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You may notice that many assignments are written in response to a given brief. These should be available soon.
It is important to make sure that the planning is used in the
completion of this assignment, however I do have plenty of time in
which to do this assignment in. The deadline for the assignment is
September, after the summer holidays.
The plan should take the following format:
Start assignment:
28th
June
1. Research into systems of information processing
Deadline
5th August
2. Analyse the information processing systems used at Norwich Union.
Deadline 10th August
3. Research into Data Protection Act.
Deadline
15th August
4. How does the Data Protection Act effect peoples' rights to
access information stored about them.
Deadline
20th August
5. What effects should the Data Protection Act have on
Norwich Union.
Deadline
25th August
6. Evaluation on report and assignment.
Deadline
1st September
This assignment plan does look quite straightforward and offers a
little time for any adjustments that may be needed. I shall monitor
the plan by simply writing beside the task in hand. I should also
have plenty of room at the bottom of the page if needed.
Behind the growing strategic uses of information systems is a
changing conception of the role of information in organisations.
Organisations now consider information a resource, as useful as
capital and labour. This has not always been the case.
In the past, information was often considered a necessary evil
associated with the bureaucracy of designing, manufacturing and
distributing of a product or service. Information was a paper dragon
that could potentially strangle a business and prevent it from doing
its real objectives. Information systems of the 1950's focused on
reducing the cost of routine paper processing, especially in
accounting. The first information systems were semi-automatic
cheque-processing , issuing, and canceling machines - so called
electronic accounting machines (EAM). The term electronic data
processing (EDP) dates from this period.
By the 1960's, organisations started viewing information
differently, recognising that information could be used for general
management support. The information systems of the 1960's and 70's
were frequently called management information systems (MIS) and were
thought of as an information factory churning out reports on weekly
production, monthly financial information, stock records, accounts
receivable, accounts payable etc. To perform these tasks,
organisations acquired general purpose computing equipment that could
support many functions rather than simply processing cheques.
In the 1970's and early 80's information and the systems that
collected, stored, and processed it were seen as providing
fine-tuned, special-purpose, customised management control over the
organisation. The information systems that emerged during this period
were called decision support systems (DSS) and executive support
systems (ESS). Their purpose was to improve and speed up the decision
making process of specific managers and executives in a broad range
of problems.
By the mid 1980's the conception of information changed again. Information has since then been regarded as a strategic resource, a potential source of competitive advantage, or a strategic weapon to defeat and frustrate the competition. These changing conceptions of information reflect advances in strategic planning and theory.
In the modern office the main aim is to keep as much information
on the computer system as possible compared to in files and on desks
in a paper form. Obviously there will always be a need to keep hard
copies of documents due to the fact that computers are susceptible to
viruses and general problems, resulting in loss of data.
However, there are a number of reasons of how holding files on
computer can be an advantage compared to copies on paper. When
information in the form of documents are stored on a large mainframe
computer, like the ones used in many large businesses, the
information can be viewed using any of the terminals. This means for
a business which has various information on its customers from a
physically large geographical area, then information stored on the
computer can be looked at from any terminal be that part of the
mainframe or through a Wide Area Network (WAN). This has advantages
over the real paper documents because it allows staff to see the
files without the need for cluttering up their desks. A large
business which has offices scattered across the country can have the
documents stored in a secure place and have the documents reproduced
onto the computer system through the use of relatively inexpensive
scanners. This would allow any office connected to the network to see
the information without having to wait for the documents to be posted
or sent otherwise.
Keeping a customers personal details all in one place allows the
staff of a business to know exactly where to look for all the
customers details. However, many businesses will have separate
departments, sales for when the customers receives some product or
service, finance department to request customer for payment and
receive payment, and many more which deal directly with the customer.
It would therefore be useful for the company to have the data stored
on their computer system so that each necessary department will know
exactly what involvement the customer has had with the business and
therefore know exactly how to deal with the customer. For example a
customer which has not paid their bill on time would usually get some
kind of letter demanding payment, but if that customer has in the
past spent vast amounts of money on products you may want to rephrase
the letter requesting payment, so that the customer is not upset by
the matter.
As the competition in the financial sector has intensified over the
year Norwich Union has seen the need for improvement in technology to
offer the customer a quality of service that is exceeding service
expectations. At Norwich Union a Vision Business Unit has been set up
to provide customers with higher standards of service. The unit is
helping Norwich Union move away from the cluttered and complicated
paper based business environment towards a highly computerised system
where information is at the fingertips of any trained operator.
The Vision Office that the Vision Business Unit has created consists
of image technology whereby all paperwork coming into the office are
scanned and put onto the computer system. Once the information has
been scanned-in, anyone with access to the system can view the
paperwork without actually having to touch it physically. The system
is able to automate some administration which means therefore that
fewer staff are being used in administration instead being used to
assist the customer directly.
Norwich Union have a number of trained operators to operate the
Vision Office, which can access and alter files connected with the
client at hand. This means that because the operators have access to
all of the information, so they can make informed decisions assisting
the customer with any problems.
The Vision Office has the potential to become automated further by
the use of voice activated technology and possible video phone
conferencing which can improve speed and enhance the service provided
for customers.
Overall the system is very impressive and will undoubtedly offer the
customer an excellent quality service. The offices should be much
neater without the need for any paper documents and therefore be more
environmentally pleasing for the staff. Files will be much more
accessible and therefore customers should have their questions
answered in much shorter times. This will mean that staff can deal
with more enquiries in a day than in the past, which should hopefully
mean more customers overall.
In my opinion this is the way forward for all businesses, as this
means the service will be cheaper to provide and the quality will be
at its highest compared to other competitors.
The Data Protection Act 1984 gives right to individuals who have
information stored about them on computer. The act did not apply to
information stored on a paper format, therefore now that Norwich
Union has become computerised having all customers' information
stored on computer, the customers have rights detailed in the Data
Protection Act 1984.
Individuals may find out what information is stored on computers
about themselves, challenge it and if appropriate claim compensation
in special circumstances. The Data Protection Act places obligations
on the people which record and use personal data.
All personal information recorded on a computer system must be kept
up-to-date and be accurate. It must not be held longer than is
necessary for which purpose it was originally intended. Information
should be guarded by a proper use of security
The Data Protection Act 1984 states that individuals have a right to
see what information is stored about them on computer. However, the
data holder has the right to adjust the information and show the data
subject an amended view and even charge for administration. Some
businesses can charge as much as £50.00 just for the privilege
of seeing the information stored about them. Doctors and other
institutions have also been known to omit information when showing
the data subject what information is stored about them.
In special cases as described below the data subject cannot have
access to the information stored about them:
Individuals have the right to seek compensation if damage is
caused through loss, unauthorised disclosure or destruction of data.
Data subjects can also apply to court to correct/delete incorrect
data.
The legalities regarding the Data Protection Act are very weak and
the actual act does not commit the data user to definite guidelines
and legal structure. However, the Data Protection Registrar can serve
three types of notice:
The Data Protection Principles which are the main constraints of
the Data Protection Act 1984 are detailed below and are which the
above types of notice refer to.
The Data Protection Principles are detailed below:
Personal Data shall
As has been detailed above there are several considerations that
need to be made to keep within the guidelines set out by the Data
Protection Act. Security was one aspect of the data protection
principles. Norwich Union hope to achieve a voice activated computer
system whereby customers can simply talk to the computer to gain
information they want to know about their personal details as well as
to solve their problems. One important fact that Norwich Union have
overlooked is that someone could impersonate another in order to
retrieve information about them for their own personal benefit. The
Data Protection Act does not allow this and Norwich Union could be
faced with a notice from the registrar. It would be an idea for
Norwich to use either a password system as those used in banks to
confirm the identity of the person on the phone.
The owner of the information stored on computer can also have a
bearing on how the data is maintained. The Data Protection Act does
not apply to certain institutions as outlined below:
As you can see these exceptions to the Data Protection Act are
somewhat vague, so it is essential that they are abided by as best as
possible. The Data Protection Act would be relevant to Norwich
Union.
Failure to keep the information stored on computer accurate about the
customers details may result in one of the notices being served by
the registrar to Norwich Union. As a result Norwich Union may want to
make positive steps to ensure that data is regularly kept up-to-date.
In order to have all of the necessary information to be used in
the report on Norwich Union I have decided to select the following
sources.
A photocopied sheet summarising the Data Protection Act.
This sheet was given out by the subject tutor in order to
back up our class notes. The sheet gave a fairly detailed summary of
the Act and the main consequences it has on individuals and
organisations. There is no name of the source as to where this came
from, however my subject tutor assures me that it is accurate and a
reliable source.
To check its validity I looked at the information from Internet at
the government site and the information on the Data Protection Act
was correct based on the full Act itself.
This proved that the information was valid and I therefore used it in
the report.
In addition to this the actual Act was made law in 1984 and since
then there has been no significant changes so if the photocopied
resource was dated it would be irrelevant.
Overall, I was happy to use this source in the report.
Management Information Systems, Kenneth Laudon, published by
Macmillan , 1994 3rd edition.
This book is a very comprehensive source, detailing the
different types of computer systems and how they help decision making
in an organisation. I found a small section in this book on the
paper-less office which I have incorporated into my report. The
author of the book is Kenneth Laudon, who is Professor of Information
Systems at New York University's Stern School of Business. He holds a
BA in Economics from Stanford and a PhD from Columbia University. He
has authored nine books dealing with information systems,
organisations, and society. Professor Laudon has also written over
forty articles concerned with the social, organisational, and
management impacts of information systems, privacy, ethics, and
multimedia technology. Overall the author is a very experienced
person in this field of work and the contents of the book are
reliable. The publishers, Macmillan are educational publishers and
this book is aimed to students studying Management Information
Systems so I am further persuaded that the facts stated in the book
are true. In addition to this, the book was published in 1994 and
although changes in technology occur very fast, I still feel that the
book is accurate for the needs of the report.
Internet Homepage of Data Protection Act Registrar
This is a British Government Internet site, this has all of
the relevant details of the Act as it was originally set out. The
registrar has the job of settling any disputes that individuals may
have regarding their information being held with organisations and
its misuse. This site provides much information on the act and I have
used this information in the report for Norwich Union. I chose this
site for my information because it is from the government which means
it is very accurate and I have the actual Act itself and not a brief
summary. I feel that this source is reliable and valid for the needs
of this assignment.
Leaflet on Norwich Union detailing the changes that have been
made and future considerations.
This leaflet was attached to the assignment brief and is
provided to give a background on the systems that Norwich Union are
incorporating. I feel that it is a reliable source for this
assignment because it gives a good accurate background about Norwich
Union systems which my own knowledge confirms. The leaflet may be
biased in the favour of Norwich Union, but this will be acceptable
because I am writing the report in their favour. When I used this
source I was particularly careful to check the validity of certain
parts as I have stated that is it biased in their favour. The method
I used to check the parts, was to simply look carefully into other
sources which I found backed up what was written. The other sources
that I used to back up the information were those detailed in this
list.
When I compiled my report for the next Annual Company Report of
Norwich Union I used the above sources as a basis for the legal
facts, and generally how advanced computer systems can improve the
productivity of a large organisation, such as Norwich Union.
The work that I have done on this assignment as a whole is very
comprehensive and I hope to have covered the necessary aspects of the
performance criteria. My work should meet the criteria because I have
completed the tasks as set out in the brief. For PC 2.4.1, I have
written a good amount and gone quite in depth on the purpose and
matter of information processing, I have also looked a little into
the history and shown how it has changed over the years. For PC
2.4.2, I have described the information processing at Norwich Union
and how they plan to modernise what they have already accomplished.
For PC 2.4.3, I have written about the effectiveness of the
information processing at Norwich Union. For PC 2.4.4, I have
thoroughly explained the effects of the Data Protection Act on
individuals and the Norwich Union organisation. I feel that I have
thoroughly covered the performance criteria required for this
assignment by writing the report.
My research into the Data Protection Act does reveal that the actual
Act is not very specific for organisations and the penalties for not
abiding by them are not too severe. Businesses can easily get round
the legislation by not keeping some information on computer but by
keeping it in files. So sensitive information can be treated by the
organisation in any way that they desire providing it is within the
law, but if the information is stored on paper and not on computer,
the Data Protection Act does not apply.
I decided that a systematic approach was be the best for this
assignment as the report would look better if the subjects discussed
were in a logical order. If I had needed to apply for any information
I would have made sure that this was applied for prior to starting
the actual report and possibly researched further into other areas of
the report. Luckily I had immediate access the information at all
times.
I had a few problems in completing this assignment, the most
important being timing. I had made a plan, but as the assignment was
to be completed throughout the summer holiday I gave it last priority
which was wrong as it meant that the work was completed in rather a
hurry. This major problem meant that I was not able to reach the
agreed deadline and therefore the assignment was quite late.
In future when I have work that needs to be completed I will make
sure that I stick to my original plan where possible and prevent this
from happening again. I should have completed the assignment at the
start of the holidays.
The actual assignment was completed with no apparent problems despite
the bad planning.
If I was to carry out this assignment again, I would have made sure
that I made a good detailed plan and made sure that I kept to it. The
information that I have included in the report may have perhaps too
much content on the Data Protection Act compared to the content of
information processing.
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