Don Otno is confused. He has been researching software options but cannot decide among three alternatives. He has come to you for help.

Don started his search at Computers Made Easy (CME), a computer store in his office complex. He almost wished he had looked no further. Steve Young, the man¬ ager of CME, appeared to be knowledgeable and listened attentively as Don explained his problems, needs, and concerns. Steve stated that he had a series of soft¬ ware packages that would, with a few exceptions, come close to meeting Don’s needs. He could fix Don up with both hardware and software, and Don could start implementing the package almost immediately. The system’s price was unexpectedly reasonable.

Impressed but wanting to shop around, Don visited Custom Designed Software (CDS). After three hours, he left convinced that CDS could produce a program that was exactly what he needed. Cost and time estimates had not been established, but CDS assured him that the cost would be reasonable and that the programs would only take a few months to complete.

Seeking a third opinion, Don visited Modified Software Unlimited (MSU). The MSU representative said customized packages were very good but expensive, whereas canned software was inexpensive but rarely met more than a few needs. The best of both worlds could be achieved by having MSU modify the package that came closest to meeting Don’s needs.

On the way back to his office, Don stopped by CME and asked Steve about cus¬ tomized and modified software. Steve expressed enough concerns about both that Don came full circle, and he began thinking canned software was best. Late that night Don realized that he was not able to make an objective decision. He was swayed by whichever vendor he was talking with at the time. The next morning he called you for help.

Required

a. At Don’s request you agree to conduct a study and submit a report showing the advantages and disadvantages of each vendor’s approach. Outline the report’s contents, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

b. Recommend the course of action that you feel would be best for Don, and sup¬ port your decision.