Bill a close friend- Business startup
Bill, a close friend of your parents wants to start a
business. Your parents refer him to you since you are presently working on a
technology related degree. In your first discussion, you discover the following
facts:
• Bill has
been a sales representative for a major restaurant supply company for many
years.
• His prior
skills are very low tech. He drives from city to city, visiting restaurants and
either provides his customers with supplies, or visits new restaurants to try
and convince them to purchase supplies from him exclusively. He phones his
orders in to the manufacturer, and other than accounting for his expenses while
on the road, he does no record keeping.
• Other
than basic email skills and a vague familiarization with Microsoft Word Bill
has little or no experience with existing communications technologies or
software applications.
• Bill’s
business plan is to start a new restaurant supply business in his home. He
wishes to spend more time at home and travel much less than he did in the past.
He knows he will sometimes be required to travel to negotiate deals or meet
with clients, but he would prefer to be able to do all this at home whenever
possible.
Bill has already implemented the following actions:
ü He has found an accountant who has agreed to help him set
up his accounting system. (Do not consider any accounting software for this
assignment. The accountant will provide that.)
ü He has contacted six different restaurant supply companies
and negotiated a fee and commission arrangement that will allow him to
represent them and sell their products.
ü He has found local training and certification company that
has classes in all the major software packages (Apple OS, Windows 7/8, Word,
Excel, etc.), which will allow Bill to start classes immediately.
Although Bill has minimal technical skills, he does know
what he wants. As the discussion proceeds, the following items are added to the
plan:
• Budget:
Bill has funds for the start up, but the budget has some limits. He doesn’t
want the fastest, biggest or best, ***** ***** will spend what it takes to have
equipment that will suit his needs.
• Security:
Bill has heard horror stories about computer information being hacked, and he
wants your assurance that his business information will be secure, if he
follows your suggestions.
• Hardware:
Bill knows of no special requirements for hardware, but he does know he will
need to store somewhere between two and three terabytes of catalog information
from the companies with whom he will be working. He needs to be able to access
this info at all times from any location. He has no knowledge or preferences
about hardware and says he will go with what you recommend.
• Operating
System and Software: Bill feels comfortable with the Windows environment, and
prefers not to learn another operating system.
• The
Cloud, Wi-Fi, Mobile Computing: Bill has no idea how these technologies tie in
to his business, but he does know he needs to be able to do the following from
his home office, from his car, or from any remote location: Check his email and
compose/send emails at any time, place a supplies order via the Internet to any
of his suppliers, be able to answer phone calls, and be able to set up video
conferencing phone calls.
The Proposal:
Prepare and submit a proposal to Bill that gives your
suggested solution to his business plan. Provide Bill with the details of what
he needs to purchase in order to have what he needs to conduct his business
using today’s technology. Make sure you include the following items in your
report:
1. Hardware:
What items of hardware (computer, laptop, tablet device, telephone, etc.)
should Bill purchase. For items like a computer, include minimum specifications
for all major internal components. Justify the need for any major hardware
items recommended.
Operating System: With the recommended hardware, what
operating system choices are available and which would be best? Why?
2. Other
Technologies: Include the details on any peripheral devices and technologies
that you propose (“The Cloud”, mobile computing devices, Bluetooth, wireless
networking, etc.) and explain how they fit into the business plan.
3. Software
& Training: List the software applications that should be purchased.
Include the training courses that Bill should attend to gain basic skills in
the software packages you recommend.
4. Cost:
Provide Bill with an estimated cost for him to implement all of your
suggestions.
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