Laptop issuance to sales persons and return on investment Research Paper

Laptop issuance to sales persons and return on investment - Research Paper Example The study conducted by Atrostic and Nguyen (2006) categorically declared that â€Å"the prevalence of informational technology (IT) means that just investing in IT no longer confers a competitive advantage† (p. 1).After all, business use of computers dates back to about 50 years ago. Could it really be possible that man has outgrown the need for the good old computer? However, what Atrostic and Nguyen (2006) actually meant was that the manner in which businesses use IT does matter. Hence, competitive advantage may be achieved depending on how businesses harness the power the computer. Research Question and Justification Hoskins (2011) maintained that the â€Å"laptop is tailor-made for business† (para. 1). Coincidentally, I overhead two neatly attired gentleman seated on the next table talking about their accomplishments for the day. The two appear to be sales people and were using information from their high-end laptops every now and then, either to support their asser tion or to clarify their point. It is common knowledge that most companies issue laptops to their salespeople, presumably to facilitate presentation to prospective clients. But would the issuance of laptops to employees in charge of sales or marketing produce a corresponding return on investment? This paper was conceived to gather research-based evidence of the aforementioned quandary. Specifically, the study would address two research problems: (1) What are the advantages of using laptops for people engaged in sales? and (2) Is there a relationship between use of laptops by salespeople and increase in accumulated sales? The study will also test the null hypothesis that â€Å"there is no significant relationship between use of laptops by salespeople and an increase in their accumulated sales† based on a non-directional or two-tailed analysis and a 0.05 level of significance (0.05). The justification for this study rests on the premise that although empirical studies have alre ady demonstrated the link between productivity and use of computers and IT, results have been generalized for the manufacturing industry, not strictly on the sales aspect. If a direct and significant relationship is confirmed between use of laptops as an aid to sales talk and presentations and corresponding increase in accumulated sales, it is highly possible that issuance of laptops to salespeople by the companies they represent does, indeed, produce a return on investment. Hence, this paper will serve as an exploratory study to pave the way for further investigation of the association between issuance of laptops to salespeople and return on investment. This study adopted a descriptive – exploratory methodology using a researcher-constructed survey questionnaire as the primary data collection instrument. The research instrument consists of three parts (respondent profile, advantages of using laptop for salespeople, and relationship between use of laptop increase in accumulat ed sales) and 10 items. Respondents of the study were salespeople selected using purposive sampling. It is a non-probability sampling technique wherein the sample is chosen on the basis of the researchers’ judgment about some appropriate characteristics of the sample, and is alternatively called judgment sampling (Zikmund & Babin, 2010). A small sample of 25 respondents served as resources for the study. Profile data were presented as frequency and percentage distributions in the form of a pie chart. Advantages of using laptop for sales people were shown as horizontal graphs. Methodology for examining the relationship between use of laptops and increase in accumulated sales is discussed in the results section of this paper. Review of Related Literature and Studies Jenkins (1999) outlined several advantages of using a laptop computer in sales in terms of: (1) professional image; (2) resource and time management; (3) information dissemination; and (4) customer interaction. In a customers’ perspective, the use of technology such as laptops

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 155

Assignment Example However, if the research on nuclear weapons may help thwart those the actions of those who have ill intensions to make or use this weapons, then the scientists can be allowed to continue developing these weapons because in such a situation it would be for the advantage of the many. Employees are obliged to be productive because that is why they are employed. However, the employer must also understand that the employees are humans and may from time to time face difficult situations that may affect their productivity. In many cases, a closer look at unproductive employee reveals that they may be having issues in their personal lives. In the spirit of doing to other people as you would want them to do to you, it would be necessary to try and understand whether this is the case with employees, because that is what the manager would want to be done to them if they were the employee. The unproductive employee also has a duty to the employer, and maybe even to other stakeholders of the business that employs them. He must consider this and find ways to secure his financial life and then retire because that would be beneficial to other people. John Locke was a believer in social contract which is a philosophical outlook that sees everyone as having a social contract towards these people they deal with. This is like the philosophy of ding the he neighbor as one would want them to do to you. In such a situation as the unproductive employee’s case, he would want both sides analysis their obligations to each other and then do what they are supposed to do. Regina seems to be using the utilitarian philosophy which argues that the end justifies the means. Such donations are supposed to come from a point of personal desire to help, as opposed to the selfish desire to outshine the others. Instead of taking advantage of people’s advantage to show off, Regina’s and the team should have found a way to take advantage of the primal desire to help others, which is