Using the Internet in Negotiation D

The Internet is a great place for businesses to purchase major pieces of equipment. If you are located in a small town, the selection that is available over the Internet generally dwarfs local availability, and pricing can be very competitive. However, doing your homework is essential, as you cannot rely on the local reputation of a business, service can be much more difficult, and returns may be expensive. When you buy on the Internet, careful research, not only on the product but also the seller, is even more important than when you buy locally.

This exercise will have you research the purchase of 10 laptop computers, accessories and services for a small business. The laptop computers are the central component of the purchase. The laptops are to be Windows based, at least 15 inches in size, be a minimum Intel Core i5 1.1 GHz processor or faster, 8 GB of RAM or greater, 256 GB of storage and have a Windows 10 operating systems. Additional equipment / services include a MS Office, mouse, additional keyboard, additional monitor, external hard drive, virus protection, repair service, on-site service, spare parts availability, and warranty.

Understanding the technology is the first step in the purchasing decision. Enter Laptop Consumer Reports into an Internet search engineer. Read at least three different consumer education sites. What features do you find for laptop computer? Based on your consumer reports, in the table below, list the features of a laptop computer that you find important to consider in selection of a laptop computer for a small business. Using online stores compare and provide the online store name, price and features of a comparable laptop computer.

Features:	Online Store 1 Name:	Online Store 2 Name:	Online Store 3 Name:	Online Store 4 Name:
Price
Manufacturer & Model
Feature 1:
Feature 2:
Feature 3:
Feature 4:
Feature 5;
Feature 6:
Feature 7:
Feature 8:
Feature 9:

It is also important to purchase the additional equipment and services. Purchasing it from the same supplier can ensure compatibility of equipment and save money on shipping. In the table below, supply the price of additional equipment and services that each supplier has available. Also list any needed equipment or services that is not listed and the price of each item.

Equipment / Service	Online Store 1 Name:	Online Store 2 Name:	Online Store 3 Name:	Online Store 4 Name:
MS Office
Mouse
Keyboard
Monitor
Virus Protection
Portable external hard drive
Other:

Selection of the supplier is very important. Some suppliers provide more service than others; some are more reliable than others. In the following table, provide available information about each suppliers attributes.

Attributes	Online Store 1 Name:	Online Store 2 Name:	Online Store 3 Name:	Online Store 4 Name:
Customer rating
Location
Services provided
Years in business
Years online
Other:

Having done your research, it is now time to select and negotiate with a supplier. Which supplier would you approach with an offer and why? What would you offer to buy (what additional equipment)? What services would you want as part of the package? What would be your initial offer and how did you determine this?

Source: Adapted from Negotiation and Dispute Resolution by Beverly J. DeMarr and Suzanne C. deJanasz pages 70-71