Case Study #7: The New Computers

Submitted by group 7
Hagedorn Camee, Hartman Dylan, Randall Amanda, Sparks Joselyn
Salt Lake Community College
COMM 1010
May 24, 2016

Table of Context

Name:

Page Number:

Executive Summary

Project Description

Methods

Conclusion

13

Appendices

14

Executive summary
This report summarizes our problem solving process for our Group
Communication Project. The project required us to work together as a group

in a reflective thinking sequence. Our goal is to recommend the best possible

computer that will benefit everyone in the office, including our co-worker
with carpal tunnel and any future employees. We want to give our employees
a chance to improve their work ethic in this company, without spending too
much money.

Our group applied the reflective thinking sequence to find a workable

solution for everybody. As a group we brainstormed the best options,
researched, voted what qualities are important to us, analyzed every
solution, recommended a specific solution and we set up a plan for
implementing the solution. We came up with a solution that we believe is the
best option for everyone in our company. We as a company will be able to
improve many areas within, with the upgrade of our resources.

Project Description
We are working on case study #7, a group that consists of four in our
Communication 1010 class. Our assignment was to choose a case study and

figure out the best solution for our problem. The case study we chose was
about our office needing to upgrade our computers for the growth of our
company. In our office we have had the same computers since we first
opened, the Macintosh. It was very beneficial when we first opened, but not
any more. As an office we have decided we need to upgrade to be able to
handle our daily work loads more efficiently.

Our group met four different occasions and discussed the steps of the
reflective sequence. After each group discussion individual tasks were
assigned based on our task roles. Every member participated and used their
critical thinking skills to their best abilities. As a group we came up with a
variety of options along with looking into the details of those options. It was
important to us to find a solution to our problem. It is hard to compete with
equals without competitive resources. Based on our research, collaboration
and what our current competitors are using, the computer we decided to
focus on was the Dell E7450.

Part I. The Problem Question

What computers will best suit our employees needs?

Part II. Analyzing the Problem

A.) Characteristics

Some characteristics of our problem was the pure fact that our
computers were out of date. Positive characteristics of this problem is that
we havent had to use funding for computers for a while, creating
opportunity to use our funds elsewhere. Our employees are also accustomed
to using these computers very well since they have been around for quite a
while. Negative characteristics are quite numerous. The hardware is old and
worn out. The software is not updated with current modern day standards.
They have slow processing speeds, and outdated memory. Basically, all the
computers are no longer suiting the needs of our employees. The demands
of our clients are increasing and our employees need a good and reliable
computer so that our employees can provide efficient and productive service
to our clients and their bosses.

B.) Stakeholders

Our stakeholders are our clients, employees, CEO, and the company.
Our clients and the company as a whole are very much affected by this
dilemma. Our clients need to be served as efficient as possible. Depending
on how efficiently we serve our clients will also determine the contribution to
our company and CEO. The workers are unable to improve themselves along
with the company if they have the same technology when the company

opened. To be able to keep up with other companies we need the updated

technology that our competition has. The workers would be able to set
higher goals if they had the right technology to help them make these goals.
Some of these goals include doubling their clientele, being able to do their
job on time and maybe even before its actually due. The goal of the
company is to be both time and money efficient while maximizing profit.
With new computers the company will be able to run more efficiently which
will help save the company money in the long run even though it will cost a
little money to get started.

C.) History

We as a office have been using the outdated Macintosh computers. We

purchased these computers at the very time that they first came out. They
have served us well for many years. But as the years went by the computers
gradually got slower and as a result was hindering the progress of the
company. These computers have also been greatly affecting an employee of
ours who has carpal tunnel, since the computers have no accessories for
disabled people. After many requests from our workers the decision was
made that we would look into purchasing new computers.

D.) Policies/Politics
The computers must have word-processing capabilities (Microsoft
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). They also must have sufficient space and
memory suitable for office needs. Lastly, all computers must be suitable for
employee use. Especially those with a sort of disability.
E.) Resources

One area which we used many resources is the research. We looked

up several different websites to compare vaious computers and accessories
that would help us come up with a solution. We also researched carpal tunnel
to best know how to help and support the woman who has it. These are some
of the sites that helped us:
-http://compreviews.about.com/
-http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/computers/buyingguide.htm
-http://www.cheatsheet.com/technology/9-tips-for-picking-yourmachine-computer-shopping-cheat-sheet.html/?a=viewall
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KADOQOaAMvY
-http://www.ergonomicsmadeeasy.com/pages/carpal-tunnelsyndrome/

Two more important resources we had to discuss was time and money
and how much of each we were willing to sacrifice. We decided on several
criteria for how to determine how to use these resources. We should take the
time to look into every option and also check them out against several
websites and read reviews to ensure we know what exactly we are getting.
We should also avoid having to spend money hiring someone to help instruct
us and just make use of the resources we have. Last, we must consider the
cost of the new computers and any equipment as well as the set-up and
taking care of disposing of the old computers

Part III. The Goal:

Our general goal is to provide our employees with efficient and

updated computers that will better suit their needs than our previous
computers have. We will be applying the principles of effective
communication that we have been learning in this class. We have also set
this goal to be achievable within a four week time frame. Also, we have set a
limit on the amount we will be spending on these computers. We have
chosen to purchase computers that cost under $5,000. The reason why we
have set this is because the computers themselves already cost almost up to
$1,000, that is without accessories. Then we had to add the cost of keyboard
accessories (for our disabled workers) and an SSD with higher gigabyte
storage. Also we considered possible increase in processing speed which will

add on to the cost. While we must take into consideration the needs of our
current employees, we have also taken into consideration the needs of future
employees, especially with disabilities. This solution will also be saving
money in the long run since the computers will be efficient enough to run the
company better, improving performance which also improves profits. Again
the solution will speed the progress of the company, propelling it forward in
progression. Most importantly to us, this will help our employees set goals.
The new and improved computers will open up the opportunity for our
employees to take their work to a further level, thus allowing them to set
goals for themselves that will benefit the company.
.Part IV: Brainstorming:
After making sure that we were all clear on the problem and the role
we each played in solving it, we had to start finding real solutions. This is
most easily accomplished through brainstorming.Each of us began
researching options from different companies and styles. We looked into
companies like Dell, Gateway, HP, Apple, Inspiron, Toshiba and Microsoft.
Within each company we looked into various sizes and specs and ages of
computers. This included desktops, laptops, tablets, and even a line of
computers made by HP specifically for businesses. After this initial
brainstorming process we saw that there were a lot of options and that it
would be helpful if we narrowed down the criteria even further in order to get
the best results for our needs. We compared the average prices and features
of each style of computer and then decided it was best to narrow our search

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down to laptops. They were frequently cheaper than purchasing desktops

which was a big factor. They also are portable and would provide more
versatility and allow us to work from home as well if necessary. After
restricting our search to laptops only we repeated the brainstorming process
again using the same companies but looking only at their laptops. We each
came up with two or three options that meet the new criteria.

Part V. Organization:
Once we had a strong list of possible solutions we began to narrow it
further. We went over each option, looking mostly at price at first and then
comparing other aspects when price was irrelevant, and selected the best six
laptops to look deeper into. These were:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

Inspiron 15 5000 Series Intel

Toshiba Satellite Radius
Dell E 7450
HP Elitebook Folio
Macbook Pro
Microsoft Surface Book
After we had chosen the best solutions from our brainstorming session,
we needed to compare them. The most efficient and effective way to
compare them each side by side was visually in a chart. We all submitted
criterion that should be considered in our analysis and entered them into one

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column then labeled each of the other columns with one of our options. The
criteria that we chose were:
-price
-size
-memory
-hard drive
-soft ware
After that we each went through one solution at a time and explained how
we thought each computer fulfilled the criteria. We gave extra consideration
to the opinions of those who had more expertise in one area or another. Then
we ranked the computers in each criterion on a scale from 1-5. This allowed
us to quantitatively compare them by adding up the total score each
computer received and ranking them based on that.

Solution Solution Solution Solution Solution Solution

1

Price

Size

Memory

Hard

22

19

23

18

16

19

Drive
Software
Totals:

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The top two options scored significantly higher than the other options,
but only differed from each other by one point. Because it was nearly a tie
we decided to review the reasons behind the scores both of them received.
We analyzed the scores in each individual category to make sure they were
accurate and then considered whether one criterion should weigh more
heavily than another. In the end we decided price and hard drive were the
most important and solution 3 not only had the highest overall score but also
scored higher in those two categories than did solution 1. It came at a very
affordable price well within our established budget and came with a SSD
which is considerably faster than the hard drive used in solution 1. Once it
was unanimous that solution 3- the Dell E 7450- was our best choice we held
a Last chance Meeting to make sure that we had considered all of the
consequences before committing to our oanswer. We tried to play devils
advocate and look at anything that could go wrong with this computer. We
checked each of the cons of purchasing these laptops and decided that the
benefits far outweighed the drawbacks. The one item that needed to be
revised was that our solution did not address the issue of the woman with
carpal tunnel. We decided that rather than restart our search it would be
simpler to purchase accessories for the computer that would help with
easing her symptoms and not aggravate them,

Part VI- Implementation

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After coming to an agreement on the best solution, our next step was
to act on it. We discussed all of the steps that would need to be taken and
wrote each of them down in detail. We would need to research price quotes
from various stores, research reviews on the sellers, check the specs to make
sure they are what we are looking for and then find accessories that work
with this computer and will help the member of our office who has carpal
tunnel. Each team member volunteered or was assigned one of the roles and
we were all given a due date to ensure that we were held accountable for the
completion of our role.

Conclusion
While we were researching new computer systems, we learned how to
work well with one another. One reason we worked really good together was
that we were all at every meeting and put the same amount of work into it.
We would also communicate outside of our meetings and complete our
assigned parts before each meeting. One thing we could have done better is
informing our teammates if we were going to be late or not at a meeting.
Other than that we all applied what we have learned throughout the course
about communication and it made a significant difference in how efficiently
we were able to complete each task.

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Appendix 1

Hagedorn, Camee - 301-300-2745 - [email protected]

Hartman, Dylan - 801-819-2490 - [email protected]
Randall, Amanda - 801-386-6730 - [email protected]
Sparks, Joselyn - 385-234-7339 - [email protected]
Relational
Norms
Task Norms

Relational
Roles
Task Roles

Appendix 2

-we will be on time to every meeting

-we commit to give our all to the project
-we will make every effort to solve the issue in a way that is
cost effective and suits the needs of everyone in the office
-if a member must miss a meeting he will notify in advance
and is personally responsible to gather the information missed
and submit assignments
-if a teammate is not participating fully the team may decide
on course of action to rectify the imbalance of the workload
1.Harmonizer- Camee
2.Encourager- Jocelyn
3.Tension Reliever- Dylan
4. Praise Giver- Amanda
1.Information Seeking- Camee
2.Reality Tester- Jocelyn
3.Starter- Amanda
4. Gatekeeper- Dylan

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Solution Solution Solution Solution Solution Solution

1

Price

Size

Memory

Hard

22

19

23

18

16

19

Drive
Software
Totals:

Appendix 3
We decided that we all worked together very well and there really was not an
imbalance of responsibility or effort. We each attended every meeting and
put in the same amount of effort and completed all of our tasks.

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Works Cited
Adler, Ronald B., Jeanne Marquardt Elmhorst, and Kristen Lucas. Communicating at
Work:
Strategies For Success in Business and the Profession. N.p.: McGraw-Hill,
2013. Print.