Question 1: A public library uses a computer to maintain the records of its books and borrowers. The library is free to use by local residents provided they have registered and can produce their cards at the time of borrowing. The cards have to be produced offsite.
a) Outline the procedure for a new potential borrower to register and get a card.
b) To borrow one or more books, the borrower gives the library staff member the card and the books. Propose an ideal manner of capturing the card details and the book details with as little human action as possible.
c) Describe how the borrower will be able to keep in mind when the books are due back.
d) Describe what happens to that data.
e) A borrower wishes to borrow a book that the library normally stocks however is presently loaned to the other person. For a small fee, this book can be reserved for the new borrower when it is returned. Describe all the steps that would be essential to automate this process.
Question 2: ABC PLC is a company which sells a broad range of household goods by MAIL ORDER (not e-mail). It issues a catalogue that includes an order form, to prospective customers. Almost all orders are from within the country. Payment should be made with the order. All the products are held in a big warehouse with a loading bay for goods coming in and going out.
a) Hundreds of customer orders arrive by post each day and are batch processed. Describe how this is accomplished.
b) Propose an appropriate method for capturing the order data into the computer system.
• Describe why this technique has been selected.
• Name two other data capture methods and illustrate why such could not be appropriate.
c) The goods require to be sent to the customer.
• Describe how the computer system will activate this.
• Name the output documents which would be produced.
• Describe WHO will use each of such documents.
• State how they will be used.
d) Every month, the company will want to know how much profit was made on sales. Illustrate how this is accomplished.
Question 3: A big company owns numerous supermarkets situated in all the main towns of a small country. It has two supply depots for parts, one in the north and one in the south. This signifies that any shop is within 150 kilometers of a depot. 100 staff are employed at each depot.
a) Describe how computers could be used to help the general running of this business, with specific reference to supply; bearing in mind that food has a short shelf life. Your answer must identify specific software and hardware. Describe how both are used and state by whom.
b) Identify statistical information that might be obtained by using the computer system that would be helpful to the management.
c) Describe how this company might use a spreadsheet program in a "what-if" context.
Question 4: A public utility company supplies electricity to all houses in a big town. Measurement of electricity used is accomplished by each house having a meter. Four times a year, meters are read by travelling meter readers.
a) Illustrate how the meter reader could record the readings for each house by using an electronic device.
b) Describe why recording the detail electronically is beneficial for the company.
c) Outline the computer processes that occur in order to make the meter reader for walking his route on a given day.
d) Describe how the company could handle the problem of the reader not being able to access the meter of any specific house.
e) Meters show a 5-digit figure for the present state of electricity usage. Explain the feature in the billing program to permit for the possibility that a customer’s meter reaches 99999 and he continues to use the electricity.