1. Unit 8 Technological Innovation and E-Commerce
OCR Nationals
Unit 8
Technological Innovation and E-Commerce

2. How to complete this assignment
In Unit 8 we are going to investigate how information technology has changed people’s lives.
You will need to do your own research to be able to answer the questions.
On the last slide you will find a link to a page with lots of useful websites on it. Use these links to do your research.
Click here to see the grade descriptions so you know what you need to do to get the best marks.

3. Introduction
Our age is one defined by technology. Never before in human history have we had access to so many ways of communicating.
The internet has given people access to information on a scale that would have been unimaginable only fifteen years ago. But how do you know it’s true? You can buy almost anything on the internet but that doesn’t just mean CDs. How about babies? Guns? People’s credit card details?
This new technology exposes us to all sorts of dangers and it has opened up a minefield of new moral dilemmas.
I hope that by completing this unit you will gain a thorough understanding of technological innovation and e-commerce.

4. At the end of this unit you will be able to…
Identify the effects of ICT on the individual
Describe an innovation in ICT
Investigate how e-commerce has affected The way people buy goods and services
Investigate one e-commerce website, and
Understand legal and moral issues in the digital age

5. Task 1 - Identify the effects of ICT on the individual
Choose one item from at least three of the different categories of technology as listed below.
Internet eg: , WWW, messenger, chat rooms
Communication eg: mobile phone, video phone, video conferencing, information points
Entertainment eg: games console, MP3 player, digital TV
Mobile access eg: laptop, PDA, wi-fi, WAP
Data capture eg: digital camera, voice recorder, scanner

6. Then consider the effects of these items on people.
Discuss:
How this technology is used
Benefits eg: speed, ease of use
Disadvantages eg: cost, theft, limitations of the chosen technology

7. Task 2 - Describe an innovation in ICT
Innovation: The introduction of new ideas, goods, services, and practices which are intended to be useful.

8. Task 2
Identify one innovation in ICT e.g. Bluetooth, TV on demand, GPS systems, mobile phone technologies.
Describe:
its purpose
the extent to which it achieves its purpose
how it works
benefits and limitations
The innovation MUST be relatively new. An investigation into the introduction of IT into offices is not an acceptable topic of study.

9. Task 3 – Investigate how e-commerce has changed the way people buy goods and services.
(a) Give a definition of e-commerce.

10. Task 3
(b) Explain how e-commerce has changed the way people buy goods and services eg:
choice
location
convenience
cost
flexibility

11. Useful Sites
Follow this link to a list of useful websites.

12. Task 4 - Investigate one ecommerce website
Examples of these are:
Auction sites e.g. EBay
Online shops e.g. amazon.co.uk, play.com
Digital download site e.g. itunes.com

13. Task 4
You must:
Identify its audience and purpose. This means say who it is meant for and what the site is for e.g. to sell CDs, DVDs and games.
You need to provide annotated screenshots of its e-commerce features. This means things like search facilities, shopping baskets, encryption and user accounts.
Describe and illustrate the services provided eg buying/selling products. You will need to use annotated screenshots to show you understand what these are.

14. Task 5 – The legal and moral aspects of the digital age
In this part of the assignment you will create a report. You may choose one or both of the following (they are hyperlinks):
1. Confidential data
2. The internet/IT and crime
You will need to write a thorough report IN YOUR OWN WORDS of the issue and the law around it.

15. Here are two more links