Premium Essay

Purchasing Hardware and Software

In:

Submitted By pelinhmap
Words 1118
Pages 5
Essay question:
“What factors does a business manager need to consider when thinking about purchasing hardware or software?”
I. INTRODUCTION:
Nowadays, the knowledge-based economy is a main trend. So Information Technology has developed with excellent momentum and the computer made the important role in that place. The information system is a configuration of five components: Hardware, Software, Data, Personnel and Procedures, which can help businesses achieve their goals and objectives. Due to that, implementing or changing business systems/software is a huge step for businesses of any size. Whether they move up from basic business system or entry level accounting software, it is essential for business owners to do their research. Therefore, it is necessary for a business manager to consider many common factors when purchasing hardware or software. This essay will discuss key elements and information to make an effective decision of purchasing hardware/software. Firstly, it focuses on the key elements. Then, I will analyses the most important ones.

II. MAIN FACTORS:
Initially, what is the definition of hardware and software? Hardware is a comprehensive term and a collection of all of the physical elements of a computer. It contains of electronic components and store data according to instructions encoded in computer programs of software. The basic hardware categories are input, output, process and storage. Input devices are keyboard, mouse, UPC reader, microphone, or scanner. Output devices are the screen, video display, printer, or slide projector or plotter (Kroenke & Hooper, 2011). Storage devices are magnetic disk, magnetic tape or optical disk. Process devices are the most important, which are CPU, main memory, special function cards. Software is the programs and other operating information used by a computer. There are several factors need to be

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Assignment One

...order to do this we will need to discuss the equipment, the cost of the system, what it takes to maintain the system and provide a chart that explains the dataflow of what we created. To make the store automated we will need to purchase some hardware. The store is on a budget, which means I’ve broke it down to what I feel is the bare necessity needed to make this store automated. The hardware description is basic but consists of a computer, operating system, external devices (i.e. printers, fax machine, copier), keyboard, router and a mouse. You can see what it will look like in figure 1. This is working under the assumption our sister didn’t have any of this beforehand. After the purchase and set up of the hardware, the software upgrade is required. Software may drive the requirements for more hardware to be purchased. If we go with a more expensive software package we will need to purchase scanners. This is necessary to keep up with the amount of products coming in and leaving the store. Figure 1 Software is a tricky subject. You can pay someone to write a program for you. Allowing you to input your inventory manually and making you keep up with any coding issues. Another option is to buy an inventory tracking system software package. It would be like buying your normal computers operating system, but...

Words: 723 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Bsa/310 Wk 3 Indiv

...for improved customer service among consumers and stakeholders. Core features within the accounting system will address priority levels of information, enhancing decision making in all facets of company planning and viable control functions. A point of central consideration should be the inventory focus within Kudler Fine Foods. Inventory remains essential in balancing all spherical points within the Kudler organization. [pic] Characteristics of the System In the opinion of this accounting firm, Kudler Fine Foods needs to purchase software to record, maintain, and report their information. Every organization has several processes with some experiencing more complex than others. If Kudler wants to remain competitive they must make this transition. The current software at the Kudler headquarters is outdated and many of the systems can be automated just by switching use of the current software. Changing the software allows the main location to communicate directly with the central server, back up information, and process payroll direct deposits through the bank for their employees. Customer...

Words: 1103 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Club It Part 2

...review and discussion, three business problems were identified. First, the computer hardware and Internet need to be updated. Second, they need a more efficient way to handle customer orders and track inventory especially with Club IT getting so busy. Third, Ruben and Lisa are not up-to-date with participating in e-commerce. With these three issues in mind, Ruben and Lisa are ready to find solutions. Hardware A few items that Ruben and Lisa can do to upgrade their computer hardware system are: adding some additional RAM memory, broadband wireless modem, and a portable POS system. The first step is to upgrade the RAM memory in the computer system. Windows XP Pro runs more efficiently and faster with at least 512 MB RAM. Next, install a broadband wireless modem and upgrade the Internet connection to broadband from dialup. A faster Internet connection will make online purchasing and website changes much faster and save valuable time. Another option for Club IT is to purchase mobile handheld point-of-sale equipment. By using the new wireless connection, the POS machines can connect directly to the system for customer orders. This allows the wait staff to be more available to the customers while getting the orders in quickly. These investments are a good start in getting Club IT to a more current state with their computer system. Software Club IT also needs to purchase software to make customer orders, purchases, and inventory tracking much easier to track and stay...

Words: 680 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Automated Inventory System

...businesses in the market, then one should know that a business should be able to adapt to change and provide a service that is fast and reliable. We are going to be taking my sisters manual tracking and ordering system to an updated automated system. In order to make her store automated we will have to go on a shopping spree and purchase the hardware for the automated inventory system. Since we are on a budget we will look at the main things that will be needed. Hardware is a major part of automating her business. Hardware consist of a computer or laptop, an operating system, keyboard, router, mouse, and external hardware (i.e. printer, fax, and copier). My assumption is that she does not have any of this so we are starting from scratch. After purchasing and setting up the hardware she will need we will move on to the next step, Software upgrades and requirements. Software can be simple or it can be complicated. It can also be costly if you are not careful. If we go with the more expensive route we would need to invest in scanners. Investing in scanners will be necessary to keep up with the products coming in and out of store. Software can be complicated and become a very touchy subject. We could pay a third party to write a program for the store specifically or we could buy one that is already packaged. Benefits of having one made for the store consist of allowing you to manually...

Words: 1026 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Riorden

...Riordan Manufacturing A large amount of time, money, and effort are required in all aspects of a company and its projects. To complete a project and help solve a problem within the company, the proper personnel must be employed and trained properly. Developing an information system through initiation, analysis, implementation, and support is known as the System Development Life Cycle or SDLC. This system must be known and understood by anyone employed by the company. Other than the SDLC, the right database applications must be in place for a company to be successful at developing the right products. Riordan Manufacturing is the industry leader in plastic injection molding. A request has been made to help improve the inventory process and also make it more efficient. Included in the following will be a definition of the project, new proposal, system upgrades, and some improvements to the current system. Once all the necessary changes have been made, the system can then be changed or tweaked as deemed necessary to make sure things are as perfect as possible. Definition of Project Riordan Manufacturing wants to improve the inventory process and make it more efficient to better serve the consumer and their servers. Riordan is currently designing the plastic molds that help make plastic beverage containers, fans, heart valves, medical stints, and custom plastic parts (Riordan Manufacturing, 2004). Currently 550 employees work at Riordan Manufacturing in...

Words: 1349 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Computer Information System Brief

...products, bakery, packaged foods, wine, and cheese. Kudler Fine Foods hires Seeley’s Firm to evaluate Kudler’s accounting and information technology systems. Seeley’s Firm will report Kudler’s business and accounting needs, current hardware and software, strengths and weaknesses of current computer system, investigate prospects to improve the technology use, assess risks concerning the current computer system, and recommendations to improve Kudler’s ability to manage business. Business and Accounting Needs Concerning Kudler’s over-all business and accounting needs, the general needs are human resources, maintenance, sales, information technology marketing, consumer relations, communications, and advertising. Kudler’s accounting needs is inventory, purchasing, security, payroll, general ledger, bank reconciliations, accounts payable, point of service transactions, capital assets, and accounts receivable. It is essential that Kudler Fine Foods needs are met in a cost effective way to remain to offer the best in specialty foods to Kudler’s current and future consumer base. Seeley’s Firm needs to investigate the current computer system that Kudler is using to meet the current and future consumer satisfaction that Kudler wants. Current Hardware and Software Kudler currently uses a modular and scalable retail management system (RMS) as their...

Words: 1201 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Accounting Information System Group Work

...Analysis 25 Discussion of Selection Process 25 Reflection of Selection Process 26 Reference List 28 Appendix A. Final Scoring Matrix 32 Appendix B. Economic Feasibility Analysis 34 Appendix C. Seminar Work 38 Appendix D. Meeting Minutes 42 1. Executive Summary This report sets out to introduce the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software selection process in the purchasing department of a company “Choc & Choc”, which is a chocolate wholesaler established by the graduates from the University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China. Considering the company’s future operation, Accounting Information System (AIS) which will help the company store, process data and make business decisions is recommended. Aims at comprising the whole AIS in the company, purchasing department plans to choose the software that could satisfy its own needs. ERP system, which is multi-module transaction-based system management software, is taken into account under this condition (Bagranoff, 2008). The purchasing department needs to summarize and categorize supplier information, efficiently track purchase order, reduce purchasing costs, precisely update and manage inventory and effectively exchange information with sales department. In order to meet the requirements, SAP Business One, UFIDA U8 and NetSuite are introduced to the department. After examining them by point scoring matrix and economic feasibility, NetSuite has been recommended by the department....

Words: 10517 - Pages: 43

Premium Essay

Information Systems in Organizations

...it is widely used in both small and larger organization. Intuit provides its customers with as easy startup plan that includes management inventory for tracking sales, returns, and exchanges, free hardware such as cash drawers, handheld scanners, pin number pads, and a “go payment” mobile card reader. Intuit also offers their customers full support on all hardware and software and a free trial period of 30 days. The current price for purchasing Intuits Management Inventory System is $900. James E Dodge Business Communications Author Note [Include any grant/funding information and a complete correspondence address.] automated asset tracking and management, Barcode and RFID technology, and client/server inventory management. They also offer installation services and 24/7 customer support. Intuit is the most popular inventory controls system since it is widely used in both small and larger organization. Intuit provides its customers with as easy startup plan that includes management inventory for tracking sales, returns, and exchanges, free hardware such as cash drawers, handheld scanners, pin number pads, and a “go payment” mobile card reader. Intuit also offers their customers full support on all hardware and software and a free trial period of 30 days. The current price for purchasing Intuits Management Inventory System is $900. Information technology (IT) is an important part of any business plan. From the smallest companies who only own one to two computers to large international...

Words: 948 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Positive Thinking

...the fact that investments of this magnitude tend to involve longer-term commitments, means that the best pricing comparisons should be based on a period of ownership (three to six years), rather than on just initial acquisition charges. 3. Support is integral to both companies’ solutions and Microsoft’s separate support and license fee structures, in contrast with Red Hat's combined subscription and support offerings, can give a Microsoft solution a significant pricing advantage over a Red Hat solution. In Review ........................................................... 7 Major Findings Other Findings 7 7 Appendix –Modeling Assumptions................. 8 General Operating System Licensing and Subscription Pricing Support Server Hardware 8 8 9 9 10 Chart 1 compares the cumulative operating system license and support charges an enterprise would accrue from running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 versus those it would accrue from running Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The comparison is based on an ownership period of several years, and assumes support is provided by Microsoft or Red Hat, respectively. In this example – which is based on Microsoft’s volume pricing discount,...

Words: 4833 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Bsa 375-Functional Allocation Modeling

...point-of-sale (POS) 2.2.1. Hardware 2.2.2.1. POS Devices such as Thin Client Registers, Card Readers, and barcode scanners 2.2.2. Software 2.2.3.2. POS software updated to include frequent shopper program 2.2.3. HCI 2.2.4.3. Card readers that allows customers to input frequent shopper number or phone number 2.2. Loyalty Points Tied to Customer ID 2.3.4. Hardware 2.3.5.4. Database server connected with POS system 2.3.5. Software 2.3.6.5. SQL server software, POS software updated to tie into frequent shopper database 2.3.6. HCI 2.3.7.6. This function would mostly be handled autonomously by the POS and Database software 2.3. Redemption Programs continuously Update and Changing 2.4.7. Hardware 2.4.8.7. Database server for maintaining the database of redemption programs, client-server infrastructure for interacting with the database software 2.4.8. Software 2.4.9.8. Database software, client computer database management software 2.4.9. HCI 2.4.10.9. Manager of the Frequent Shopper program will update the redemption programs through database management software 2.4. Customer Balances Will be Maintained 2.5.10. Hardware 2.5.11.10. Database Server 2.5.11. Software 2.5.12.11. SQL Server Software 2.5.12. HCI ...

Words: 350 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Kudler Fine Foods Service Request Sr-Kf-013

...Kudler Fine Foods Service Request SR-kf-013 BSA375 Business Systems Development Abstract Kudler Fine Foods, an upscale specialty gourmet foods shop with three locations (La Jolla, Del Mar and Encinitas), has an expressed interest in the development of a Frequent Shopper Program to enable enhanced information management by tracking customer-purchasing practices. The information collected regarding customer purchase behaviors through the Frequent Shopper Program will improve the quality of Kudler Fine Foods’ product lines and reduce the quantities of perishables discarded. To increase revenue and customer loyalty, and as an alternative to providing discounts, Kudler Fine Foods has partnered with a loyalty points program to offer incentives for customer loyalty in the form of high-end rewards for shopping at Kudler Fine Foods. Customers will earn points with every purchase, redeemable for high-value gift items such as first-class airline upgrades, and other specialty items (Apollo Group, Inc., 2007). Facilitating this effort will require systems planning and selection as well as current and proposed systems analysis and design, in conjunction with systems implementation and integration, training, operations, and maintenance. Kudler Fine Foods Service Request SR-kf-013 Initiatives Outline Kathy Kudler, the founder of Kudler Fine Foods, opened her first gourmet food shop in 2003. Since that time, two additional stores have opened, and other locations in Carlsbad...

Words: 7143 - Pages: 29

Premium Essay

Kudler Fine Foods Service Request Sr-Kf-013

...Kudler Fine Foods Service Request SR-kf-013 BSA375 Business Systems Development Abstract Kudler Fine Foods, an upscale specialty gourmet foods shop with three locations (La Jolla, Del Mar and Encinitas), has an expressed interest in the development of a Frequent Shopper Program to enable enhanced information management by tracking customer-purchasing practices. The information collected regarding customer purchase behaviors through the Frequent Shopper Program will improve the quality of Kudler Fine Foods’ product lines and reduce the quantities of perishables discarded. To increase revenue and customer loyalty, and as an alternative to providing discounts, Kudler Fine Foods has partnered with a loyalty points program to offer incentives for customer loyalty in the form of high-end rewards for shopping at Kudler Fine Foods. Customers will earn points with every purchase, redeemable for high-value gift items such as first-class airline upgrades, and other specialty items (Apollo Group, Inc., 2007). Facilitating this effort will require systems planning and selection as well as current and proposed systems analysis and design, in conjunction with systems implementation and integration, training, operations, and maintenance. Kudler Fine Foods Service Request SR-kf-013 Initiatives Outline Kathy Kudler, the founder of Kudler Fine Foods, opened her first gourmet food shop in 2003. Since that time, two additional stores have opened, and other locations in Carlsbad...

Words: 7121 - Pages: 29

Free Essay

Cottrill Case Study

...INTRODUCTION: Judy Stevens, purchasing supervisor at the Cottrill Inc. plant in Columbus had to take a decision whether she wanted to change cottrill’s paging service from its current supplier Tallant to Saxton Wireless or wanted to remain with Tallant. She had to finalize her decision in few hours. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Cottrill was established in the mid-1800s and was the one of the largest corn refining operations in North America. The company operated six wet-milling plants, four in the United States and two in Canada. The Columbus plant had been operating for over 20 years and employed more than 100 people. Cottrill’s purchasing department had to ensure that the plant ran efficiently and was responsible for replenishing a variety of supplies at the plant, ranging from chemicals to communications equipment. A current initiative for Cottrill, and particularly for the purchasing department, was reducing the level of working capital. This had been a focus in the purchasing department for over two years, and the departmental target was an annual decrease of $300,000. The majority of Cottrill’s products were manufactured through a continuous flow process. Therefore, downtime at the Columbus plant was extremely costly and was estimated at $200,000 per hour. In an attempt to minimize plant downtime, management implemented an automated software program and an electronic pager system 12 years ago. The software program, called Production Messaging, monitored Cottrill’s equipment...

Words: 820 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Nt1310 Unit 4 Central Processing Requirements

...It is the main brain in the computer, every instruction has to go through the CPU. When one types a number or letter on the keyboard and it appears on the screen, the CPU is the component that makes that possible. The CPU is a piece of hardware designed to carry out the instructions of computer programs. The CPU performs various types of operations in the processing of data and management of operations. These include operations such as the input, output, Arithmetic, logical, storage and retrieval operations. If one is purchasing a computer, one should get one with a fast processor that is compatible with the budget. A faster processor has more core and the computer will perform faster as a result. When checking out specifications of a computer at the electronics store, the CPU is referred to as the...

Words: 931 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Hershey Food Erp Implementation

...Implementation During late 1996, the management of Hershey gave its approval to a project named Enterprise 21, which aimed at modernizing the hardware and software used by the company. The main goals of Enterprise 21 project were to upgrade and standardize the hardware, shift to client server environment from the existing mainframe based environment, move to TCP/IP network, etc. Hershey chose to replace the systems to solve Y2K problem rather than spending huge amounts on solving the date related problems. The new ERP software was expected to help Hershey reorganize its business processes. For this purpose, Hershey selected SAP AG’s R/3 Enterprise Resource Planning suite, along with companion software from two vendors - Manugistics and Siebel. Software from SAP included modules for finance, purchasing, materials management, warehousing, order processing, and billing. Manugistics would provide software for transport management, production, forecasting and scheduling. The software from Siebel was to support Hershey in managing customer relations and in tracking the effectiveness of the company's marketing through a pricing promotions module. IBM Global Services was chosen to integrate the software provided by the three different vendors. By January 1999, some of the modules like SAP financial, materials management, purchasing, and warehousing had been implemented. However, other modules like the critical order processing and billing systems modules from SAP, the pricing...

Words: 279 - Pages: 2