Office Depot has given its staff wireless tablet devices. When customers inquire about a product, a computer-equipped sales associate can pull up detailed information about the product from the corporate database. In addition, employees at one store can contact employees at another store for advice or information. This is an example of how a(n) __________ can be used to enhance marketing.

A computer network system is an interconnection of computers, connected together for the main purpose of sharing resources. This connection can be as basic as the connection between a computer and a printer, a computer and another computer, or as complex as various computers, connected to the internet. The connection can be in form of a star connection of the computers, each directly to the central hub, the bus connections of the computers to a central line than runs down to a hub, the ring connection of each computer to the adjacent computers, or a combination of two or more of these methods. The connection can also be over the internet. This connections can be within a store (a Local Area Network), or between various branches (a Wide Area Network).

In this store, the interconnection of the computer of the sales associate, to the database (a Local Area Network) allows him to readily draw up information about a product. Also, the interconnection of employees across the various stores of Office Depot over a form of Wide Area Network allows communication between employees.