a. Critter Sitters ( www.stlouiscrittersitters.com/ ) is an in-home pet care company based in St. Louis, Missouri. Their Web site lists several services available to pet owners, including midday dog walking, puppy care, and in-home dog training. Suppose Critter Sitters is considering three general ledger packages for its accounting information system: ePeachtree, Quickbooks, and Great Plains Dynamics. Use the Steps for Better Thinking to help the com-pany’s president make a choice. 

b. According to its Web site ( www.40debts.org/counseling/default.asp ), Harbour Credit Management “provides credit management services to families and individuals experiencing financial stress.” Suppose the firm is searching for software that will help manage spam on its information system. Point your Web browser to www.download.com, and investigate three different software packages that fulfill that purpose. Make a recommendation to Harbour’s management using the Steps for Better Thinking to inform your decision.

c. Katy is the owner of Active Bodyworks and Wellness in Ontario, California. She has been taking appointments, maintaining her accounting information system, and managing client information using a paper-based system for the last several years but now wants to move to a more computerized environment. She’s heard about voice recognition systems and comes to you for a recommendation between three specific packages: Dragon Naturally Speaking, Realize Voice Lite, and e-Speaking. Point your Web browser to www.download.com, and investigate each package. Use the Steps for Better Thinking to make a recommendation to Katy.

Point your Web browser once again to www.download.com . Search for knowledge management software; choose one example and prepare a short oral report for the class on its capabilities and cost.