Computer Concepts and Applications – Computer Applications and Electronic Commerce

Computer Concepts and Applications – Computer Applications and Electronic Commerce

• 5 Use of Computer in Commerce

5.1 Data Processing

Data is collection of facts- unorganized but able to organized in to useful information. Information is data arranged in an order.So Data Processing is a series of actions and operations that convert data into useful information. In the commercial world, data processing refers to the processing of data required to run organizations and businesses.

5.2 Files- a file is considered as a sequence of bytes, the operating system supplies routines that can read/write a specified number of bytes. file is a sequence of records of the same type.

Records-

file is a sequence of records of the same type. A record is a sequence of data bytes together with control information about the record's size and maybe some attributes.the unit of I/O operations is one or more record(s).

File organization and access methods are separate but related concepts,organization refers to the internal structure, access method is an "allowed method" to read/write from/to the file. It may be possible to access a file in an access method other than the "natural" one. Possible file organizations are:

Sequential – The info in file can be accessed only in the order it was written. The writing order defines the "natural" order of data, in simple cases the data will reside on the disk in consecutive locations.

Relative – The file is a sequence of equal-sized "data cells" you can access any "cell" you want using its serial number, and the system will calculate the offset. Relative files are just like arrays [of structures] but instead of residing in main memory, they are recorded on a magnetic media.

Indexed – The file is made of "data cells", not necessarily of the same size, and contain "indexes", lists of "pointers" to these cells arranged by some order. Standard FORTRAN 77 doesn't require that indexed files are to be implemented, but some vendors supply this nice extension.

• Computer application in Business:

Needs and Scope:-

It has great need to use computer applications in business. because world become a global market and everyone want to buy a good quality product and ideas. we can share our ideas through computer aplicantion sell our ideas and discuse about new product.

Computer Application in various fields of Commerce:

Almost every business uses computers to complete daily tasks. From making contact with clients to inputting data for reports, computers allow businesses a more efficient way to manage affairs when compared to traditional paper and manila folders. Businesses use a variety of different types of computers such as desktops, laptops, servers, smartphones and tablets, depending on their needs. With computers, employees are able to work anytime, anywhere.

Communication

Communication is key when gaining and maintaining clients and other important contacts. Computers give businesses access to email, instant messaging and custom customer contact systems. Computerized phone systems allow for automated support during off hours and a virtual operator can quickly direct callers to the correct department for faster support.

Marketing

Computers allow businesses to create websites, stunning ads and complete marketing campaigns. Marketing videos can be edited and custom ads created in-house with the use of specialized software. Businesses can completely develop and manage websites with their own servers or connect remotely to a third-party business to upload their latest content such as articles, product images and blog posts.

Accounting

Accounting without computers presents a high risk for human error. Accounting software allows businesses to simply input their financial data and instantly see gains and losses. All necessary tax reports are available the moment the data is entered. Using computers for invoicing, managing expenses and calculating payroll is vital for ensuring financial data is as accurate as possible.

Storage

Instead of filing cabinets, businesses are able to store millions of files using computers and servers. Data can be stored centrally for easy access from multiple computers or stored locally for individual use. Computerized storage saves space and provides a far more efficient organization strategy. With encryption, passwords and replace keys, data remains secure.

Documents and Reports

Most businesses have some sort of productivity software which typically includes a word processor and spreadsheet application. These two programs allow businesses to create reports, memos, tutorials and even colorful ads for company events. Spreadsheet applications give businesses the chance to organize, manage and calculate both numeric and alphabetic data. With charts and graphs, reporting becomes visual instead of text-based.

Education

Businesses use computers to help educate employees on software, company policy, standard procedures and safety. Instead of hiring teachers, computers can be used to educate employees at their own pace or through an online webinar with live questions and answers. This form of education fits the busy schedules of businesses without sacrificing the quality of the education.

5.3.1 Personal Administration (Human Resources) Personnel Administration, commonly known as Human Resources or HR, handles a great many issues in the workplace. The primary function is the recruiting selecting and hiring of new employees, but goes way beyond that in most companies. Human Resources is also responsible to see that workplace standards meet legal and ethical criteria, including the manner in which employees are treated by their supervisors. In some companies, HR is responsible for employee training, although this is often done by the department hiring the new employee. HR also administers employee benefits programs and keeps track of sick time and vacations. Employee guides are also created by Human Resources, usually with the assistance of an attorney knowledgeable in personnel law.

Accounting

Definition -The Systematic recording ,reporting and analysis of financial transactions of a business.

Cost and Budgetary management:-

Preparing a budget is an integral part of establishing the business case for a project. An evaluation of the financial requirements is central to establishing whether the project is viable or not. In cases where external funding is being applied for, the budget will form an important element of the bid and the benefits model. At the most fundamental level, budgeting should answer the questions:

• ‘What is the cost of undertaking this project?’
• ‘Is any external funding sufficient to cover the costs?’
• ‘Where there is competition for resources, is this project a priority?’, and
• ‘To what degree do cost and benefit balance up?’
• Purchasing:-
• The activity of acquiring goods or services to accomplish the goals of an organization.
• The major objectives of purchasing are to
• maintain the quality and value of a company's products,

minimize cash tied-up in inventory,

maintain the flow of inputs to maintain the flow of outputs, and (4) strengthen the organization's competitive position.

• Purchasing may also involve
• development and review of the product specifications,
• receipt and processing of requisitions,
• advertising for bids,

bid evaluation,

award of supply contracts, (f) inspection of good received, and (g) their appropriate storage and release.

Stock-Broking:-

The process of investing in the share market, either individually or through a broker is known as stock broking, in simple terms. This is primarily done by opening a Demat account. If done through a broker, he opens an account, helping you to operate through online stock broking facility. Going ahead the broker suggests investment ideas and strategies suiting individual requirements and based on his objective of investment. Tenure of investment, the selected financial instruments and their respective companies, the schemes, the risk taking ability, the sum available for investment, all are considered while forming investment choices. After the amount is invested, the broker tracks and monitors the investments, changes or reinvests depending on the performance and generates reports for them. This entire process is known as stock broking.

Banking:

Banking is a business of accepting deposits and lending money. It is carried out by financial intermediaries, which performs the functions of safeguarding deposits and providing loans to the public.

In other words, Banking means accepting for the purpose of lending or investment of deposits of money from public repayable on demand and can be withdrawn by cheque, draft order and so on.

Banking Company: Any company, which transacts the business of banking Banking System is a principal mechanism through which the money supply of the country is created and controlled. The banking system enables us to understand Commercial Banks, Secondary Banks, Central Banks, Merchant Bank or Accepting Houses and Discount Houses but to exclude the Saving Banks and Investment and other intermediaries.

Insurance:

Insurance is a contract between the insurer and the insured wherein against receipt of certain amount, called premium, the insurer agrees to make good any financial loss that may be suffered by the insured, due to the operation of an insured peril on the subject matter of insurance.

The Life is full of uncertainties.. People opt for insurance purely for the reasons of uncertainties in life. Insurance gives the insured a kind of peace of mind as he is assured to making up the loss in the event of such uncertainties in life happen.

Insurance business is divided into four classes , namely :

Life Insurance. Popular Products in Life insurance are Endowment Assurance (Participating), and Money Back (Participating). More than 80% of the life insurance business is from these products

Fire Insurance

Marine Insurance

Miscellaneous Insurance. Fire and Miscellaneous insurance businesses are predominant. Motor Vehicle insurance is compulsory.

Life Insurers transact life insurance business; General Insurers transact the rest i.e. Fire Insurance, Marine Insurance and Miscellaneous Insurance.

Definition E-governance-

Electronic governance or e-governance is the application of information and communication technology (ICT) for delivering government services, exchange of information communication transactions, integration of various stand-alone systems and services between government-to-customer (G2C), government-to-business (G2B)

E-Governance : Focus

• Greater attention to improve service delivery mechanism
• Enhancing the efficiency of production
• Emphasis upon the wider access of information

Why eGovernance?

eGovernment can transform citizen service, provide access to information to empower citizens, enable their participation in government and enhance citizen economic and social opportunities, so that they can make better lives, for themselves and for the next generation.

5.4 Introduction to E-commerce

The exchange or buying and selling of commodities on a large scale involving transportation from place to place is known as commerce. When all this is done electronically, it is known as “e-commerce”. E-commerce from communication perspective is the delivery of information, products or services, or payments via telephone lines, computer networks, or any other means-commerce from business perspective, is the application of technology toward the automation of business transaction and workflows.

Ecommerce from online perspective provides the capability of buying and selling products and information on the Internet and other online services.

• 5.4.1Features of e-Commerce
• e-Commerce is doing business online and electronically
• e-Commerce is about buying and selling products and services on the Internet.
• The sellers are individuals, small businesses or large corporations.
• The buyers are consumers or businesses.

Payment can be made by credit or debit card, money order, cash, check, services or trade.

The ranges of things that can be sold using e-commerce is enormous and include art, apartment, antennas, batteries ,bicycles, books, cars, cells phones, computer, cosmetics and whatever.

4.2Role of E-Commerce

E-commerce is one of the cheapest means of doing business as it is e-commerce development that has made it possible to reduce the cost of promotion of products and services.

E-commerce reduces delivery time and labor cost thus it has been possible to save the time of both – the vendor and the consumer.

• You can do your e-payments with the help of e-commerce.

You can pick up the pace of your online business with the help of e-commerce application There is no time barrier in selling the products. One can log on to the internet even at midnight and can sell the products at a single click of mouse.

E-Commerce provide facility – on-time alerts are meant for the convenience of the consumers and inform the consumers about new products.

E-commerce Framework:

The e-commerce framework offers a set of options to the customers. Most of the electronic commerce plans have different strategies for security and privacy, their skill to deal with the payments, and their usability to different transactions Framework tells about the detail of how e-commerce can take place. It defines actually how e-commerce implemented, how online trading or business can be done. It defines important components that should be present to do some transaction. Framework of e-commerce can be viewed as shown below:- The important components of this framework are:

Network Infrastructure is called as “INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY” – is the path through which actual information flows and moves between sender and receiver. Information Superhighway consists of telecommunication companies that provide telephone lines.

Multimedia Contents And Network Publishing- The Information Superhighway is the transportation foundation that enables the transmission of content. The most prevalent architecture that enables networking publishing is the World Wide Web. The web allows small businesses and individuals to develop content in the form of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and publish it on a web server. Web provides a means to create product information (content) and a means to publish it in a distribution center. ( network server).

Messaging And Information Distribution Infrastructure- The information content transferred over the network consists of text, numbers, pictures, audio and video. But the network does not differentiate among content as everything is digital, that is, combinations of zero’s and one’s. Once contents has been created and stored on a server, messaging and information distribution methods carry that content across the network. Messaging vehicle is called middleware software. Messaging and information distribution include translators that interpret and transforms data formats.

Common Business Services Infrastructure – This infrastructure includes the different methods for facilitating online buying and selling processes. In online commerce, the buyers sends an electronic payment as well as some remittance information to the seller. Settlement occurs when the payment and remittance information are authenticated by the seller and accepted as valid. In order to enable online payment for information and ensure its safe delivery, the payment services infrastructure needs to develop encryption (making contents indecipherable except for the intended recipient) and authentication (making sure that customers are who they say they are) methods that ensure security of contents traveling on the network.

Public Policy And Technical Standards- Public Policy And Technical Standards are two support pillars for all e-commerce applications and infrastructure. Public policy related to e-commerce encompasses such issues as universal access, privacy and information pricing. Technical Standards dictate the specifics of information publishing tools, user interfaces and transport. Standards are essential to ensure compatibility across the entire network of world.

E-Commerce Categories-

The two most common participants in ecommerce are businesses and consumers. Based on this we can come up with four primary ecommerce types:

• Business to Business Ecommerce (B2B Ecommerce)

In this type of ecommerce, both participants are businesses. As a result, the volume and value of B2B ecommerce can be huge. An example of business to business ecommerce could be a manufacturer of gadgets sourcing components online.

• Business to Consumer Ecommerce (B2C Ecommerce)

When we hear the term ecommerce, most people think of B2C ecommerce. That is why a name like Amazon.com pops up in most discussions about ecommerce. Elimination of the need for physical stores is the biggest rationale for business to consumer ecommerce. But the complexity and cost of logistics can be a barrier to B2C ecommerce growth.

• Consumer to Business Ecommerce (C2B Ecommerce)

On the face of it, C2B ecommerce seems lop-sided. But online commerce has empowered consumers to originate requirements that businesses fulfill. An example of this could be a job board where a consumer places her requirements and multiple companies bid for winning the project. Another example would be a consumer posting his requirements of a holiday package, and various tour operators making offers.

• Consumer to Consumer Ecommerce (C2C Ecommerce)

The moment you think of C2C ecommerce eBay.com comes to mind. That is because it is the most popular platform that enables consumers to sell to other consumers. Since eBay.com is a business, this form of ecommerce could also be called C2B2C ecommerce (consumer to business to consumer ecommerce).

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