COMPUTER APPLICATION

PACKAGES

ND I ENTREPRENUERSHIP
Introduction to Computing in entrepreneurship:

Entrepreneurship in computing program offers students a chance to cultivate their

entrepreneurial spirit with a course of study that integrates technical and business skills and
prepares them to compete in a global economy.

What is a Computer?

Definition: A Computer is an electronic device that can perform activities that involve
Mathematical, Logical and graphical manipulations. Generally, the term is used to
describe a collection of devices that function together as a system. It performs the
following three operations in sequence.

1. It receives data & instructions from the input device.

2. Processes the data as per instructions.
3. Provides the result (output) in a desired form.

The Concept of Data, Information and Program:

Data is a collection of raw facts, figures & symbols.

Example: Students record and their marks in different subjects listed in random order.

Information is the data that is processed & presented in an organized manner.

Example: When the names of students are arranged in alphabetical order, total and
average marks are calculated & presented in a tabular form, it is information.

Program is set of instructions that enables a computer to perform a given task.

Advantages of computers:
I. High speed: Computers have the ability to perform routine tasks at a greater
speed than human beings. They can perform millions of calculations in
seconds.
II. Accuracy: Computers are used to perform tasks in a way that ensures
accuracy.
III. Storage: Computers can store large amount of information. Any item of data or
any instruction stored in the memory can be retrieved by the computer at
lightning speeds.
IV. Automation: Computers can be instructed to perform complex tasks
automatically (which increases the productivity).
V. Diligence: Computers can perform the same task repeatedly & with the same
accuracy without getting tired.
VI. Versatility: Computers are flexible to perform both simple and complex tasks.
VII. Cost Effectiveness: Computers reduce the amount of paper work and human
effort, thereby reducing costs.

Limitations of computers:

1. Computers need clear & complete instructions to perform a task accurately. If

the instructions are not clear & complete, the computer will not produce the
required result.
2. Computers cannot think.
3. Computers cannot learn by experience.

Generations of computers:

1. First Generation (1946-1954) Vacuum tubes

2. Second Generation (1955-1965) Transistors
3. Third Generation (1968-1975) Integrated Circuits (IC)
4. Fourth Generation (1976-1980) Very Large Scale Integrated Circuits (VLSI)
5. Fifth Generation (1980 – till today) Ultra Scale Integrated Circuits (ULSI) Micro
Processor (SILICON CHIP)

ANATOMY OF COMPUTERS

The computer system consists of three units:

1. Input device: Devices used to provide data and instructions to the computer are
called Input devices. Some important input devices are Key board, Mouse, Scanner,
MICR, Web camera, Microphone etc.
i. Keyboard: The Key board is used for typing text into the computer. It is also
known as standard Input device. A computer keyboard is similar to that of
a type writer with additional keys. The most commonly available computer
keyboard has 104 keys. There are different types of keys on the keyboard.
The keys are categorized as:
 Alphanumeric keys, including letters & numbers.
  Punctuation keys, such as colon (:), semicolon (;) Question mark (?),
Single & double quotes (‘,”)
 Special keys such as arrow keys, control keys, function keys (F1 to
F12), HOME, END etc.
ii. Mouse: It is a device that controls the movement of the cursor on a monitor.
A mouse will have 2 buttons on its top. The left button is the most frequently
used button. There will be a wheel between the left and right buttons. This
wheel enables us to smoothly scroll through screens of information. As we
move the mouse, the pointer on the monitor moves in the same direction.
Optical mouse is another advanced pointing device that uses a light
emitting component instead of the mouse ball. Mouse cannot be used for
entering the data. It is only useful to select the options on the screen.
iii. Scanner: It is an input device that can read text or illustrations printed on
paper and translate into digital form. The main advantage of these scanners
is that the data need not be entered separately resulting in saving lot of
time.

2. Central Processing Unit: It is the part of the computer that carries out the
instructions of a computer program. It is the unit that reads and executes program
instructions. Hence it is known as the ―brain of the computer.

The CPU consists of storage or memory unit, Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) and
control unit.

(a) Memory Unit: It is also known as the primary storage or main memory. It
stores data, program instructions, internal results and final output
temporarily before it is sent to an appropriate output device. It consists of
thousands of cells called ―storage location. These cells activate with ―off-
on or binary digits (0,1) mechanism. Thus a character either a letter or
numerical digit is stored as a string of (0,1) Binary digits (BITS). These bits
are used to store instructions and data by their combinations.
(b) Arithmetic and Logical Unit(ALU): It is the unit where all Arithmetic
operations (addition, subtraction etc.) and logical functions such as true or
false, male or female are performed. Once data are fed into the main
memory from input devices, they are held and transferred as needed to ALU
 where processing takes place. No process occurs in primary storage.
Intermediate generated results in ALU CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
OUT PUT DEVICE INPUT DEVICE Memory Unit Control Unit ALU 5 are
temporarily placed in memory until needed at later time. Data may move
from primary memory to ALU and back again to storage many times before
the process is finalized.
(c) Control Unit: It acts as a central nervous system and ensures that the
information is stored correctly and the program instructions are followed in
proper sequence as well as the data are selected from the memory as
necessary. It also coordinates all the input and output devices of a system.
(d)
3. Output devices: Any device that is capable of representing information on a
computer is called an Output device. Output devices receive information from the
CPU and present it to the user in the desired form. Some important Output devices
are:
I. Terminal/Monitor: It is similar to TV screen- either a monochrome (black
& white) or colour – and it displays the output. It is also referred as Visual
Display Unit(VDU). Several types of monitors are in use. Some of them
are Colour Graphic Adapter(CGA), Enhanced Graphics Adaptor(EGA),
Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) and Super Video Graphics Adapter
(SVGA). The screen sizes differ from system to system. The standard
size is 24 lines by 80 characters. Most systems have provision for
scrolling which helps in moving the text vertically or horizontally on the
screen.
II. Printer: A printer is used to transfer data from a computer onto paper.
The paper copy obtained from a printer is often referred as ―printout.

HARDWARE and SOFTWARE

Hardware: The physical components of the computer are known as ―Hardware‖. It

refers to the objects that we can actually touch. Ex: input and output devices,
processors, circuits and the cables.

Software: Software is a program or set of instructions that causes the Hardware to

function in a desired way. The basic difference between the Hardware and Software
is just the same as that exists between TV and TV studio. Without TV studio (software)
from where the programs are telecast, the TV (Hardware) is a dead machine.

There are five categories of software. They are:

i. Operating System: The software that manages the resources of a computer

system and schedules its operation is called Operating system. The operating
system acts as interface between the hardware and the user programs and
facilitates the execution of programs.
Generally, the OS acts as an interface between the user and the Hardware of
the computer. i.e It is a bridge between the user and the Hardware. The User
interface provided by the OS can be character based or graphical.
CUI -- Character user Interface, it is operated with keyboard only
- MS-DOS, UNIX
GUI -- Graphical user Interface, the system can be operated with mouse and
keyboard
- Windows operating system
ii. Translators: Computers can understand instructions only when they are written
in their own language – the machine language. Therefore, a program written in
any other language should be translated into machine language. The software
that ―translates‖ the instructions of different languages is known as
translators. There are two types of translators. They are compilers and
Interpreters
iii. Utility programs: These are pre-written programs supplied by the manufacturer
for maintaining day to day activities of computer system. Example: COPY,
SORT, MAILING, virus scanning software etc.
iv. Application programs: These are user written programs to do a specific job
which can be changed to meet the individual needs. These programs are
written in different languages such as BASIC or C or by using database
packages like dBASE, Oracle. Example: Payroll, Billing, Railway Reservation
etc
v. General purpose program: These packages are developed to suit the needs of
research workers / scientists in different fields. These packages are categorized
as:
i) Data Analysis
 ii) Word Processing
iii) Spread Sheet
iv) Graphics and
v) Databases

Classification of Computers

Computers are classified according to the storage capacity, speed and the purpose
for which they are developed. These can be classified into three types:

i. Analog computers: They operate by ‘measuring’ instead of ‘counting’. The

name (derived from greek word analogue) denotes that the computer functions
by establishing similarities between the two quantities. They are powerful tools
for solving differential equations.
ii. Digital Computers: These computers operate by ―counting. All quantities are
expressed as discrete digits or numbers. These are useful for evaluating
arithmetic expressions and manipulations of data.
iii. Hybrid Computers: Computers which combine the features of analogue and
digital computers are known as Hybrid computers. A majority of the computers
that are in use are digital. These computers were essentially developed for
computations. Later, the developments in the computers led to the use of digital
computers in variety of applications. Depending on the use of applications, the
digital computers are classified into:
a. Special Purpose Computers: Special Purpose Computers: These are
developed with a specific purpose. Some of the areas where these
computers are being used are – soil testing, drip irrigation, medical
scanning, traffic signals, spacecraft, rocket technology etc.
b. General Purpose Computers: These are developed to meet the
requirements of several areas such as simulation, solving mathematical
equations, payroll and personnel database. These computers are available
in different sizes and capabilities and are further classified (based on
memory, speed, storage) as follows.
 Super Computers: Super Computers: These have extremely large
storage capacities and computing speeds which are at least 10 times
faster than other computers. These are used for large scale numerical
 problems in scientific and engineering disciplines such as electronics,
weather forecasting etc. The first super computer was developed in
U.S.A. by CRAY computers. In India the indigenous super computer was
developed under the name Param.
 Mainframe Computers: Mainframe Computers: They also have large
storage and high computing speed (but relatively lower than the super
computers). They are used in applications like weather forecasting,
space applications etc., they support a large number of terminals for use
by a variety of users simultaneously, but are expensive
 Mini Computers: Mini Computers: It is a medium sized computer with
moderate cost, available indigenously and used for large volume
applications. It can serve multi-users simultaneously 15.
 Micro Computer: A micro Computer is the smallest general purpose
processing system. Micro computers are also referred as ‘personal
computers’ (PC). These are self-contained units and usually developed
for use by one person at a time but can be linked to very large systems.
They are cheap, easy to use even at homes and can be read for variety
of applications from small to medium range.

Systems Software:
A System Software is a program that controls and supports operations of a computer
system. System software includes variety of programs such as Operating system,
Database management system; Communications control programs as well as Service
and Utility programs.

Program generators:
These software programs enable an individual to easily create a program of their own
with less effort and programming knowledge. With a program generator a user may
only be required to specify the steps or rules required for his or her program and not
need to write any code or very little code e.g are Adventure Maker, Alice, Stage cast
creator and Yoyo games

Application Packages:
These are prewritten computer programs designed for special or general purpose
tasks. Some applications packages perform single functions, while others integrate
several functions in a single package

Software Packages
Software packages could be categorized into the following classes:
(i) Word processing Packages
(ii) Electronic spreadsheets
(iii) Database Management Systems (DBMS)
(iv) Desktop publishing Packages (DTP)

Modes of Packages Acquisition

These are ways the users acquire the software packages for use: Software packages
could be acquired through the following ways:
(i) Buying from Software Developers
(ii) Renting from Software Houses
(iii) Buying from Software Vendors
(iv) Hiring from Software Developers

(2) Criteria for Packages acceptability

(i) Whether the Packages meet the user’s needs
(ii) Whether the packages meet up with the processing requirements
(iii) Whether the packages are affordable by those who need them
(iv) Whether the packages are reliable
(3) Concepts of Windows:
Windows is a graphical multi user interface that uses icons that represent tasks and
allows multitasking operation

What is a Graphical User Interface?

A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is simply an additional part of the operating system
that displays windows and drop down menus, and also enables you to drive your
computer using a mouse. Examples of operating system that use a GUI include
Windows and IBM's OS/2.
The advantages of using a GUI
All programs look similar and when you switch from a program supplied by one
manufacturer
to one from a different manufacturer, you will find the transition very easy. Application
programs work in the same way as the underlying operating system.
The GUI also allows programmers to easily write consistent looking programs.

WORD PROCESSORS

Definition: Word-processing is essentially typing, editing, and manipulation of a

document in a desired form.

Units of the Document: Since word-processing is concerned with preparation of a

document (in a desired form), it is essential to know the units of the document:

I. Character: It refers to the alphabets, numerical digits, punctuations and other

special symbols which are commonly used in the text.
II. Word: A word is group of characters that are separated from other group of
characters by some delimiters like, comma, full stop and space.
III. Sentence: A sentence is a group of words preceded and followed by
appropriate delimiting characters.
IV. Paragraph: It is a group of one or more sentences, paragraphs are separated
by leaving blank lines between them.
V. Pages: It is the amount of text that can be printed on one page of a paper.
VI. Chapters: It is a collection of pages
VII. Documents and files: It is a group of chapters. Usually, a complete document
may be very short such as a memo (or letter) or very long such as a book
consisting of several chapters. These documents are referred as “Files”

Features of Word-processing:
i. Word-wrap: In word-processing packages, the text can be continuously
typed and the computer automatically starts a fresh line when a line is
filled up. As soon as the length of a sentence exceeds the right margin,
the corresponding word is automatically adjusted in the following line.
 This is called word-wrap. A paragraph is created only when carriage
control is externally given for a sentence.
ii. Cursor control: The four directional keys of the keyboard helps in locating
the text for editing in much the similar manner as that of a pointer or
pencil.
iii. Editing: Words or lines can be entered (inserted) or deleted in any part
of the text with proper alignment. Similarly, there is a facility to recover
the text which is deleted by mistake or accidentally.
iv. Formatting: The text formatting refers to the way the text is desired to
appear on a page.
v. Spell-check: Word-processing packages provide checking of spellings
facility
vi. Thesaurus: It provides synonyms (or words with similar meanings)
vii. Macros: A macro is a character or word that represents a series of
keystrokes. The ability to define macros allows us to save a lot of time
by replacing common combinations of keystrokes.
viii. Printing: It gives a hard copy of the text. The printing can be controlled
after printing a fixed number of pages or can be resumed from any
specified page number
ix. File management: This facility allows to create, delete, move & search
for files.
x. Mail merge printing: This facility helps in printing same ―original‖ letter
with different addresses, so that each letter is ―original‖ and not a
carbon copy

WORD-PROCESSING PACKAGES:

Several word-processing packages are available. Some of these are listed below:

I. MSWORD (SOFT WORD)

II. WORDSTAR
III. CHIRATOR
IV. NORTON EDITOR
MS-Word is a word processor. The extension name of MS- word is “.doc” and
“.docx”. It is an application used to create, edit, print and save a document. It allows
the user to insert pictures, tables, charts, drawings & features that will make the text
richer & more interactive. (The term document refers to a file created using word
processor).

Starting MS-Word

Start  All Programs  MS-office  MS-word

The default Word document includes the following layout tools:

i. Title bar: displays the document name and the application.

ii. Menu bar: Contains the list of menus available inside word, each menu
contains a specific set of commands.
iii. Standard toolbar: provides shortcuts in the form of buttons for frequently
performed tasks.
iv. Formatting toolbar: Contains a list of formatting options available inside the
format menu.
v. Horizontal & Vertical rulers: used for measurement purposes like any
normal ruler; the default unit of measure is in inches.
vi. White page area: is the space area where you type, edit and format your
document.
vii. Insertion point: is the blinking vertical line that indicates the position on the
screen where text or graphics will be placed.
viii. Task pane: is a small window within the word window that provides shortcuts
to commonly used tasks.
ix. Scroll bars: are used to move up and down or left and right in a document.
x. Status bar: displays the details such as the page number the user is working
on, section no, page no. out of the total pages found in the document, line
number, column number etc.
Standard Toolbar:
This toolbar contains buttons to allow you to perform the basic operations such as
opening and closing a document, moving and printing data.

Open Print Zoom

New Save Spelling and Grammar

Function of commonly used buttons

i. New: Creates a new blank document based on the default template
ii. Open: Opens or finds an existing file
iii. Save: Saves the active file with its current file name, location and file format
iv. Print: Prints the active file - for more print options go to the File menu and
select Print
v. Spelling & Grammer: Spelling, grammar and writing style checker
vi. Zoom (100%): Enlarge or reduce the display of the active document

Formatting Toolbar:
The formatting Tool bar is the easiest way to change many attributes of a text.

Font Style Font Color

Font size Alignment

MS -EXCEL
Spreadsheet is a software that helps to substitute the paper worksheets in the offices.
Spreadsheet displays data in the form of rows and columns. An intersection of row
and column is known as a cell. MS-Excel is a window based spreadsheet developed
by Microsoft corporation. It includes all features of a spreadsheet package like
recalculation, graphs & functions. It also provides many Mathematical, Financial &
Statistical functions. Thus it is used in many scientific and engineering environments
for analyzing data. Excel can even hold graphic objects like pictures & images.

Some important features of MS-Excel:

i. Window based application: Excel like all other applications has Toolbars,
Shortcut Menus, Auto correct, Online help and Wizards.
 ii. Workbooks: Workbooks are the files in which worksheets related to a project
are held.
iii. OLE support: Object linking and Embedding is a feature through which Excel
can contain any object like a document, a picture etc.
iv. Maintaining high volume of data: Excel can contain large volume of data. A
worksheet can contain 65536 rows and 256 columns. A single cell can contain
a maximum of 255 characters. One workbook can contain a maximum of 256
worksheets.
v. Availability of functions: Several Mathematical, financial & statistical
functions are available in an Excel package.
vi. Availability of Charts & Graphs: MS-Excel allows users to view data
entered as tables in a graphical form as charts, which helps the user to easily
understand, analyze data & compare data.
vii. Data Analysis Tools: MS-Excel provides a set of data analysis tools called
Analysis Tool pack.
viii. Sorting capability: Excel has the capability of sorting any data in Ascending
or Descending order.
ix. Auto fill feature: Excel has the feature which allows to fill cells with repetitive
data such as chronological dates or numbers and repeated text.

Getting started with Excel:

An Excel document is called a workbook. By default, Excel workbook contains 3
worksheets
designated as sheet 1, sheet 2, sheet 3.
The extension name of excel workbook is .xls
We can start excel in many ways:

Standard Toolbar
The Standard toolbar, located beneath the menu bar, has buttons for commonly
performed tasks like adding a column of numbers, printing, sorting, and other
operations. Excel let's you customize the toolbar or even display multiple toolbars at
the same time. The Standard Excel XP toolbar appears in the figure below.
Formatting toolbar
The Formatting toolbar, located beneath the Standard toolbar bar, has buttons for
various formatting operations like changing text size or style, formatting numbers and
placing borders around cells.

Formula bar & Name box

The formula bar is located beneath the toolbar at the top of the Excel worksheet. Use
the formula bar to enter and edit worksheet data. The contents of the active cell
always appear in the formula bar. When you click the mouse in the formula bar, an X
and a check mark appear. You can click the check icon to confirm and completes
editing, or the X to abandon editing.

Formulas:
In Excel. One of the powerful features is formulas. A formula is an equation that is
used to perform calculations on data in a worksheet. We can use formula to perform
Mathematical, Statistical & date/time operations on a single value or a set of values
by using operators.
The cells in which formulas are stored, display the result of the calculation and not the
formula. In Excel, a formula starts with an equal (=) sign and should be followed by
the operation to be performed. We can use any number of operators in a single
formula. MS- Excel evaluates the formula according to the order of precedence of the
operators.

Examples of the formula expressions:

1. Suppose the values in the cells B2, C2, D2 are 34, 28, 56 respectively. To add these
values and to have the result in the cell F2,
Step i) Click on the cell in which total marks is to be displayed, i.e. F2
ii) Type “= (B2 + C2 + D2)”
iii) Press Enter
The value 118 will be displayed in F2.

2. Suppose the value of the cell B6 is 50. Divide the value by 5 and have it in the cell
E6:
Step i) Click the cell E6.
ii) Type = (B6/5)
iii) Press Enter
The value 10 will be displayed in the cell E6.

3. Multiply the value 3 of the cell C3 with the value 3 of the cell F3 and have the result
in
the cell I3.
Step i) Click the cell I3
ii) Type = (C3 * F3)
iii) press Enter
The result 9 will be displayed in the cell I3.

Accounting Information System

It is a system in which data is collected from the organizational activities; transform the
data into information and make the information available to those interested in the
organization. It is widely used in all types of organizations, whether public organization
or private organization. Modern computerized accounting systems are based on the
concept of database.

Advantages of AIS:
1. All the important data of a business can be found in a single centralized location
which helps several stakeholders to check vital information as and when
required
2. Accounting principles are pre-installed which helps account professionals to
read data in a globally accepted form.
3. The output generated helps in preparation of Financial Statements that is
required for disclosure and also for tax calculation.
4. The origination of each entry can be tracked with specific dates which is stored
for future reference. This helps in internal as well as external audit

Disadvantages of AIS:
1. The main concern of AIS is security. As all the vital information is updated
online, so it is really important that the security of the data is kept intact. There
are several scenarios where AIS as been hacked and information stolen.
2. As the information that is stored in computer language, so someone who is
trained in computer language can perform the task.
3. If there is an issue with the software, then the whole data can get corrupted.
This is a severe threat as no manual records are kept as a backup.

Example of current Accounting Softwares:

1. Quick books
2. Fresh books
3. Oracle netsuite
4. Xero
5. ZarMoney