By: Leann Continere Iwona Gorska Chris Shimazu Sarah Solivan

 We agree with most of the opinions presented here.  Using excel spreadsheets keeps things simple when you only have a few different types of information.  You can always add more columns when you need to add new data.  However, we thought databases would be more beneficial and could save time when sending letters out to you customers.

 The concerns were justified with the simple fact that spreadsheets for small businesses are way less complicated than databases.  Spreadsheets are just easier and simpler to do unless you are a professional IS person to create your queries and keep it running.  Any other factors these concerns might be due to would be that he doesn’t like using databases.

 The main problem with storing address data in Excel and Excel Data Filter that he will not be able to send letters to his customers.  In order to send letters to his customers, he must write all the addresses by hand and one by one on the envelopes.

 There are four themes in his spreadsheet, such as: name, phone number, car interests, and notes.

 It is easy for him to update his spreadsheet with new information, since he has only four themes in it.  From his comments, it’s noticeable that he has more experience with spreadsheets, and that's why he feels more countable using it.

 If he would use access on daily basis, he wouldn't find it as difficult and time consuming.  In addition, he would find access more beneficial, since he could be able to send letters to his customers.

 On one side, I think that it doesn’t relate to usage of database, since he worked to hard to get his customers and no one besides him should have access to his customers information.  On the other hand, he is not sharing his information because he doesn’t want anyone to know that he doesn’t have capabilities to use database.

 As management, we would justify this policy in that, if salespeople can keep their contacts information in the way they want, it will work easier for them since they are the ones who actually have to speak to the customers, keep track of them and have knowledge of their car interests.  Whichever way is easier for them to search through the information to ultimately make a sale, it is beneficial for the car dealership. A disadvantage to this policy however, would be that if the dealership would ever want to make a master list of all the customers’ data, it would be difficult, because the data would be scattered in different programs.

 I would explain the perks of using databases to my sales people.  Stressing the fact that if used everyday and properly, databases are more efficient and less time consuming than spreadsheets.

 We think that a spreadsheet would be better than a database, given the fact that it is a less complicated way to organize data for a small business, and it already proved to be useful and sufficient for the salesperson in the scenario.