that should be included in the bank's security policy. (8 marks)

• physical security- instead of using technology to keep the hardware and software safe... this includes 'physically' keeping it safe eg. locks, coded safes, biometric methods 
• logical (software) methods-user ID, passwords, levels of access, encryption
• continuous investigation of irregularities- query any transactions that are out of the ordinary
• system access- firewalls
• personnel administration-training and ensuring the staff are able to do the task
• operational procedures-disaster recovery plan
• disciplinary procedures- warnings, dismissal, prosecutions...

(ANY 4 FROM THE ABOVE POINTS AND A SUITABLE EXAMPLE with added detail WOULD GAIN YOU 8 MARKS)