Introductions to computer science and basic programming, Ask an Expert

Engineering

Introductions to Computer Science and Basic Programming Techniques

Follow these instructions in preparing your report:

1. You must justify each of your responses to the 4 questions in terms of **cost/benefit analysis. For example: what kind of savings can you realize and/or what kind of improved service can you offer your employees or customers?

2. You must give sound reasons for every choice you make.

3. You must number your responses and answer in order.

4. Hand written responses will receive NO CREDIT. THE PAPER MUST BE TYPEWRITTEN. DOUBLE SPACE THE PAPER. **NO EMAIL**

5. Be sure to proof read your paper. Uncorrected typos will reduce your grade.

6. The paper is worth 15% of your final grade.

7. "LOOK ALIKE" papers will be treated as group efforts and graded as such.

8. The paper must be a minimum of five pages long and a maximum of 10 pages long. You may use whatever "Documentation Style" you choose. The MLA documentation style is the most widely used. The five pages do not include the bibliography/works cited or any attached tables and charts.

9. There must be at least three footnotes and at least three sources quoted in a Works Cited Page. You may quote the text as one of your sources. Other common sources are other books and magazine articles, Internet Web sites. (Make sure you list the complete
Web address for the pages you used. (URL))

10. An excellent type of source that many students have used in the past is a personal interview with a small business owner or an individual working in the computer profession.

11. The paper will not be returned. If you feel this is your lifework make a copy for your own records. No Electronic Submissions.

12. If Mr. Weinstocks accepts your paper as competent he will compensate you at the rate of $150.00 an hour for the time you spent preparing this report.

13. As this Proposal is due on the final exam date, late papers will not be accepted.

** You must use cost benefit analysis on each answer, to each of the four questions in order to justify the expenditures that you are proposing. You must research hardware and software and training costs, and come up with at least a reality based approximation of the value of the benefits. If you have no costs and sources for them you will probably not pass the Paper Assignment.

This Final Exam Assignment will establish how successful this course has been in helping you to achieve the Primary SLO (Student Learning Outcome) for this class.

Student Learning Outcome

Students will at the completion of the course be able to:

Perform a system analysis of a typical business problem by applying the appropriate analytical methods, formulating a response, summarizing the results and presenting the completed model according to best business practices.

Additional Instructions for the Final Exam, (A Technology Proposal),

With a Suggested Possible Format you could use.

The basic instructions for the final Exam Paper are on the back of the Final Exam paper assignment. Once again, it must be a minimum of 5 pages and a maximum of 10 pages long, not counting the works cited page.

Remember! It is response to an RFP (Request For a Proposal) from CAL. It is a business proposal, not a creative writing assignment, so eliminate the adjectives.

You must use cost benefit analysis. This means, you must look un and include prices for all necessary hardware and software components. (Potential Sources: The textbook, the Internet and family members or individuals that you may know such as technology people, small business owners etc.)

You must have an appropriate budgeted amount to spend. (Remember the typical gross margin in this type of business is about 10% of sales.

The total expenditure must be either depreciated or amortized (Expensed out). You need to explain which expenditures and for what components will be charged off, and over what specific periods of time you think would be appropriate for technology solution expenditures. (Talk to individuals you know who are experienced in accounting or finance or own a small business that uses technology in its operations, or ask an accounting , finance or management instructor at a school.)

Benefits are a description of what the hardware or software will be used for and how it will solve all or part of each of the described problems. And, if possible you must include the approximate or estimated dollar value of each benefit.

This Solution obviously must include Hardware, servers (assuming a client server network), workstations, printers, cables, routers and Software, Operating systems (for both servers and workstations), standard office automation software, industry specific software (probably some version of ERP software, that you decide upon), ongoing tech support costs, Training costs etc. (Sources: The text book , the Internet and family members or individuals you may know, technology people small business owners etc.)

All this must be grouped under the appropriate response to each of the four questions and subdivided into the appropriate levels of detail, each broken out with its own Specifications, costs and benefits.

If you fail to include actual prices and benefits you will fail the assignment.

For Example... a suggested possible format is shown below. (Most companies selling either products or services or both, will have a Proposal Template that they will customarily use for proposals. It will be either one of their own, or frequently, the proposal format they use is one required by the particular customer to whom they are proposing a solution. The format of the proposal, in that case, may vary from one customer to another.)

A Possible Proposal Format

(**This first part, an introductory section is worth I point.) It should contain...

Introduction

1. An Abstract (Description) of the company, it's business, it's product(s), it's market segment, it's size, number and type of employees, it's gross sales, it's "EBITDA" (Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation Amortization), aka "gross margin" about 10% of gross sales for this industry (Please do take business finance and personal finance classes regardless of your major)) followed by a...

2. Summary of the stated problems, and in general, they should be broken down by the department responsible.

3. An overall general description of the recommended Solution.

This is followed by... the details. (The details are where the Devil is! ... and your score!)

("This Second part, Question I is worth 5 points.)

Question #1 Basic Hardware system Peer to Peer or Client server LAN or whatever else you believe is appropriate. With your selected choice of:

A. Server(s) including manufacturer, model, CPU type or types, Clock speed, Ram capacity and type disk model and capacity, etc. Including quantity(s) and prices.