Work Effectively in an Information Technology Environment
On completion of this unit, learners should be competent in assimilating into an information technology environment. This is fundamental for working in an organization.
They should have the ability to:
1. Comply with general information technology policies and procedures.
2. Promote the organisation and the Information Technology department in a manner consistent with the organisation's mission.
3. Identify information technology equipment, software and operating systems supported by the organisation.
Glossary
Anti-discrimination
The Anti-Discrimination Act (1997) is designed to protect your rights and to prevent discrimination. This includes equality in the workplace and in other aspects of your life.
Capital equipment
An object which is a financial asset needed for an undertaking or to perform a service. Generally, capital equipment is a financial asset that adds to the net worth of a business.
Code of conduct
Ethics agreement which details acceptable behaviour and conduct for a particular company or role.
Contractor
A person or organisation that agrees to provide materials or perform services at a specified price, especially for construction or development work.
Contracts
An employment agreement between employer and employee, which is enforceable by law. A contract of employment sets out the conditions and terms under which an employee accepts to work in a particular job, such as the wage or salary amount, number or spread of working hours and whether overtime is paid or allowed.
Computing support
The provision or maintenance of hardware and software assistance.
Consumables
Computer related goods, which are used in the daily use or maintenance of a computer system, for example ink cartridges for a printer.
Corporate hardware and software
Approved hardware and software products used within a business.
Deadlines
Also known as a job description. A document which describes the purpose, expected activities and responsibilities of a particular job.
E business
E business (electronic business) is the conduct of business on the internet
EEO
Equal Employment Opportunity. Any person employing other people has to take care to treat those people fairly, and not to discriminate on the grounds of race, sex, marital status, physical or mental impairment or sexual preferences.
Employer/employee rights and responsibilities
The duties and conformable rules or guidelines for a worker who is hired to perform a job, the employee, and the person or company that employ workers, the employer.
External client
A customer or someone who pays for goods or services who is independent of the organisation delivering the service.
Help desk
A department within a company that responds to technical questions. Most large software companies have help desks to answer user questions. Questions and answers can be delivered by telephone, email or fax .
Internal client
A customer within the limits of the organisation.
Mission statement
A declaration of a company's vision and role statement.
Organisational chart
A graphic representation of how authority and responsibility is distributed within a company or other organisation.
Outsourcing
Paying another company to provide services which a company might otherwise have employed its own staff to perform, for example software development.
Project teams
A group organised to work together to undertake and complete an extensive task.
Strategic plan
A plan detailing where a company wants to be in the future. These plans usually have a strong emphasis on new technologies and ways of conducting business, such as e business.
Supplier
Someone whose business is to supply a particular service or commodity.
Workplace committees
A group of people officially delegated to perform a function, such as investigating, considering and/or reporting on a particular aspect of the workplace such as an Occupational Heath and
Safety Committee.
Policies & Procedures
Each organisation will have its own policies and procedures. They may be directly related to the use of technology or designed to cover many aspects of the organisation. These policies and procedures may include -
Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) guidelines
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) guidelines
Guidelines outlining work practices in a department
The structure of departments within an organisation
Work agreements or enterprise bargains
Manuals on how to use technological equipment
Preventative maintenance procedures
Purchasing requisition procedures and documentation
Mission Statements
A mission statement refers to the core business of the company, their general philosophy and customer service focus. Organisations often have their mission statement on display in the foyer of their office. Mission statements are readily accessible for viewing by the public as organisations publish them in documents, such as annual reports and overviews of the organisation.
Mission statements need to be concise and effective, for example, Big W's mission statement is "To provide our customers with the best quality merchandise at the best possible prices". This gives the customer and the employee the focus of the organisation, which is to sell products at a lower price than their competitors. More information on Big W
Another example of a mission statement is Australia Post's. Here is an extract from their mission statement, "Australia Post is committed to providing high-quality mail and parcel services to all Australians". For more information about Australia Post look at the website
Organisational Charts
Organisational charts are used to represent the hierarchical or vertical structure of the organisation. These charts depict the reporting and communication lines for the organisation.
An organisational chart usually includes job or position description, and in some cases the name of the person holding that position.
A sample organisational chart is shown below:
Information Technology Functions
Information Technology can be used for a wide range of functions depending on the sectors within the industry, the type of organisation and the business conducted. The structure of the Information Technology department may be a separate branch, department, division or an integrated function of an organisation.
The five general sectors of the Information Technology industry include:
1. computer hardware
2. communications hardware
3. packaged software
4. computer services
5. communication services
(Ref - The Information Technology Industry, Scannell, pp. 17)
Each of these general sectors uses information technology in different ways to achieve different organisational goals. For example, in the Computer Services sector, information technology may be used for:
1. data processing
2. information storage and retrieval
3. computer maintenance
4. computer consultancy
(Ref - The Information Technology Industry, Scannell, pp. 23)
Unions
A union is an organisation of employees which acts collectively for mutual protection and assistance. Unions represent workers in dealings with employers. They negotiate wages and conditions of employment for their members.
For more information on unions, click on the link "Clueless About Unions" . It was written by a 16 year old who did work experience at the Finance Sector Union.
Information Technology Careers
The Information Technology industry is well known for its breadth and diversity. It is a dynamic area and students are well advised to read widely for current trends and emerging technologies. The broad fields in the Information Technology industry can include those associated with hardware, software, web design, networking, marketing, help desk, and communications. Many jobs in Information Technology are a broad combination of several areas. To gain an insight into the careers in the Information Technology industry, look at the following websites listed below. A brief description of each site is included.
Australian Careers Directory
The Australian Careers Directory site is designed to help you understand your career options. Here is an extract from the site. "Welcome to the Australian Careers Directory. This is a collection of links to help you explore sites which can help with career exploration and decision making, job search, decision making, career related education, training resources and law" Click on this link to get more information http://www.careers.gov.au/ Have a look at the "Get Access - Careers Game". A fun decision support system to help you select the most appropriate career for you.
Click on the "Careers Guidance" link.
Click on the "Self assessment Tools" link.
Click on the "Get Access" link.
Careers Online
The careers online website is designed to help you plan your career. "Through Australia's careers online job seekers of any age get help with their career planning and employment and job search."
Here is the link http://www.careersonline.com.au/
Another career planning website is located at: http://www.myfuture.edu.au/
Activities
Exercise 1
Using your work placement company or another organisation that you are studying, write a 2-3 page report which addresses each of the following points.
1. Identify the name, address, telephone and fax numbers of your organisation
2. Identify and briefly explain the role of the key players in the organisation.
3. Create an organisational chart for your organisation.
4. What is the mission statement of the organisation?
5. If it is not written down, is there an implied mission statement?
6. What does the mission statement mean to the employees ?. How does it help them to assimilate into the workplace?
7. Briefly list and explain the information technology functions within the organisation.
8. Identify information technology equipment in use in the organisation
hardware,
software (including operating system software), description of any special information technology equipment used in the workplace.
9. Find out and write down the telephone number and location of your nearest branch of the Australian Computer Society.
10. Find out where the following policies and procedures are located in your organisation and write down where they are kept.
a. Occupational Health & Safety
b. Equal Employment Opportunity
c. Purchasing Guidelines
d. Information Technology Trainning
Exercise 2
Identify career options in the Information Technology industry.
Your task is to create a profile of a person currently working in the Information Technology industry.
Create a questionnaire to be used together information.Include questions that will enable you to gather information:
Use desktop publishing software to create a personal career profile - including a scanned photo or photo taken using a digital camera. A Sample format is included below to help you.
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