Hardware & Software Assignment (35 points)
Problem: Your boss Michael Sparks, Vice President of Warehouse Operations, wants to purchase devices such as tablets or laptops for the six (6) Customer Account Managers. The company would like the Customer Account Managers to be more accessible and have the ability to respond to customers more efficiently and in a timelier manner. Mr. Sparks has asked you as the Customer Account Supervisor, to research the purchase of a device that will meet the needs of these employees. You will need to persuade Mr. Sparks that your solution is the best solution for this group of employees.
In order to persuade Mr. Sparks to purchase your solution, you will need to research different devices and software that meet the needs of the Customer Account Managers.
The following criteria should be considered. Mr. Sparks is on a tight budget but wants the best solution.
Cost $500 per unit, apps and accessories – device will need to access the organizations warehouse inventory application which does have a mobile interface.
Connectivity WIFI and 5G or 4G ability. Processor Processing speed must be powerful/fast enough to multitask
Display Easy to read and use Size Device must be readable and practical to carry
Accessories Chargers, cases, etc. Warranty 2 years or more Dual Cameras Front and rear facing for online meetings such as Teams, Zoom,
Skyping or Facetime, taking photos of items in the field
Operating System Apple, Android, Windows Software Available Apps, productivity software such as word processing,
spreadsheets, browsers etc. Any costs associated should be included in the costs for the
devices.
He has given you a budget of $500 dollars for each unit. There are six Customer Account Managers.
You will need to research vendor websites and evaluate and select an appropriate device using the minimum requirements listed above. Since Mr. Sparks has stated that the device should also have 4G/5G capability, you will need to consider the cost of the data plan. The data plan should be included in your analysis but is outside the $500 for each device. However, the total expense for 4G/5G support should be included in your analysis.
The point is to get the most for the money allocated for each device and to persuade Mr. Sparks to purchase your recommended solution.
Use appropriate persuasive techniques and memo etiquette. Be sure to use a memo format (see BCOM Appendix Module in D2L). Save your persuasive memo to a word processing file that can be read in a Word format. ( i.e. Lastname2200memo.docx) Submit file to D2L.