CTS 115 - Information Systems Business Concepts - CH. 1 to CH. 4 - CPCC - Spring 2017
Define: "information system"
(Ch. 1, pg 11) A system that brings together four critical components to collect, manage, analyze, and distribute information; the four components are people technology, processes, and data.
Define: "user-generated content"
(Ch. 1, pg 11) The content generated to a system by its users.
Describe the four main components of an information system and the role each play.
(Ch. 1, pg 11) The four components of an information system are: 1. People 2. Technology 3. Processes 4. Data
Define: "WEB 2.0"
(Ch. 1, pg 11) The second generation of web development that facilitates far more interactivity, end-user contributions, collaboration, and information sharing compared to earlier models.
Define: "information technology"
(Ch. 1, pg 12, 13) the hardware, software, and telecommunications that comprise the tech. component of information systems; the term is often used to refer to information systems.
Define: "business process"
(Ch. 1, pg 13) A set of activities designed to achieve a task; organizations implement information systems to support, streamline, and sometimes eliminate business processes.
Define: "information and communications technology (ICT)"
(Ch. 1, pg 13) The term encompasses the broad collection of information processing and communications techs, emphasizing that telecommunications technology is a significant feature of information systems.
Identify several research areas in the discipline of managament information systems (MIS).
(Ch. 1, pg 16) Research areas include: development of information systems IT in organizations IT and individuals IT and collaboration in groups IT and markets
Define: "management information systems (MIS)"
(Ch. 1, pg 17) the study of information systems -- how people, technology, processes, and data work together. Also used to describe a special type of information system that supports tectical decision making at the managerial level.
Provide examples of how business, nonprofit, and government managers, as well as information technology departments, depend on information systems knowledge.
(Ch. 1, pg 17-18) improving productivity , collaboration, matching volunteers, email, internet, voip phones,
A survey of retailers found that modern point-of-sale technology was rated the least valuable element in customer satisfaction. True or False?
False.
Binary code for SOS is an example of useful, actionable knowledge. True or False?
False.
Most volunteer organization are concerned with safeguarding and increasing the security of their information. True or False?
False.
Procurement and technology support are primary activities of a value chain. True/False?
False.
The development and application of innovative information systems improve the operations of an organization; however, they do not lead to any competitive advantage. True or False?
False.
Cost of transportation is one of the five forces proposed by Porter. True/False?
False. Porter's Five Forces are: 1. threat of new entrants 2. power of the buyer 3. power of the suppliers 4. threat of substitutes 5. rivalry among existing competitors (Ch. 2, pg 34-35)
Privacy breaches in modern information systems involve far less risk, and affect fewer people, compared to the older information systems. True or False?
False. Privacy breaches present major risks ... and can threaten the privacy and security of millions. Minor mistakes are amplified and a misplaced data disk erupts into a major crisis. (Ch. 1, pg 22)
As a result of the rising demand for wireless bandwidth, there is not a single part of the wireless spectrum which is left unlicensed. True/False?
False. Some of the bandwidth is left unlicensed and available for any devices to use, such as the bandwidth for wifi. (Ch. 3, pg 76)
The data collected by online pop-up surveys is considered to be high-quality data. True/False?
False. The data collected by online surveys illustrate many of the problems surrounding information quality. (Ch. 4, pg 98)
The operational requirements for nonprofit businesses are completely different from for-profit businesses. True/False?
False. The operational requirement to run non-profit are quite similar to businesses. (Ch. 2, pg 50)
Power of suppliers is high when there are many suppliers in a market. True/False?
False. The power of suppliers is high when they are just about the only game in town and thus can charge more for their products and services. (Ch. 2, pg 37)
When team members use online tools, the psychology of group dynamics change for the positive. True or False?
False. The psychology of a group subtly changes when team members use online tools, and the shifts are NOT always positive. (Ch. 1, pg 17)
Information system processes are not influenced by human motivations and the way people look at process improvements. True or False?
False. The steps in any process are effected by thousands of decisions people make, and these are influenced by the way people look at process improvements. (Ch. 1, pg 13)
Differentiating the product or service for a particular market niche is called product marketing. True/False?
False. This is called "focused niche strategy." (Ch. 2, pg 46)
Typing speed can be increased by using a mouse rather than by using keyboard shortcuts. True/False?
False. people prefer typing to speaking. Although the mouse is very useful, it can slow you down as you move your hands from the keyboard. (Ch. 3, pg 65-66)
During mergers, integration of multiple databases becomes a major challenge. True/False?
True. This happens when companies with different ways of doing things and different information systems merge, and records can't be easily combined. (Ch. 4, pg 113)
The threat of substitutes is high when alternative products are available. True/False?
True. Threat of substitutes are high when alternative products are available, especially if they offer attractive savings. (Ch. 2, pg 37)
Building interfaces or bridges between different databases to link common fields, is an integration strategy. True/False?
True. To deal with integration, some organizations build interfaces, or bridges, between different databases. (Ch. 4, pg 114)
Explain how information systems present both promises and perils, and pose ethical questions.
(Ch. 1, pg 21-22), also definitions on pg 24 information systems can threaten the privacy of millions of people (data leaks, hacks, etc) Minor mistakes are amplified and can become major crisis. Reputations are far more vulnerable. (**privacy breaches and amplification effects)
Describe the main roles that information systems play in organizations.
(Ch. 1, pg 4) 6 major roles. 1. supporting customer interactions 2. making decisions 3. collaborating on teams 4. gaining competitive edge 5. improving individual productivity 6. managing operations
Define "Operations Management"
(Ch. 1, pg 5) the area of management concerned with the design, operation, and improvement of the systems and processes the organization uses to deliver its goods and services.
Define: "customer relationship management (CRM) system"
(Ch. 1, pg 7) An information system used to build customer relationships, enhance loyalty, and manage interactions with customers.
Define: "social networking sites"
(Ch. 1, pg 7) Online communities of people who create profiles for themselves, form ties, with others with whom they share interests, and make new connections based on those ties.
Define: "business intelligence"
(Ch. 1, pg 7) The information managers use to make decisions, drawn from the company's own information systems or external systems.
Define: "data-driven decision making"
(Ch. 1, pg 7) Decision making that draws on the billions of pieces of data that can be aggregated to reveal important trends and patterns.
Define: "competitive advantage"
(Ch. 1, pg 8) anything that gives a firm a lead over its rivals, can be gained through the development and application of innovative information systems.
Compare the terms: data, information, and knowledge, and describe three characteristics that make information valuable.
(Ch. 1, pg 9) Data: refers to individual facts or pieces of information. Information: refers to data or facts that are assembled and analyzed to add meaning and usefulness. "Facts, data, intelligence, knowledge, and even tips are synonyms for INFORMATION." Information is Valuable when. 1. is it timely, 2. it's accurate, 3. it is complete.
While generating payroll checks, the payroll department's computer programs read each record in the file and print out checks and payroll stubs for each person using the information contained in the files for that department. This is an example of data integration. True/False?
False.
In an organization, each employee might work for one or more projects, as well as for different employers. In such a case, the best approach by a database manager would be to create multiple records for the employee. True/False?
False. (Ch. 4, pg
In certain situations, such as fund-raising for an NGO, information systems are not of much use. True or False?
False. "... charities, or other nonprofit areas, information systems will also be critical." "...an enormous contribution to your organization's success with knowledge of information systems." (Ch. 1, pg 18)
A low-cost leadership strategy means offering a highly differentiated product at a price that is lower than the market price. True/False?
False. "... means offering products at a lower price compared to competitors..." (Ch. 2, pg 46)
While creating a relational database for an organization, "Employees" would constitute one attribute with entities such as employee ID number, last name, first name, birth date, e-mail address, and phone number. True/False?
False. "Employees," for example, is a relatively straightforward entity with attributes such as employee ID number, last name, first name, birth date, email address, and phone number. In the case of the question: "Employees" is the ENTITY and the ATTRIBUTE is the birthdate, email, age, phone, etc. (Ch. 4, pg 106)
Network effects refers to the ability of a product to fit into a new system. True/False?
False. "Network effects" refers to the increased value of a product or service that results simply because there are more people using it. (Ch. 2, pg 36)
Creative destruction refers to an innovation that fails miserably and leads to huge losses within the industry. True/False?
False. 'Creative Destruction" refers to what happens when to an industry when disruptive innovations threaten the established players. (Ch. 2, pg 40)
Master data management has more to do with technology than people, processes, and governance. True/False?
False. A strategy for addressing the inconsistencies in the way people use data is "master data management." (Ch. 4, pg 114)
A marketing representative, who wants to put the most positive spin on a tally of recent orders, chooses to include ones that have been canceled. This is an example of high-quality data. True/False?
False. Bias: Biased information lacks objectivity, and that reduces its value and quality. (Ch. 4, pg 98)
"Cloud computing" is more about a brand new architecture than mere marketing hype. True/False?
False. Cloud computing is somewhat confusing because it refers to many different styles and technologies, and some are not actually new. To some extent, the drive to re-brand some familiar services as "cloud computing" is more about marketing hype than a brand new architecture. (Ch. 3, pg 83-84)
The thin, flexible shape of coaxial cables allow them to wind easily through ceilings, walls, and cubicles. True/False?
False. Coaxial Cables -- thick cables with a single inner conductor core, usually copper, and with a surrounding mesh. (Ch. 3, pg 75)
Commercial off-the-shelf software require permission from the software developers before it can be installed and used. True/False?
False. Commercial off-the-shelf software, which means they are ready to buy, install, and use. (Ch. 3, pg 73)
A database is an example of a system software. True/False?
False. Databases are an example of "application software." (Ch. 3, pg 70)
Shards should be accessed from the same computer for improved performance. True/False?
False. Falls under "scalability." Database are split into "shards" or slices that could be stored seperately and accessed on different computers. (Ch. 4, pg 112)
In an information organization system, a field can contain either numeric data or text, but not the two together. True/False?
False. Fields typically contain numeric data or text, or a combination of both. (Ch. 4, pg 99)
China is known as the world's "back office" because innumerable companies in China manage information system applications for a growing number of multinational corporations. True or False?
False. India is considered the world's "back office" since many companies moved their their applications there or are outsourcing to other countries. Currently the Philippines is becoming the world's largest call center operator. (Ch. 1, pg 5)
A legacy system is a system that is an assemblage of inter-related, tightly bound elements that cannot be differentiated or upgraded. True/False?
False. Legacy Systems - applications that are still in use because they work reasonably well and are costly to replace. (Ch. 3, pg 73)
Presence of loyalty programs reduces the switching costs of a product or service. True/False?
False. Loyalty programs also raise switching costs and discourage new entrants. Switching costs are costs customers incur when they change suppliers. (Ch. 2, pg 36)
Magnetic tapes are the most suitable backup storage option for a fast moving e-commerce Web site. True/False?
False. Magnetic tapes provide cost-effective long-term storage capability. (Ch. 3, pg 69)
Speech input devices have overtaken all other input devices. True/False?
False. One reason is that speech recognition is less accurate. People also prefer typing to speaking. (Ch. 3, pg 66)
Application software includes operating system software and utilities. True/False?
False. Operating Systems are an example of "System Software", along with utilities. (Ch. 3, pg 70)
Voice phone calls, which require circuit-switching, cannot be configured to a packet-switching network. True/False?
False. Packet switching can be configured to handle voice calls too. (VOIP) (Ch. 3, pg 77)
"01010011 01001111 01010011" is an example of data, while the binary code for SOS is information, and the word "HELP!!!" is knowledge. True or False?
True.
A news agency requires an immediate account of the casualties in an airplane accident for a news alert. In this situation, a quick, approximate report is more valuable than a detailed, accurate report that requires considerable time to gather. True or False?
True.
A person's online behavior is an important source of business intelligence. True or False?
True.
Any online communication, including e-mails, can be amplified by modern information systems. True or False?
True.
Funds and human effort applied to growing and transforming an organization are closely tied to strategy, innovation, and competitive advantage. True/False?
True.
Information technology and strategy are so closely integrated with every aspect of business that every manager is really an "information officer." True or False?
True.
Orange fiber-optic cables, the coaxial cables used by cable TV companies, and the slender copper telephone wiring common in homes are a part of the telecommunications infrastructure. True or False?
True.
The information systems that support virtual teamwork and collaboration are, in some respects, still in their infancy compared to the more mature operational systems. True or False?
True.
Companies are embedded in a complex ecosystem where events in one arena affect the whole community. True/False?
True. "Companies are embedded in a complex ecosystem ... events in one arena - particularly disruptive innovation - ripple through the whole community ..." (Ch. 2, pg 41)
A network database supports many-to-many relationships. True/False?
True. ... a database must handle three types of relationships with minimum of redundancy: 1. one-to-one 2. one-to-many 3. many-to-many (Ch. 4, pg 103)
A benchmark is a reference point used as a baseline measurement. True/False?
True. A benchmark is a reference point used as a baseline measurement. (Ch. 2, pg 44)
An organization's data warehouse contains information drawn from multiple sources that can be used for analysis, intelligence gathering, and strategic planning. True/False?
True. A data warehouse is a central data repository containing information drawn from multiple sources that can be used for analysis, intelligence gathering, and strategic planning. (Ch. 4, pg 115)
In the context of telecommunications, a network is a group of interconnected devices. True/False?
True. A network is a group of interconnected devices. (Ch. 3, pg 74)
The ASCII code determines how characters are encoded into digital strings. True/False?
True. ASCII code and it's variants determine how characters are encoded into digital strings. (Ch. 3, pg 64-65)
All types of organizational strategies leverage information systems to succeed. True/False?
True. All of these strategies leverage information systems to succeed. (Ch. 2, pg 47)
Changes to the integrated database take less time from IT, but more from the end users. True/False?
True. Changes to the integrated database take less time from IT, but more from the end users. (Ch. 4, pg 119)
Data stewards ensure that people adhere to the definitions for the master data in their organizational units. True/False?
True. Data Stewards ... remind everyone about how data should be defined. (Ch. 4, pg 114)
Database developers avoid using meaningful information for primary keys. True/False?
True. Database developers should avoid meaningful information for primary keys. If the meaningful info is messed up, it has to be changed throughout the system and is a complicated affair. (Ch. 4, pg 106)
Disconnects in communication between IT staff and others in the organization often arise because of the jargon barrier. True or False?
True. Disconnects in communication between IT staff and others in the organization are not uncommon, partly because of the jargon barrier. (Ch. 1, pg 20)
E-government involves efforts to make unclassified information available to citizens via the Internet, and offers many interactive online services to save people time-consuming visits to government offices. True/False?
True. E-government involves efforts to make unclassified information available to citizens via the Internet and offer many interactive online services to save people time-consuming visits to government offices. (Ch. 2, pg 51)
Electromagnetic waves include gamma rays. True/False?
True. Gamma waves are part of the electromagnetic freq. (Ch. 3, pg 75)
Government action can influence how Porter's five forces operate in industries. True/False?
True. Government policies and funding priorities can have dramatic effects on how industries operate and how they evolve. (Ch. 2, pg 40)
Research of the impact of IT on markets increased substantially because of the Internet. True or False?
True. Hardly anyone was investigating the impact of IT on markets in the early days, but Internet changed that picture. (Ch. 1, pg 16)
Peer-to-peer networks support file sharing on the Internet. True/False?
True. Highly decentralized. Computers share files, printers, and internet directly with each other. (Ch. 3, pg 79)
Interactive voice response (IVR) is a system used to handle massive call volumes. True/False?
True. IVR systems are often the only way to handle massive call volumes. (Ch. 4, pg 110)
Rivalry within an industry will be high if firms compete mainly on price. True/False?
True. If firms compete mainly on price, rivalry is high. (Ch. 2, pg 38)
A value chain can be extended by incorporating feedback from customers. True/False?
True. Online, the extended value chain can include contributions from buyers who add value to the company's products or serves. (Ch. 2, pg 44)
Analysts can use software to simulate business processes and conduct "what if" experiments to find innovative approaches that leverage the power of information systems. True or False?
True. Software is available to simulate business processes and conduct "what if" experiments to assist with analysis. (Ch. 1, pg 14)
Sustaining technologies streamline existing processes and give companies marginal advantages. True/False?
True. Sustaining Techs offer important improvements to streamline existing processes and give companies marginal advantages. (Ch. 2, pg 39)
In a computer, the central processing unit handles information processing, calculations, and control tasks. True/False?
True. The CPU ... handles information processing, calculations, and control tasks. (Ch. 3, pg 68)
A relational database is less dependent on the hardware and its particular operating system. True/False?
True. The approach separates the data from the paths to retrieve them, thus making the database less dependent on the hardware and its particular operating system. (Ch. 4, pg 104)
Companies often use the same relational DBMS for their data warehouse as they use for their operational database, but loaded onto a separate server and tuned for fast retrieval and reporting. True/False?
True. The operational database is not a good candidate for high-level management reporting ... so it makes sense to run them on a separate data warehouse, not the operational database. (so that CPU heavy queries don't slow down the entire database as a whole.) (Ch. 4, pg 115)
A wireless router has a wired connection to the network and sends radio signals from the antennae. True/False?
True. The radio signals are sent a few hundred feet out from the antenna of a wireless router, which has a wired connection to a network. (Ch. 3, pg 76)
The threat of new entrants in an industry is very high when startups open business with little capital and few employees. True/False?
True. The threat of new entrants in an industry is very high when start-ups .... can open shop with little capital, few employees, and next to no experience. (Ch. 2, pg 35)
Shadow systems are managed by individuals or departments. True/False?
True. These are smaller databases developed by individuals or departments that focus on their creator's specific information requirements. They are not managed by the central IT staff. (Ch. 4, pg 114)
To balance the information needs of multiple stakeholders, top-level managers need clear, consistent, and accurate reports that summarize information from across the enterprise. True/False?
True. Top-level management needs strategic information and insights from big data, along with accurate, enterprise-wide reports. (Ch. 4, pg 120)
Virtualization is an eco-friendly technology. True/False?
True. Virtualization can cut costs dramatically, not just by lowering electricity bills and hardware expenses, but also through reduced maintenance. (Ch. 3, pg 82)
In larger organizations and major companies, there are usually several staff positions with "chief" in their titles along with the position of chief information officer. True or False?
True. Working with the CIO, especially in larger organizations and major companies, are more staff working with "chief" in the title. (Ch. 1, pg 18)
Cloud computing frees information stranded on individual devices. True/False?
True. employees can access virtual servers, storage space, video streaming, specialized software and other cloud-based serves ... all from an internet connection. (Ch. 3, pg 83)
Digital subscriber lines significantly improve transmission speed over twisted pair wires. True/False?
True. phone companies installed DSL to support fast internet. (Ch. 3, pg 77)