(11-01-11)+Finding+out+about+the+UK+IT+industry-Written+by+Kieron+Edwards+(WC2075)+FdSc

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 * Kieron Edwards - FdSc Applied Networking **

[[image:research.JPG width="351" height="247"]]
Tutor: Dominic Lyons
 * Finding out about the UK IT industry **

__Document Summary__
As part of our FdSc in Applied Networking and part of the module Work Related Leaning - Part One (WRL 1), we have been asked to perform a number of tasks. These tasks are intended to improve our knowledge of professionalism, business organisations and IT business culture. This document encompasses all the tasks derived from the ‘Week 1’ PowerPoint as presented by our tutor Dominic Lyons.

__**Introduction**__
The work for this week is split into two sections. The discussion in section one took place in class and documents the exercise. Section two researching was completed after the class took place. =__Discussion Group Task__=

__Task Summary__
After splitting into small groups, we were asked to discuss what we thought it meant to be an IT professional and what the requirements of being an IT professional are. The members of our team were Sergio Manuel, Peter Harrington and I, Kieron Edwards. The discussion took place on the 5th of October 2010.

__Results__

 * Getting Paid / Remuneration,
 * Job Specific Knowledge,
 * Dedicated to your work,
 * Presenting work to a pre-agreed standard,
 * Completes projects and tasks in a timely manner,
 * Able to work and learn on your own,
 * Professional standard of education both academic and professional,
 * Experienced in a relevant field,
 * Good Communicator,
 * Up-to-date skills,
 * Member of the correct industry related organisations e.g. BCS, IEEE.

=__Research Tasks__=

__Task Summary__
As part of the study for week two class, we have been asked to complete five small research tasks in our own time. All research done in this task was done over the internet and is about the IT industry. These tasks are as follows:
 * 1) Find 5 public sector organisations that utilise IT heavily.
 * 2) Look up and find 5 public companies in our sector look at their history and find out how much the company is worth on the stock market now and in the past.
 * 3) Look up and find 5 private companies in our sector.
 * 4) Look up and find 5 sole traders in our sector.
 * 5) Limited by Guarantee
 * 6) Create a document comparing and contrasting these organisations.

__Public Sector Organisations__
A public sector organisation is owned and run by the government and ultimately the public. For this section I began by having a brain-storming session, listing the public sector services and departments I could think have. Next I spent time researching on the internet to find out which organisations these services and departments fit into. PublicNet (n.d) lists public sector organisations and from this list I chose five organisations that would use larger amounts of IT. The consultancy company Alinean (2005) specialises in the area of //‘Return on IT (ROIT)’// and states //‘the average company spends 3.4 percent’// [of its yearly revenue on IT in its] //‘third annual ranking of top 200 U.S. companies’//. Therefore applying this figure to the UK public sector we can estimate a rough figure for each organisation as follows.
 * 1) Central Government,
 * 2) Local Government,
 * 3) Parliament,
 * 4) The Police Force,
 * 5) The NHS (Choices and Direct).

__Central Government and Local Government__
Chantrill (n.d) puts the Central Government total expenditure for 2008 at £421 billion and Local Government total expenditure at £155 billion, so applying the 3.4% average would give a yearly spend of over £14 billion and over £5 billion respectively.

__Parliament__
BBC News (2009) states //‘the cost of running the Houses of Parliament…came to £498’// [million] for 2008 to 2009; this gives an estimated figure of £16,945,600 allocated for IT.

__The Police__
The Directgov (n.d) states the Police budget for 2008 to 2009 was £4,559,863,930 therefore the IT spend would be around £155,035,373.

__NHS__
Finally NHS Choice (2009) puts their 2008 to 2009 budget at over £100 billion, using this figure alone gives an IT spend of £3.4 billion.

__Table showing estimated highest spending in order__

 * ~ Organisation ||~ Total Spend for 2008-09 ||~ Estimated IT Cost at 3.4% ||
 * = Central Government ||= £421,000,000,000 ||= £14,314,000,000 ||
 * = Local Government ||= £155,000,000,000 ||= £5,270,000,000 ||
 * = NHS (Choice & Direct) ||= £100,000,000,000 ||= £3,400,000,000 ||
 * = The Police ||= £4,559,863,930 ||= £155,035,373.62 ||
 * = Parliament ||= £498,400,000 ||= £16,945,600 ||

__Public Companies (Plc)__
Public Companies have shares that are owned by members of the public, also known as a Public Liability Company (Plc). Robertson (n.d) states //‘an allotted share capital with a nominal value of at least £50,000 and paid up share capital of at least £12,500 (or, from April 2008, the equivalent in euros). You could, for example, allot 50,000 £1 shares, or 250,000 20p shares, each issued and paid at least to one quarter of its nominal value – 50,000 £1 shares paid up as to 25p on each share, or 250,000 20p shares paid up as to 5p on each share. (There is no equivalent minimum for a private company)’.// The following list is of five ‘Plc’s’ that have a connection with the IT industry.

__BAE Systems Ltd__
BAE Systems (2010) //‘is a global defence, security and aerospace company with approximately 107,000 employees worldwide. The Company delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. In 2009 BAE Systems reported sales of £22.4 billion (US$ 36.2 billion).’// The current share value of BAE Systems (Dated 19th November 2010) as shown on Digital Look (2010) is 349.70p. This website also gives information on past share prices.

__British Telecommunications Plc__
The telecommunications company BT offers amongst its services offers internet connectivity. The current share price for BT Group (BT.A) shown on Digital Look (2010) is 165.00p (Dated 19th November 2010).

__Cable & Wireless Plc__
Providing internet connectivity is a service that is provided by this telecommunications company. Currently the shares for Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CW.) are priced at 66.30p on Digital Look (2010) (Dated 19th November 2010).

__The Phoenix IT Group Plc__
The Phoenix IT Group (2010) has //‘Companies in the…group provide managed IT Infrastructure support services, including systems management, communications, remote telephone support, high-touch field services, project and consultancy services and business continuity’//. Their current price of shares for The Phoenix Group (PNX) shown on Digital Look (2010) is at 232.00p (Dated 19th November 2010).

__The Sage Group Plc__
The website for The Sage Group (2010) states //‘Our range of business software and services is continually evolving as we constantly innovate. The range includes software to manage your business' finances, run the payroll, manage customer and supplier relationships, plan the business and support your HR function. In the UK, we provide software and services to over 760,000 small and medium-sized businesses'.// The current shares for the Sage Group (SGE) as displayed on Digital Look (2010) are at 261.00p (Dated 19th November 2010).

__Private Companies (Ltd)__
Private companies are known as (Private) Limited Companies (Ltd). In a similar way to Plc’s they have shares. However the shares in this case are privately owned by one or more people. Five examples of Limited Company found when ‘IT companies in Shipley’ was typed into Google, can be found below.

__Think Technical Solutions Ltd__
Think Technical Solutions (2010) state on their website that they are //‘a business focussed IT support provider’//, based near Laisterdyke in Bradford.

__Matrix I.T. ComputersLtd__
Matrix I.T. Computers (2010) – say they are //‘one of the UK’s leading Business to Business IT Equipment & Solutions providers’//. They are based in Shipley, in Bradford.

__CCL Computers Ltd__
CCL Computers (2010) – //‘supplies computer systems and components'// from their hub in Tong, Bradford.

__Aire Valley Computer Solutions Ltd__
Aire Valley Computer Solutions (2010) based in Saltaire, declare they are a business that provides //‘IT Solutions and Support for Home and Business’//.

__Splitsec Ltd__
Splitsec (2010) found in Shipley tells us that it //‘provides Support, Supplies and Communication solutions across the UK’//.

__Sole Trader Companies__
A sole trade is a single person responsible for the whole company.

__Stonegate Computers__
This Leeds based company, Stonegate Computers (2010) states on its website that they //‘can offer help to get your computer back online’// as well as website design, web hosting and corporate design. They are not run from business premises; rather a home address and the contact phone number is a mobile phone, as seen on Yell (2010). This gives clues as to their Sole Trader status no matter what image their corporate web site may portray.

__The Computer Cleaning Company__
The Computer Cleaning Company (2010) website says they //‘offer a full range of services, ranging from small local projects to major national and European work, and everything in between’//. This company has Liverpool and Leeds addresses listed on their web site, both are residential addresses and the company name does not appear on the Companies House (2010) web check service. The likelihood is that it began as a Sole Trader and may have developed into a partnership.

__Allen Industries__
The Leeds address for this business is listed on Yell (2010) and is a residential address and has a mobile phone number as a contact number. Although the web site is under construction, the reserved page for Allen Industries (2010) advertises the company as //‘for residential and small businesses’//. It is not listed on the Companies House (2010) web check service. This is very likely to be a Sole Trader.

__On Site PC Repairs__
Based in Castleford, On Site PC Repairs (2010) says that the company offers //‘high quality repairs & upgrade services in your home or workplace’//. They do not appear on the Companies House (2010) web site and the address is a residential property. They are very likely to be a Sole Trader.

__Bellingham IT__
Found in Wakefield, Bellingham IT (2010) is a company that //‘supply, maintenance and support for IT’//. The company is not listed in the Companies House (2010) web check service and the address listed on Yell (2010) is a residential address. Therefore this is very likely to be a Sole Trader with a very flashy web site.

__Comparing and contrasting the organisations__
The best way to compare and contrast different types of organisation is to define what makes them different to each other.

__Public Sector organisations__
As mentioned previously Public Sector organisations are owned and run by the Government and ultimately the public. Whatis (2010) define the public sector as //‘that portion of society controlled by national, state or provincial and local governments’//. This kind of organisation will have to adhere to strict rules and regulations on how they are run. The public sector can employ private businesses under contract to work for them.

__Limited Companies__
The term ‘limited’ refers to the type of liability that the group of people or person has in regards to the company. Business Link (2010) tells us //‘there are four main types of company’.//

__Public Limited Companies (Plc)__
A Plc must have a company secretary and at least two directors (the company secretary can be one of the Directors. As previously mentioned the company has shares that can be bought and sold publicly on the stock market worth £50,000 or the Euro equivalent. Money can be raised by selling the shares on the stock market. Selling the stocks in this manner allows the liability for the company to be limited to the amount unpaid on each member’s shares. Plc’s also have to have full disclosure about their finances this also gives them a certain prestige over Private Limited Companies.

__Private Limited Companies (Ltd)__
Similar to Plc’s in the sense that they have shareholders that own the company. The liability for the company is ‘limited by shares’, so therefore each member is liable for the amount unpaid on shares held by them. They are allowed a certain amount of financial privacy.

__Private Company Limited by Guarantee__
This type of company does not have shares and instead has guarantors; the liability is limited to a pre-agreed amount per member. This version of company is normally used by organisations such as charities.

__Private Unlimited Companies__
This means that the liability for the company is unlimited; therefore the owner of the company is responsible solely for the company. A Sole Trader is a Private Unlimited Company.

__Conclusion__
From this research task we can surmise that not all IT companies are the same. They can differ in type and this type is dependent upon who is ultimately responsible if that company was to fail. This responsibility also defines who has a say in the company and how it is run. To be a professional in the IT industry means being aware of these differences and being able to carry your professionalism into all of the types of company mentioned above.
 * Word Count = 2075 / Written by Kieron Edwards / 11 January 2011**

__References__

 * Aire Valley Computer Solutions (2010) AVC Solutions [Internet], Saltaire, Aire Valley Computer Solutions. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 26 November 2010]. ||
 * Alinean (2005) Alinean Highlights Top 200 U.S. Companies Achieving the Greatest Return on IT (ROIT), Frugal and Agile Companies Prevail in Third Annual Ranking [Internet], Orlando, Florida, Alinean Inc. Available from:<[]>[Accessed 18 November 2010]. ||
 * Allen Industries (2010) Allen Industries [Internet], Leeds, Allen Industries. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 27 November 2010]. ||
 * BBC News (2009) Cost of running Parliament falls. BBC News [Internet], 19 August. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 19 November 2010]. ||
 * Bellingham IT (2010) Bellingham IT [Internet], Wakefield, Bellingham IT. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 27 November 2010]. ||
 * Business Link (2010) Set up and register a limited company (private or public) [Internet], Serco. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 27 November 2010]. ||
 * CCL Computers (2010) CCL [Internet], Bradford, CCL Computers Ltd. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 26 November 2010]. ||
 * Chantrill, C (n.d) Local Planned Spending Expenditure – CHARTS – GDP Debt [Internet], ukpublicspending.co.uk. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 18 November 2010]. ||
 * Digital Look (2010) Digital Look [Internet], London, Digital Look. Available from: <[]>[Accessed 19 November 2010]. ||
 * Directgov (n.d) How much the Home Office spends on police [Internet], Directgov. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 18 November 2010]. ||
 * Matrix IT Computers (2010) Matrix IT Computers [Internet], Bradford, Matrix IT Computers Ltd. Available from <[]> [Accessed 26 November 2010]. ||
 * NHS Choices (2009) About the NHS [Internet], NHS Choices. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 18 November 2010]. ||
 * Splitsec (2010) Splitsec [Internet], Shipley, Bradford, Splitsec Ltd. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 26 November 2010]. ||
 * Stonegate Computers (2010) Stonegate Computers [Internet] Leeds, Stonegate Computers. Available from: <[|http://www.stonegatecomputers.co.uk]> [Accessed 27 November 2010]. ||
 * Think Technical Solutions (2010) Think Technical Solutions Ltd [Internet], Bradford, Think Technical Solutions Ltd. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 26 November]. ||
 * Whatis (2010) Public Sector [Internet], London, TechTarget. Available from: <[]> [Accessed 27 November 2010]. ||

__Bibliography__

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 * Companies House (2010) WebCHeck [Internet], Cardiff, Companies House. Available from: <[|http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk]> [Accessed 27 November 2010]. ||
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