Workplace Software and Skills

Chapter 2 ESSENTIALS OF SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESS

Chapter Outline

• 2.1 Software Basics
• 2.2 Files and Folders
• 2.3 Communication and Calendar Applications
• 2.4 Essentials of Microsoft Office
• 2.5 Essentials of Google Workspace
• 2.6 Collaboration

2.1 Software Basics

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Explain what software is and what it does
• Describe each of the main software types used in business
• Understand how to install and maintain software

Figure 2.2

The common format for software includes a series of menus or toolbars at the top of the screen that are specific to the functionality of the program. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.3

Google Workspace includes applications for emailing, managing files, and creating spreadsheets. These are the common icons you will see most as you start to learn this suite. (Google Workspace is a trademark of Google LLC.)

2.2 Files and Folders

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Describe the purpose and use of files and folders
• Identify different file formats and their common uses
• Apply best practices in file and folder organization, including saving
• Understand the differences between Google Drive, SharePoint, and OneDrive

Figure 2.4

A computer stores files in the same way you might store files in a filing cabinet (although maybe a little neater). (credit: “document file, folders, carton, paper” by PPD/Pixnio, CC0)

Figure 2.5

File Explorer shows the folders on your hard drive and the devices that are connected to your computer. The Search This PC search bar finds specific files on your local hard drive. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.6

The various application programs are listed for you to select when creating a new file. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.7

File History can also be accessed through your computer’s Control Panel. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Table 2.1: Types

Computer application files are saved with the file name and an extension that identifies the type of file it is.

Figure 2.8

Saving as a .pdf file can preserve formatting and spacing in documents such as résumés and newsletters when they are shared with others and opened in other programs. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

2.3 Communication and Calendar Applications

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Identify common communication applications for email and messaging
• Apply best practices to crafting an email
• Describe features and uses of calendar applications

Figure 2.9

Technical Cooperation Members of the COP26 Climate Change Conference hold a virtual meeting in 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland, enabling stakeholders from 200 countries to come together whether in person or over the internet. (credit: “IAEA Staff Behind the Scenes at COP26” by IAEA Imagebank/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

Figure 2.10

An understanding of time zones is important in running video meetings in multinational corporations. (credit: “Standard World Time Zones map (as of August 2015)” by UnaitxuGV/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Figure 2.11

When composing a professional email, format the email in a similar manner to a business letter. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.12

When responding to an email, be careful to choose the appropriate option. As an example, you may not want to choose Reply All when responding to an email that was sent to all employees. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.13

If you set the priority to High, recipients can quickly see emails that need immediate attention. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.14

Gmail places the Send button at the bottom of the email composition screen. (Gmail is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.15

The Teams window will display your picture in the upper-right corner with a green check mark to show you are available. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.16

Notice that Slack uses the term “channels” to refer to different chats. (Copyright 2023 Slack Technologies, LLC.)

Figure 2.17

To switch back to Outlook Mail, just choose the envelope in the lower-left corner of the screen. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.18

To create a new calendar appointment, choose Create. All calendars displayed in the main calendar view are listed in the lower left of the screen. (Google Calendar is a trademark of Google LLC.)

2.4 Essentials of Microsoft Office

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Know how to access Microsoft applications
• Describe the key functions within Microsoft’s standard menus
• Create, save, and open a document

Table 2.2: Office Applications

Figure 2.19

The Home tab contains the command groups Font, Paragraph, and Styles, which are used for formatting text. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.20

The main menu bars for (a) Word and (b) Excel share common tabs (File, Home, Insert, Help, for instance), but also contain tabs that are in character with their main functions (such as References in Word and Formulas in Excel). (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.21

The main menu bars for (a) PowerPoint and (b) Access also share common tabs with one another and with Word and Excel (File, Home, Insert, Help, for instance). They also contain tabs that are in character with their main functions (such as Animations in PowerPoint and Database Tools in Access). (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.22

Backstage view shows file properties, which are the statistics and technical details of your file. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.23

The welcome screen gives you three choices: start from scratch with a new file, create a file from a template, or open a recent file you have already saved. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.24

When you Save As, you can change the file name, the file format, or both. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.25

You can also choose to have your document stapled if that option is available on your printer. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Table 2.3: Summary of the Options Dialog Box

The Options command appears in all Office applications and provides helpful settings.

Figure 2.26

The Options command, present in all Office applications, opens an Options dialog box with many available options or settings that can be changed. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.27

To customize the Quick Access Toolbar, add commands from the selections on the left to the list on the right. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.28

Items added to the Quick Access Toolbar will appear at the top of the screen when you open the program. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.29

Using the context menu, you can easily add the Quick Print option to the Quick Access Toolbar. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.30

Customizing the ribbon can facilitate your productivity by including items you use frequently for quicker access. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.31

The Home tab contains items such as formatting the font size and determining the line spacing. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Table 2.4: Common Keyboard Shortcuts in Office

Figure 2.32

Format Painter is a handy tool to brush, so to speak, over text and format it as you like. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.33

(a) Insert tab for Word, (b) Excel, and (c) PowerPoint. Different tabs appear for each program depending on the program’s purpose. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.34

(a) The Design tab in Word allows you to choose preset themes for formatting text or you can create your own design choices. (b) PowerPoint’s Design tab functions similarly. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.35

(a) The Layout tab in Word and (b) Page Layout tab in Excel allow you to set up your document or spreadsheet for easier reading and visual appeal. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.36

The Review tab in (a) Word, (b) Excel, and (c) PowerPoint all share common functions, such as creating and managing comments from multiple users. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.37

The (a) View tab in Word, (b) Excel, and (c) PowerPoint sets how your document, spreadsheet, or presentation will appear on-screen. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Figure 2.38

When you select the general help search with the question mark, you can type the topic or question you need help with into the search bar. (Used with permission from Microsoft)

Table 2.5: Default Tabs by Office Program

Each program has a ribbon of default tabs.

2.5 Essentials of Google Workspace

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Access Google Workspace’s applications
• Describe the key functions within Google’s standard menus
• Create, open, and save a document

Figure 2.39

Click on the dots in the upper-right corner to open the menu of apps. (Gmail is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.40

(a) Gmail includes many apps. (b) Slides, which is similar to PowerPoint, is one of them. (Gmail is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Table 2.6: Common Google Applications

The Google Workspace includes applications for all the tools you need in the workplace from communicating with colleagues to creating documents and presentations.

Figure 2.41

The main menu bars for (a) Docs, (b) Sheets, and (c) Slides are similar—from File to Help. (Google Workspace is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.42

The File menu is mainly used for opening and saving documents. (Google Docs is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.43

Download your presentation to one of seven other formats, including a PowerPoint file. (Google Slides is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.44

Creating a copy of an existing file by using the Save Copy command. (Google Docs is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.45

This is a typical Drive page showing recent presentations and other recent work. (Google Drive is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.46

Select New Presentation, New Document, New Spreadsheet, New Form, or New Drawing. (Google Drive is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.47

You can also rename the file you just created by using the Rename command in the File menu. (Google Docs is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.48

When creating a new file in Google, you can either create a file from scratch or start with a template. (Google Drive is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.49

When you have changed the appropriate settings, click Next to print the file. (Google Docs is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.50

You can use Find and Replace to find specific text in a file and replace it with other text. (Google Docs is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.51

The Edit menu will look the same in Docs, Sheets, and Slides. (Google Docs is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.52

Notice that when you are in Suggesting mode, changes are not saved until you first either accept or reject the edits, as represented by the check mark or X in the comment box. (Google Docs is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.53

The View menus for (a) Docs, (b) Sheets, and (c) Slides will become more familiar to you as you navigate the programs. (Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides are trademarks of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.54

The Insert menu in (a) Docs, (b) Sheets, and (c) Slides differ slightly from one another depending on the function of each program. (Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides are trademarks of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.55

The Format menu in (a) Docs, (b) Sheets, and (c) Slides. While the options in Docs and Slides focus on formatting text, Sheets’s options allow you to format numerical information in the cells. (Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides are trademarks of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.56

The Tools menu contains some of the most useful features of the Google Workspace. (Google Workspace is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.57

The list in (a) shows the general preferences; (b) shows the substitutions. (Google Workspace is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.58

Using keyboard shortcuts can be a time-saver. (Google Docs is a trademark of Google LLC.)

2.6 Collaboration

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Discuss the benefits and challenges of collaborating with technology
• Describe professional behavior in collaborative meetings
• Outline how to attend and host a meeting
• Share and collaborate on documents via editing and commenting

Figure 2.59

Today’s technology enables us to meet with coworkers from across the world in a virtual meeting room. Depending on meeting rules and norms, participants have the option of participating without having to turn on their cameras. (credit: “7.12.2020 Reunião GT – Retomada” by Ministério Público de Pernambuco/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

Figure 2.60

(a) To share a file, simply type in the recipient's email address to send the invitation. (b) Clicking the gear icon will allow you to manage what collaborators can do with the file. (Google Docs is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.61

(a) You can set up a public link for people to access a file, whether they have a Google account or not. (b) You can also place some restrictions on access to the file. (Google Docs is a trademark of Google LLC.)

Figure 2.62

Drive is the storage space that customers get on Google’s servers. As you pay fees, your storage capacity is increased. (Google Drive is a trademark of Google LLC.)

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