This case asks you to use information about three desktop publishing programs to write two memos.
The Case: New Software at Heiken Energy Research
This case is historical. It involves the selection of desktop publishing software at a time when several word-processing programs were competing for customers, when software was placed on computers from disks rather than being downloaded from the internet, and when computer memories were much smaller than now. Put yourself in a time capsule and enjoy.
As a computer specialist for the Heiken Energy Research Company, one of your responsibilities is to provide technical support for a group of 18 administrative assistants. These administrative assistants perform a variety of functions, including answering phones, typing memos and letters, and typing final drafts of reports by several scientists, middle-managers, and personnel occupying the upper ranks of the organization. This group prides itself on offering high-quality work and quick turnaround of jobs to these people, whom the group tends to think of as their "clients."
Recently, your boss, Rick Massolini, gave you some good news. "The administrative assistants will be happy to know that the company has finally earmarked funds for technology improvements for them," Rick announces. He went on to say that this money must be spent on capital goods. Purchase recommendations must first be approved by a committee of three people who have been assigned to work with you by Chris Farina, head of the administrative assistants group. The group has a maximum of $15,000 to spend.
"I bet I know what they'll be requesting—new desktop publishing software!" you say with a grin. The administrative assistants have been struggling with an old version of word processing software, WriteAway 2.0, for the past several years.
"You're correct," says Rick. "Your job is to research the software you think would most help them, then present your findings to the committee. I think they'll go along with any recommendation you make, so long as you show that you have narrowed your choices down to two or three top programs and give a good set of reasons for the one you select. If you need to, you might also use some of the money for upgrades to the group's PCs and network."
"Yeah—some of their machines would benefit from having some extra memory, especially since the staff is using more memory-intensive programs lately."
You tell Rick that you will have the memo to him by the end of next week. It should be easy to write, since you have recently evaluated desktop publishing packages for another office.
The Task
Part 1:
Using the notes below, perform the following activities:
Part 2:
Assume the committee has approved your recommendation for the new software. Chris Farina, head of the administrative assistants, would like to share news about the new software with the group's staff, but she feels you can explain it best. Therefore, she has asked you to ghostwrite a memo that will go out under her name. She explains that the announcement could meet with mixed reactions.
Some of the senior administrative assistants seem quite comfortable with the status quo and have difficulty adjusting to changes in work processes. Yet, a good number of others in the group will welcome a new tool that will help them be more efficient. Perform the same steps as in Part 1, this time with the administrative assistants as your audience.
Documents/Information/Samples
Notes on Software Evaluation
WriteAway, version 3.0 (upgrade from the present version) Upgrading the present software would make accessing files faster. Upgrade also excels at handling long and complex reports. Spelling dictionaries remain antiquated and difficult to use, especially with technical and scientific data.
New version would work with the current network setup with no need for additional memory on the PCs. Re-training staff would be minimal, since most of the main functions of the software remain unchanged. New version reads files from previous versions of WriteAway. Recently heard that WriteAway is being bought-out by a competitor—the same people who make the Wordsmith word processor—offer is pending. No toll-free help line available. Cost of upgrade: $11,650.
My Type, version 3.2
Uses more on-screen colors and is more visually appealing to work with than WriteAway. Requires extra memory on some machines to handle the color and graphical elements. Comes on 5 floppy disks or on CD-ROM. Would work with the current network and laser printers. Will read existing files accurately, but requires users to translate files before use (long documents seem to take a long time to translate). Spelling dictionaries are OK, but cannot read the current libraries the administrative assistants group has built over the years (which contain approximately 3,500 scientific terms and proper names—these would have to be rebuilt). Includes a thesaurus and electronic appointment calendar. Training time would be moderate, since software has easy-to-use pull-down menus. Unlimited help and tutorial available from manufacturer for a fee. Software cost: $8500 Hardware upgrade: $3400.
Wordsmith, version 5.0
Would require extra memory on some machines. Comes on 6 floppy disks. Especially good at handling special scientific symbols and special fonts easily. Would work with our current network and laser printers. Seems to read all files from WriteAway quickly and accurately. Spelling dictionaries from WriteAway could be translated to Wordsmith's dictionary. Uses pull-down menus similar to "My Type." Comes with companion-programs that allow users to make charts and graphics directly in their documents. Allows easy indexing of long documents (would save time, since this task is done by hand now). Includes a good tutorial and an unlimited toll-free help line good for the first 90 days of use. Software cost: $9750 Hardware upgrade: $2600.