Word processor is also known as a document preparation system. It is used for composition, formatting, editing and even printing any form of printable material. Microsoft Word is the one used mainly in our organization, though we use WordPerfect in cases when we are using MS-DOS.
Most of the documents such as reports, research findings, reference documents, legal copies, memos, letters, and letterheads are initially documented in the word processor. This is because of the convenience it offers when formatting and editing these documents.
We have used Microsoft word found in Office suite, because it is versatile, and has layout editing that gives us efficiency in working.
In accounting, we have made the most use of spreadsheets. They accept either numeric or alphanumeric content, which helps in the description of work done on the spreadsheet.
By the ability to creating formulae in particular cells, our accounting officers have been able to keep a clear record of financial inflow and outflow.
They have had an easy time because once defined; the formulae have recalculated the entries upon changes. Although there are other spreadsheet applications such as Lotus, Gnumeric, and OpenOffice.org Calc, we majorly use Microsoft Excel.
We also have several meetings, especially after research on particular products is complete. During panel meetings, the presentations are done before subjection to rigorous analysis. This is where presentation software finds great use.
The software has offered great help to presenters, who find easy access to their ideas during a presentation. It also helps other panelists to follow the presentation keenly. The visuals have provided a good complement to talks.
Presentation programs have enhanced and in some cases substituted the use of outdated visual aid technology. These are materials like placards, overhead transparencies, brochure, blackboards, handouts, charts, and slides.
The visuals have enhanced an easy understanding of the content being presented. We have made good use of the software, and consequently, we have had fruitful discussions on research findings.
The main program we use is PowerPoint. The current versions of Microsoft Office PowerPoint offer easy formatting of work being presented.
We also have several records that need to be stored in systematic ways. These are records of all departments in our organization.
We have used Data Base Management Software to collect and store information in a manner that we can retrieve, add, remove or update the information appropriately. The system has allowed us to manage data in a structured way.
That is as we have earlier mentioned, our organization has several departments that have a central management department.
The program has helped us organize and define the content based on their relationships and chronology (Patterson, 200). As a result, we have completely organized the data, to allow easy operations in the organization.
Commercial off-the-shelf application programs are intended to be used “as they are” without much customization by the clients to suit their specific needs. On the other hand, commercial off-the-shelf is always extended to include programs that one may not get in shops.
They are normally distributed as freeware over the internet. Examples are the famous browsers, e.g., Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Microsoft internet explorer. Through case management software was designed for attorneys, we have also adopted it our organization.
This is because it has helped as do clerical work especially in offices that do not have clerks. It has helped us keep client records, bookkeeping and billing, managing appointments, schedules, and deadlines.
The application programs we use are user interactive. They are designed to make the user maneuver with ease as he or she uses the program. Also, we are aware of the ethics of using IT.
This is to keep ourselves safe and also respecting the efforts of developers of the various application programs. This is in agreement with the aim of Braender, Kapp, and Yeras, (2009), when they taught their students the ethics of IT. They wrote:
Finally, a secondary, but equally important, benefit of teaching students about ethics, security, and responsibility with technology is that we support the efforts of our IT department to secure campus resources.
If we can teach students about threats from the Internet and methods of self-protection, then we may reduce the number of successful attacks on the campus (Braender, Kapp and Yeras, (2009)).
On the use of the website, we have made sure that important information that needs human interaction are not uploaded. This has helped us meet our clients and explain to them the information concerning the services that we offer.
This is after learning that if such information as medical information is put on the web, people will not source for specialists help. This leads to substandard health care, and whichever another service it may be.
References
Braender, L. M., Kapp, C. M., & Yeras, J. (2009). Using Web Technology to Teach Students about Their Digital World. Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(2), 146.
Patterson, A. D (2000). Personal Computer Applications in the Social Services. Allyn & Bacon.