Discuss two of the followings: a. Eighteen months after purchasing 15 laptops and tablets for your sales department, some of the devices have begun to breakdown and a few have been accidentally damaged. The head of IT did not purchase extended warranties on these devices and the 1-year manufacturer warranty is up. Discuss the guidelines the head of IT should have used when evaluating the extended warranty options upon purchasing these devices. What factors should have been taken into consideration? b. Typical programmers earn competitive salaries, with signing bonuses and annual pay hikes. Yet, applicant supply is not keeping up with corporate demand. To ease the shortage, companies are tempting high-school students with attractive training programs that lead to lucrative jobs. The market for programmers, however, has fluctuated wildly, and todays need is no guarantee of tomorrows employment. Will students who begin technological training right out of high school have a background general enough for other pursuits if their interest fades or the market withers? Should companies be allowed to sign high-school students? Why or why not? What can be done to address long-term concerns? c. Decision support systems play an important role in business management. For example, airlines such as American and JetBlue use decision support systems that sum up flight histories, aircraft wear, and employee records to optimize seat availability, reduce traffic congestion, anticipate equipment damage, and improve worker performance. By helping managers to project trends, the airline decision support systems have increased efficiency, lowered costs, reduced ticket prices, and shortened customer lines. In what other industries could decision support systems be used effectively? How? Where would decision support systems probably have little impact? Why? d. Imagine that you have a small business. How might the following factors affect how you use accounting software: The service or product sold The number of employees The number of clients The businesss location The clients locations What other factors might influence their decisions?