Question 1

1) ________ is data that has been shaped into a form that is meaningful to human beings.

Accepted Answer

Information

Question 2

2) ________ is output returned to appropriate members of the organization to help them evaluate or correct the input stage.

Accepted Answer

Feedback

Question 3

3) The world\'s largest and most widely used network is ________.

Accepted Answer

the Internet

Question 4

4) ________ consists of the detailed, preprogrammed instructions that control and coordinate the computer hardware components in an information system.

Accepted Answer

Computer software/software

Question 5

5) The ________ is a service provided by the Internet that uses universally accepted standards for storing, retrieving, formatting, and displaying information in a page format.

Accepted Answer

World Wide Web/Web/WWW

Question 6

6) ________ are private corporate networks extended to authorized users outside the organization.

Accepted Answer

Extranets

Question 7

7) In business problem solving, the three major categories of factors are organization, technology, and ________.

Accepted Answer

people

Question 8

8) Having inadequate resources is a business problem that falls into the ________ dimension.

Accepted Answer

organizational

Question 9

9) Encouraging employees to adapt to new business processes is one factor of ________.

Accepted Answer

change management

Question 10

10) Being aware of organizational and personal limitations is one of the four elements of ________.

Accepted Answer

critical thinking.

Question 11

11) Define operational excellence. How can information systems help achieve it?

Accepted Answer

Operational excellence is the achievement of higher levels of productivity and efficiency. Information systems can help achieve operational excellence by improving communications to supplier and optimizing the supply chain. Information systems could help managers communicate with workers more efficiently, enable technological innovation in products, minimize warehouse overhead, streamline distribution.

Question 12

12) You work for an auto manufacturer and distributor. How could you use information systems to achieve greater customer intimacy?

Accepted Answer

You could create a web site that allows customers to customize cars, communicate with support personnel and other car owners. You could create an automated e-mail service reminding car owners to take their car in for periodic check ups. You could have an information system that tracks customer preferences in local areas, so you can provide cars that reflect local customer needs and desires.

Question 13

13) What important managerial function is impaired by not having access to timely and accurate information? What is the effect of this lack of data?

Accepted Answer

The managerial function is decision-making. Without access to timely and accurate information business managers rely on forecasts, best guesses, and luck. The result is over- or underproduction of goods and services, misallocation of resources, and poor response times. These poor outcomes raise costs and lose customers.

Question 14

14) What is the difference between information technology and information systems? Describe some of the functions of information systems.

Accepted Answer

Information technology (IT) consists of all the hardware and software that a firm needs to use in order to achieve its business objectives. Information systems are more complex. An information system can be defined technically as a set of interrelated components that collect (or retrieve), process, store, and distribute information to support decision making and control in an organization. The functions of an information system are to support decision making, coordination, and control; help employees analyze problems; help employees visualize complex subjects; and help create new products.

Question 15

15) You are a marketing manager for a national movie theater chain. Give an example of data that your department could use for creating meaningful information. What type of information could that data produce?

Accepted Answer

Movie ticket sales from individual theaters would be an example of raw data. Meaningful information from this would be: average number of tickets sold to seniors on certain days of the week.

Question 16

16) Define business process. What might be a business process used at a hospital?

Accepted Answer

A business process is a set of logically related tasks and behaviors for accomplishing work. Hiring a new employee, customer intake, and filing medical records are examples of business processes at a hospital.

Question 17

17) Describe the four steps taken in solving a business problem.

Accepted Answer

The four steps are problem identification, solution design, choice of a solution, and implementation. In the problem identification step, relevant people in an organization must agree that a problem exists, about what the problem is and what its causes are, and what can be done about the problem given the organization\'s resources. In the solution design step, as many possible solutions should be determined. In the choice step, you choose the best solution from the list of options determined in the previous step. It is important to match a choice to existing resources, skills, and feasibility. In the last step, implementation, the solution is put in place. In information systems solutions, this may include purchasing hardware or software and testing it. Implementation also includes employee training, change management, and using a method to measure the outcome.

Question 18

18) What are the three dimensions to business problems? Give an example of each.

Accepted Answer

The three dimensions to business problems are: (1) Organizational: This may include outdated business processes, unsupportive culture and attitudes, political conflict, turbulent business environment and change, complexity of task, inadequate resources. (2) Technology: This may include insufficient or aging hardware, outdated software, inadequate data management, insufficient telecommunications capacity, incompatibility of old systems with new technology, and rapid technological change. (3) People: This may include lack of employee training, difficulties in evaluation performance, legal and regulatory compliance, work environment, lack of employee support and participation, indecisive management, or poor management.

Question 19

19) The department chain you work for has had numerous complaints about slow customer service. Your colleague, a sales manager, informs you that this happened at a previous store she worked for, and it was cleared up by hiring more sales representatives. Should you take her advice? Why not? What techniques can you use in evaluating the problem?

Accepted Answer

The advice should not be taken, as it is a rush to judgment, which could mean that the wrong solution is used, wasting time and resources. You should ask the colleague to employ critical thinking. Critical thinking is sustained suspension of judgment with an awareness of multiple perspectives and alternatives. It involves at least four elements: â¢ Maintaining doubt and suspending judgment â¢ Being aware of different perspectives â¢ Testing alternatives and letting experience guide â¢ Being aware of organizational and personal limitations

Question 20

20) Describe at least three of the general information skills essential for all business careers.

Accepted Answer

General information skills essential for all business careers include (1) understanding how information systems and technologies can help firms achieve business objectives such as operational efficiency, developing new products and services, and maintaining customer intimacy. Also essential is (2) an understanding the central role of databases in a modern firm as well as (3) developing skills in the analysis of information in order to help firms understand and make sense out of their environments. (4) All business majors need to be able to work with specialists and system designers who build and implement information systems. This is necessary to ensure that the systems that are built actually service business purposes and provide the information and understanding required by managers and employees. In addition, students need to (5) understand how information systems work in relation to social and community issues, including ethical issues and how systems must meet requirements for reporting to government regulators and the public.

Question 21

Journalist Thomas Friedman\'s description of the world as \"flat\" referred to:

Accepted Answer

A) the flattening of economic and cultural advantages of developed countries.

Question 22

An information skill important for an accounting major would be:

Accepted Answer

A) an understanding of system and network security issues.

Question 23

The six important business objectives of information technology are: new products, services, and business models; customer and supplier intimacy; improved decision-making; competitive advantage; operational excellence, and:

Accepted Answer

B) survival

Question 24

The hardware and software used to transfer data in an organization is called:

Accepted Answer

D) networking and telecommunications technology.

Question 25

One of the most frequent errors in problem solving is:

Accepted Answer

A) rushing to judgment.

Question 26

Which of the following statements is not true?

Accepted Answer

D) The impact of domestic IT outsourcing has been very disruptive to some regional areas of the U.S.

Question 27

In a hierarchical organization, the upper levels consist of:

Accepted Answer

B) managerial, professional, and technical workers.

Question 28

Which of the following would not be considered part of the implementation phase of problem solving?

Accepted Answer

D) evaluating a selection of software packages for implementing a new business process - Given

Question 29

Flapjack Flats, a new pancake chain, is having difficulty finding pancake chefs. This is a business problem that falls into the:

Accepted Answer

C) organizational dimension.

Question 30

Business processes:

Accepted Answer

A) include informal work practices.

Question 31

Verizon\'s implementation of a Web-based digital dashboard to provide managers with real-time information such as customer complaints is an example of:

Accepted Answer

B) improved decision-making.

Question 32

Poor business processes and unsupportive culture are examples of the ________ dimension of business problems.

Accepted Answer

B) organizational

Question 33

Aging hardware and outdated software are examples of the ________ dimension of business problems.

Accepted Answer

A) technology

Question 34

The final step in the four-step model of business problem solving is:

Accepted Answer

B) implementation.

Question 35

The move of retail banking to use ATMs after Citibank unveiled its first ATMs illustrates the information system business objective of:

Accepted Answer

C) survival.

Question 36

Legal and regulatory compliance is an example of the ________ dimension of business problems.

Accepted Answer

C) people

Question 37

As discussed in the chapter opening case, the Yankees\' use of information systems in their new stadium can be seen as an effort to achieve which of the primary business objectives?

Accepted Answer

A) Operational excellence

Question 38

Data management technology consists of:

Accepted Answer

C) the software governing the organization of data on physical storage media.

Question 39

The owners of Speed-EZ, a new bike messenger service, are concerned about how they will manage their messengers once they have left the office. This is a business problem that falls into the:

Accepted Answer

B) people dimension.

Question 40

An example of a business using information systems to attain competitive advantage is:

Accepted Answer

C) Toyota`s legendary TPS that has created superlative efficiencies and enabled Toyota to become the world`s largest auto maker.

Question 41

A hierarchy:

Accepted Answer

C) is a pyramid structure of rising authority and responsibility.

Question 42

Assume you work for a package delivery service in a major metropolitan area, and that the business has been losing customers for several years. You have been asked to find a solution to this problem, perhaps one which uses modern information technologies. What is the correct way to proceed?

Accepted Answer

C) Identify the problem, design alternative solutions, choose the best solution, and then implement the solution.

Question 43

The use of information systems because of necessity describes the business objective of:

Accepted Answer

A) survival.

Question 44

Output:

Accepted Answer

D) transfers processed information to the people who will use it or to the activities for which it will be used.

Question 45

Inadequate database capacity is an example of the ________ dimension of business problems.

Accepted Answer

A) technology

Question 46

The culture of UPS places service to the customer among the company\'s highest business objectives, which is reflected in their use of information systems to enable customer tracking of their packages. Based on your reading of Chapter 1, why is \"culture\" an important factor to consider when building information system solutions to business problems?

Accepted Answer

B) The business culture provides the vision and inspiration for information system solutions.

Question 47

Financial managers work directly with ________ to ensure investments in information systems help achieve corporate goals.

Accepted Answer

B) senior managers

Question 48

The average number of tickets sold daily online is an example of:

Accepted Answer

C) meaningful information.

Question 49

The fundamental set of assumptions, values, and ways of doing things that has been accepted by most of a company\'s members is called its:

Accepted Answer

A) culture.

Question 50

An intranet uses:

Accepted Answer

D) Internet technology within the boundaries of the firm.

Question 51

The field that deals with behavioral issues as well as technical issues surrounding the development, use, and impact of information systems used by managers and employees in the firm is called:

Accepted Answer

C) management information systems.

Question 52

The first step in the four-step model of business problem solving is:

Accepted Answer

B) identifying the problem.

Question 53

Converting raw data into a more meaningful form is called:

Accepted Answer

B) processing.

Question 54

The three activities in an information system that produce the information organizations use to control operations are:

Accepted Answer

C) input, processing, and output.

Question 55

Order data for baseball tickets and bar code data are examples of:

Accepted Answer

A) raw input.

Question 56

In choosing the best solution for a business problem, one of the most important considerations is:

Accepted Answer

B) existing resources and skills.

Question 57

An information skill important for a marketing major would be:

Accepted Answer

B) an understanding of product management enterprise systems.

Question 58

To make sure they stock clothes that their customers will purchase, a department store implements a new application that analyzes spending levels at their stores and cross-references this data to popular clothing styles. This is an example of using information systems to support a business strategy of:

Accepted Answer

C) customer and supplier intimacy. D) improved decision making.

Question 59

An example of a business using information systems for customer and supplier intimacy is:

Accepted Answer

B) JC Penney`s information system that allows its contract manufacturers to see what garments have been sold and need to be replaced.

Question 60

Maintaining the organization\'s financial records is a business function of:

Accepted Answer

A) accounting.

Question 61

A major criterion in deciding the most important perspectives of a business problem is:

Accepted Answer

C) usefulness.

Question 62

Branding products is a business function of:

Accepted Answer

D) marketing.

Question 63

Based on your reading of the case discussing mobile handhelds, Doylestown Hospital\'s use of iPhones is an example of using information systems to enhance which of the following generic business objectives?

Accepted Answer

C) Improved decision making

Question 64

Which of the following choices may lead to competitive advantage (1) new products, services, and business models; (2) charging less for superior products; (3) responding to customers in real-time?

Accepted Answer

D) 1, 2, and 3

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