MIS adaptives for exam 1
If an organization's warehouse creates a goods receipt document and forwards it to accounting, what will happen?
Accounting will use the vendor's invoice to generate a payment.
A sub-Saharan country's economy has become sophisticated enough where the seven provincial banks need to conduct transactions among themselves and with commercial banks within their province; therefore, they must move from a cash transportation basis to an electronic transfer basis. What type of system should the minister of finance demand the central bank's governor implement within the country's banking system, and why?
An electronic commerce system, since it enables transactions among organizations and between their customers.
The advancement of technology has produced many positives and negatives around the quality of life of the average IT worker. Which of the following examples BEST illustrates the impact of technology on the quality of life, and why?
An improvement to the quality of life would be the ability to work from home; a decline in the quality of life would be being constantly surrounded by work-related technology.
On your next exam, your instructor expects you to explain how TPS systems work in businesses today, and he wants the information in the proper sequence and with the proper details. Which order should you choose for your answer?
Data are entered into the system using an input device. Source data automation makes it easier to process the large volume of data. Next, data are either batched and processed periodically or processed online in real time. Finally, the data are then collected into detailed reports and input into the corporate database.
Penguin Industries is expanding its business into two adjacent states. It has hired a consultant to help with the transition. The consultant has suggested that the company employ an OLTP system because it will help record transactions at the end of each day, reduce the company's inventory by each unit sold, increase the sales figures for each unit sold, and increase the cash position of the store in which the purchase was made. Evaluate the consultant's advice.
He is correct that an OLTP system will help the company with its expanded business; however, he is incorrect in saying that the OLTP system records the transactions at the end of each day. It actually records transactions in real time which would likely be more helpful to Penguin Industries.
You are a manager in the Finance department at your organization; another Finance manager has come to you to complain that one of his employees consistently gives him incorrect TPS reports. He states that he has sent the employee memos requesting exception reports every two days detailing the sales in both their online and physical stores. What advice should you give your fellow Finance manager?
He needs to be clear with his employee about exactly what kind of report he needs. He specifies that he wants an exception report, but what he describes is a mixture of a routine report and an ad hoc comparative report. Once the manager is clearer on his needs, the employee should be able to deliver the appropriate TPS reports.
You are giving a presentation to a community college class regarding the use of information systems in supporting functional areas in businesses. Which of the following points should you use in your presentation? A.
I. In Accounting, FAIS can be used as strategic support for sales forecasting, as tactical support for auditing and budgeting, and as operational support for payroll and accounts payable and receivable. II. In Finance, FAIS can be used as strategic support for financial planning, as tactical support for investment management, and as operational support to set pricing. III. In POM, FAIS can be used as strategic support for product life cycle management, as tactical support for quality control and inventory management, and as operational support for order fulfillment and processing.
Margaret works in a virtual office and can log into her company's system any time of day from anywhere as long as she works her set number of hours per day. This is an example of
IT expanding the workplace.
Carol works in human resources. In order to use the company's HR programs, she uses a separate program that has audible screen tips and voice interfaces. This is an example of
IT providing opportunities for people with disabilities.
You have been asked by the director of your department to give a presentation on how implementing an ERP system would assist them in their interorganizational processes. Which of the following points should you include?
Implementing SCM and CRM ERP systems will allow the organization to streamline and automate much of their interorganizational processes especially within their industry's value chain. They can automate and update inventory levels, coordinate orders with suppliers and buyers, analyze sales trends, predict customer purchasing behaviors, and customize product campaigns to increase sales numbers.
Laura has been assigned to do a presentation for her company on the benefits of implementing an ERP system to streamline its interorganizational processes. Which of the following points should Laura include when giving her presentation?
Implementing both SCM and CRM ERP systems will allow the company to streamline its interorganizational processes. The company will be able to update inventory levels automatically, analyze and predict sales trends, and predict customer purchasing behaviors. It will also be able to coordinate orders with suppliers and buyers. The system will create customized product campaigns to increase sales.
Callahan Inc. is implementing ERP software to improve its efficiency. Jenkins, the consultant helping the company with the process, tells the managers about certain business processes that need to be changed to make the integration work better. Why are the changes needed?
Inefficiency in business processes is sometimes due to problems in more than one functional area; therefore, in order for the software to work, some changes need to be implemented because other areas will be affected as well.
The CIA needs to figure out if Mr. McKern, whom the MIS department hired to perform consultative functions, did his job correctly. They identified four points to address when he began his work: 1. Educating the MIS staff on the core business; 2. Managing outsourcing; 3. Managing computer operations; 4. Incorporating the internet into the business. Do these four points align with his consultative function in the MIS department?
No, choice 3 (managing computer operations) is a traditional function of the MIS department not a consultative function of the MIS department.
Gadget Inc. uses a program that will audit system administrators' usage to ensure they are using information systems legally. Did the Chief Information Security officer, who hired you as a systems analyst to create and oversee a business program, make the correct decision in hiring you?
No, he should have hired an auditor or a computer security manager to oversee the ethical and legal use of information systems.
After a dramatic increase in demand, your paracord bracelet manufacturing collective was told by your partner's mother (who had talked to an IS sales representative) that the collective needed a TPS because it had decision-making functions involving transaction monitoring, transaction collection, and transaction processing and storage for the products you sell. Did you get the correct information on what a TPS can do? Why or why not?
No. A TPS does not provide decision-making functions.
Falstaff Company has hired a consultant to deal with its current problem of information silos. The consultant suggests that the company employ an ERP system that will help with its information silo problem by giving each FAIS its own database and independent network thereby reducing the risk of redundancies and loss of data. Would you agree with the consultant? Why or why not?
No. While the consultant is correct in saying that an ERP system will help with Falstaff Co.'s information silo issue, this is done by integrating the FAISs and increasing their communications with each other.
A(n) _________ collects data as soon as the data are generated, providing the input data for corporate databases.
TPS
Lance has been with his company for many years and has seen the gradual transitions from early office electronics to today's modern IT systems. Regarding the impact of changing technology on the quality of life, which of the following examples BEST illustrates what Lance has witnessed?
The ability to work from home has been an improvement to the quality of life, while being constantly surrounded by work-related technology has been a decline in the quality of life.
Your store, which has both a restaurant and a retail food sales shop, has been running separate TPS systems. With concerns for inventory levels due to food sell-by dates, management has decided to combine the systems into a more modern OLTP system. The explanation offered is that it will adjust the overall cash positions and sales figures in real time as items are sold, and then record transactions and adjust inventory levels at the end of each day. Evaluate the explanation.
The explanation is correct that the OLTP system will adjust the cash positions and sales figures in real time. However, the explanation describes evening batch processing, but an OLTP system will actually give real time information for transaction recording and inventory adjustments which is preferable to batch processing in this situation.
A representative for an ERP systems manufacturer is visiting Pentex Corp. to present on their product and all its advantages. The representative tells the board of directors that their ERP system will make the organization more flexible and adaptive by breaking down business process silos, presenting business performance information, changing best practices in areas with processes related to their most competitive advantage, and integrating all processes swiftly and without data conversion.
The representative is giving an untrue picture of their ERP systems product because, while it is true that ERP systems do help make organizations more flexible by breaking down silos and integrating and improving processes, changing best practices in activities considered to generate competitive advantages is not a good idea for the company. Furthermore, data conversion is an integral part of implementing the ERP which is usually a lengthy process.
James works for a company that produces flash drives. He has been asked to create an outline describing how ERP systems can integrate cross-departmental processes within his company. Which of the following systems should James present in his outline?
The system begins with the procurement process. If there is not enough product to ship to a customer, the production process takes over. If there are not enough raw materials to create the product, then the fulfillment process begins. Once there are enough raw materials for the product, the production process will resume. When the production process creates completed products, then the procurement process resumes, and the process is complete.
What do national defense, the agriculture industry, and the automotive industry have in common?
They are all industries that operate primarily in the physical world and have been disrupted by software.
What do companies like Zynga (creators of Farmville) and Mojang (creator of Minecraft) have in common?
They've used software to revolutionize the entertainment industry through video games.
Why is being an informed IT user important?
To enhance the quality of IT applications.
Vincent works for a pharmaceutical company. He's been asked to create and implement a system that will assist the company with its processes, including inbound logistics, operations, sales and customer service; he must keep cost and risks low. Which of the following systems should Vincent develop and implement to BEST meet his company's needs?
Using the best of breed approach, create an on-premise system. Choose different ERP modules that will meet the company's specific value chain and internal processes. Choose an ERP module that most closely meets the requirements for the company's current best practices so that the amount of adaptation needed is minimal.
An outside consultant has been hired by your organization to recommend an FAIS to help with business operations. He says a POM FAIS would best suit the organization because it will automate the organization's just-in-time systems, sales force activities, and quality control. Evaluate the consultant's recommendation.
While the consultant is correct that the POM system would automate the JIT system and quality control, he is incorrect in stating that it would automate the sales force activities since that is done by a marketing-based FAIS.
Increasing computerization in a workplace tends to lead to the following:
Workers become more anxious about their jobs.
What part of an organization does an OAS support?
clerical staff
Quasi-autonomous devices have NOT become increasingly common
in the banking industry
In his third year of teaching, Don knows the girls in his literature class are more likely going to read more difficult books than the boys. He is working with
knowledge
Mr. Fogel needs something that will support the preparation of the annual budget and help coordinate communications among the budget process participants. His BEST choice is to
select one of several already available software packages that do this.
Margot runs a book borrow store where members pay a monthly fee to rent books. Her sales have decreased significantly over the last few years, and she knows from doing market research that this is primarily due to the availability of eBooks for rent at local libraries and online. This is an example of
software disrupting an industry operating primarily in the physical world.