THE BRITISH COMPUTER SOCIETY THE BCS PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATIONS BCS Level 5 Diploma in IT PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS

PRACTICE
Wednesday 8th October 2008 - Morning Answer FOUR questions out of SIX. All questions carry equal marks Time: TWO hours
The marks given in brackets are indicative of the weight given to each part of the question.

Calculators are NOT allowed in this examination.

1.

a)

What are the main difference between a public limited company (Plc) and a private limited company (Ltd)? (4 marks) As technical director of a software house called Trimpex Plc, you have indepth knowledge of all five software products developed and sold by the company. Three years ago, in your own time, you developed one of the five products a primary school administration system. You sold the system to Trimpex Plc two years ago and since then all developments and enhancements have been carried out by Trimpex Plc. A friend of yours who is principal of the local primary school in your area has asked you to develop a pupil report module in your spare time, rather than having it developed by Trimpex Plc. By carrying out the development you stand to make a large amount of money. What do you do and why? (12 marks)

b)

c)

Suppose that, in the scenario of part b) above, you were not a director of Trimpex but simply a Member of the British Computer Society and one of Trimpexs professional employees. What factors would affect your behaviour and would it be any different. (9 marks)

2.

A student is under suspicion of having hacked into a banks computer system and is the subject of a police investigation. a) Outline the responsibilities of the students internet service provider under the UK Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 with regard to the police investigation. (13 marks) Outline how the Computer Misuse Act 1990 might be relevant to the students activities. (12 marks)

b)

Turn over]

3.

a)

A company has been developing a new secure communications system. The system includes both novel hardware and novel communications software. Explain how patent and copyright legislation could be used to protect the new system from competitors. (17 marks) Explain what a trade mark is, and describe how it might be used to protect a piece of software. (8 marks)

b)

4.

You are intending to set up an e-business to sell hand-made toy dolls over the World Wide Web. a) Outline what you would need to do in order to ensure that the e-business complied with the UK Consumer Protection (distance selling) Regulations 2000. (8 marks) How does the Disability Discrimination Act 1998 affect the design of your web site? (11 marks) Describe TWO steps that you might take to make your web site accessible to visually impaired users. (6 marks)

b)

c)

5.

a)

Briefly outline the history and present membership structure of: i) ii) the UK Engineering Council the British Computer Society (15 marks)

b)

Explain the primary purpose and role of: i) ii) the UK Engineering Council the British Computer Society (10 marks)

6.

Explain each of the following financial terms and give a brief example to demonstrate how each would be valued or calculated. Give your examples within the context of a software development company that produces a portfolio of software products for the management of traffic in cities. a) b) c) d) e) depreciation of fixed assets working capital good will work in progress current liabilities. (5 5 marks)