Purchasing and sales software
Stock means the goods a shop keeps ready to sell. Software keeps the stock record correct.
Purchasing software handles buying:
- Make a list of what is needed (a purchase order).
- Send it to the supplier.
- When goods arrive, add the quantity to stock and record the amount owed.
Sales software handles selling:
- Enter or scan the item and the quantity.
- It prints the bill and adds the money to the sales total.
- It takes the quantity off stock, and warns you when stock is low.
New stock = old stock + bought − sold. Because purchasing and sales share one stock record, the shelf count stays up to date.
Payroll software
Payroll is the job of paying staff correctly and on time.
- Gross pay = hours worked × rate per hour (plus any extra such as overtime).
- Deductions are amounts taken off, such as tax or a retirement fund.
- Net pay = gross pay − deductions. This is the money the person receives.
Payroll software keeps the rate and rules once, then repeats the sum for every person each month. It prints pay slips and a summary the owner can check. It lowers mistakes, but the hours typed in must be correct (wrong input gives wrong output).
Groupware
Groupware is software that lets a team work together on shared information, even from different places.
- Shared calendar: everyone sees meetings and deadlines.
- Chat or messaging: quick questions, answered in minutes.
- Shared files: one copy that all edit, so there are no old versions floating around.
- Task boards: who is doing what, and what is finished.
Good habits: name files clearly, say who owns each task, and keep private data in places where only the right people have access.
Try it: run a tiny shop
In the last 3D step, start with 3 boxes. Buy once, then sell twice. Predict the stock and the sales total before you read them. Then slide the hours and work out net pay by hand: hours × 10, then subtract 10 %. Check your answer on the screen.
Key formulas and definitions
- New stock = old stock + bought − sold
- Sales total = number sold × price
- Gross pay = hours worked × rate
- Net pay = gross pay − deductions (such as tax)
- Groupware = shared calendar + chat + files + tasks
Worked examples
1. A shop has 20 packets. It buys 15 and sells 8. What is the new stock?
New stock = 20 + 15 − 8 = 27 packets.
2. A packet sells for 25. How much is the sales total after selling 12 packets?
12 × 25 = 300.
3. A helper works 40 hours at a rate of 120 per hour. Tax is 10 %. Find gross and net pay.
Gross = 40 × 120 = 4800. Tax = 10 % of 4800 = 480. Net = 4800 − 480 = 4320.
4. Which software would you use for: (a) ordering goods, (b) giving a bill to a customer, (c) a team meeting plan?
(a) Purchasing software. (b) Sales software. (c) Groupware (shared calendar).
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to add bought goods to stock, so the record is lower than the shelf.
- Mixing up gross pay and net pay. Net pay is what is left after deductions.
- Believing payroll software cannot be wrong. If the hours or rates are typed wrongly, the pay is wrong.
- Keeping several copies of a shared file by email instead of one shared copy.