Investigating MIS Quiz

From the following list, select all the business practices that are both "green" or environmentally responsible and sustainable in terms of a business's current and long-term success and the environment.

-encouraging employees to telecommute -using teleconferencing for meetings -shifting to a shorter, four-day workweek

Which is the best description of the relationship between "green computing" and management information systems (MIS)?

Advances in MIS technology will help make "green computing" easier and more widespread.

Which of the following statements best defines the purpose of data analytics?

Data analytics helps increase organizational performance by drawing meaning from large amounts of data.

A marketing manager requests and receives a report on consumers who use a competing brand of laundry detergent. Included in this report is demographic information such as age, gender, and geographic location; frequency with which the product is purchased; estimated amount of revenue generated by this product per geographic location; and qualities that consumers rank as important to their purchasing decision. These reports represent what function of a marketing information system (MKIS)?

Gathering marketing data

Which of the following is a reason why farmers frequently use a DSS to determine appropriate fertilization and irrigation?

Weather patterns frequently change and cannot be predicted far in advance; therefore, the fertilization and irrigation needs are not consistent for a farmer's crops.

At the time cash registers were invented, "ringing up" a customer meant

each time the cash drawer was opened, the register rang, alerting a shop owner to register activity.

Management information systems (MIS) for communication directly support organizational decision making by

helping managers communicate, obtain, discuss, and understand the information necessary for strategic decisions.

Fayol's principles for structuring organizational roles and authority emphasize

order and unity, so that employees understand their role and report to only one person.

The development and growing popularity of flextime arrangements can largely be attributed to

the spread of high-speed Internet and technologies such as telecommuting and teleconferencing.

Which of the following list is a point-of-sale (POS) station output device? More than one answer may be correct.

-Thermal printer -Speaker

What was Weber's view on the use of physical force?

A police force overseen by a local government enforces laws within a community

What type of system is used to assist with processes that rely on a large number of inputs that frequently change?

Decision support system

Which is the best description of a typical flextime policy?

Employees create their own work schedules: they can change when they start and stop their workday.

What was the driving principle behind McGregor's Theory X?

Employees need close supervision.

According to the Observer Effect, an employee whose work is monitored will become nervous as their manager focuses attention on them and will therefore be less productive.

FALSE

As a category of expenses for U.S. businesses, information technology (IT) costs are decreasing.

FALSE

Input devices for POS (point-of-sale) stations include monitors, printers, and speakers.

FALSE

An MICR reader is an example of a

POS input device.

Why did Max Weber believe that personal responsibility, ethical behavior, and charity were fundamental to capitalism?

These are the basic principles of Protestantism.

What is the key role of a client-server network in business?

To provide personal computer users secured access to shared data.

Smaller businesses are able to get the benefits of an enterprise resource (ERP) system through

scalable cloud-based ERP systems.

Which of the following is an example of an individual using a decision support system? More than one answer may be correct.

-A PR company wants to provide its clients with information regarding how a national campaign is affecting sales in different regions of the country and help them decide where more advertising money should be spent to have a larger impact. -A nurse monitoring intake for tele-health patients enters symptoms, duration, and health history into a proprietary database. The database provides her with a suggestion to recommend to the patient, from seeking urgent, emergency medical attention to discussing symptoms with a doctor via the tele-health platform, to monitoring symptoms at home. However, the nurse has the final authority for what path she places the patient on.

Describe advancements made in point-of-sale (POS) system software in the 1990s, in addition to in-store sales and tax tracking. More than one answer may be correct.

-Across-chain sales and inventory tracking -Stronger connection with customers -Immediate communication with internal financial teams

Describe examples of how client-server networks are used. More than one answer may be correct.

-Data storage -Printing -Data backup

Select all technology options for video conferencing from the following list. More than one answer may be correct.

-Zoom and WebEx on a desktop computer -systems with cameras, microphones, and dedicated Internet connections -FaceTime and Skype on a mobile phone

Which of the following is an example of the Hawthorne effect?

A supervisor who frequently gives feedback to the employees who report to her—both to praise them and to let them know areas where they can improve—notices that employee productivity rises.

How does supply chain visibility provided by a supply chain management system reduce the bullwhip effect?

Accurately predicting how many units of an item are expected to sell allows manufacturers to accurately source for the correct amount of raw materials and avoid overreacting to fluctuations in consumer demand.

How might a professor use an LMS to keep track of attendance in a class that is held face to face?

At the beginning of each class period, students are required to use clickers to take a brief multiple-choice test to indicate they are present.

Douglas McGregor believed that people who pursue careers in management are generally like-minded.

FALSE

In a business setting, personal computers are most often used by remote workers who travel or do not report to an office.

FALSE

Mainframe computers are known for their ability to handle numerous tasks involving application software.

FALSE

Payroll functionality was only added to human resource information systems once they became cloud-based.

FALSE

Telecommuting is an environmentally friendly practice primarily because it enables organizations to save energy on heating and cooling, lighting, and other uses of electricity in the workplace.

FALSE

Weber believed that bureaucratic organizations were always inefficient.

FALSE

How did Karl Marx disagree with John Locke's ideas about the outcomes or products of labor?

Locke believed that people own all the products of their own labor, but Marx believed that ownership could differ for the products of living labor and accumulated labor.

How are managers' jobs expected to change as management information system (MIS) technology and tools improve?

Managers will be freed from tasks performed by online services or staff using collaboration tools.

What did Peter Drucker mean by "decentralization"?

Organizations work at what they do best and have a comparative advantage and outsource the work at which they have no advantage.

What is a main proposition or argument of John Locke's labor theory of property?

Since people own their own labor, they naturally own the products of their labor.

Which of the following statements best explains why sleep is a factor in work-life balance?

Sleep is important to memory and brain health.

Which system is able to create purchase orders, manage inventory, and forecast future inventory needs?

Supply chain management system

According to John Locke, a person can collect spring water from public land and purify, bottle, and sell it because these improvements transform that natural resource into personal property.

TRUE

Advances in MIS technology can help tech-savvy small businesses lure ambitious managers away from larger, more established businesses that are slow to adopt new technology.

TRUE

What is one major distinction between telecommuting and flextime arrangements?

Telecommuters often must work during regular business hours.

Which of the following statements most clearly describes Mary Parker Follett's contribution to management theory?

The most important elements of an organization are relationships, informal processes, and communications.

Max Weber believed that organizations were best supported by which of the following strategies?

The use of specialization among employees.

A company uses an HR management system with artificial intelligence to deliver badges to the employees who have received the best scores in annual online training modules and let managers know which employees have not completed it as the deadline approaches. What function is this HR management system helping the company perform?

Training

Choose a phrase from below that pinpoints when in-person meetings may be a better choice than video conferencing.

a meeting's content is sensitive

The primary advantage of mainframes computers is that they

allow modifications to system capacity while the system is in use.

In addition to advancements in computer hardware, what drove improvements to POS (point-of-sale) systems in the 1990s?

an increasingly diverse group of users and their needs

An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is

an integrated MIS system for agility and a competitive edge.

A common, basic condition for most flextime policies is the requirement that employees must

be able to fulfill their work responsibilities, including attending certain meetings or events in-person.

A videoconference may be a better choice than a voice conference call because it allows

better communication through nonverbal cues.

Frederick Taylor used time-and-motion studies to

break down work tasks to find ways to improve them.

Who are the users of an executive support systems (ESS)?

business leaders in charge of several functions or separate enterprises

Mary Parker Follett defines the elements of a successful business as

competence and expertise.

John Locke's labor theory of property is applied to modern management theory because

it explains what motivates people to work: the desire to become personally wealthier.

Computing is considered "green" or environmentally responsible when

it reduces the consumption of natural resources and the associated environmental impact.

Mechanical cash registers were first created to

make it difficult for employees to steal money.

According to Frederick Taylor, the purpose of management is to

make the business as prosperous as possible.

In his text, "The Human Side of Enterprise," Douglas McGregor focused on

manager attitudes toward their employees.

Employee monitoring software

observes computer use of all employees from a central location.

A long-standing company is expanding their existing workforce. What, in all likelihood, will they invest in terms of computing capabilities?

personal computers

What did Henri Fayol consider to be the main roles or responsibilities of a manager?

planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling processes

Remote desktop software

provides access to all networked devices from a separate computer.

Mainframes were originally developed for their

reliability of handling transactions.

Mary Parker Follett's theory of management is based on the principle that

success depends on the flow of ideas from all levels of an organization.

What is Frederick Taylor's four principles of scientific management?

task measurement, employee development, worker-manager collaboration, and management training

The first modern transaction processing system was

the cash register.

In his theories of management, Peter Drucker placed special emphasis on

the importance of involving employees in the goal-setting process.

The main function of executive support systems (ESSs) is to

turn data into information to support high-level decision making.

Cloud computing can best be described as

using the Internet to store and access resources.

What is a benefit a student gains by using an LMS?

Student performance is more easily tracked through the gradebook, giving a student a constantly updated view of what their grade will be.

In which of these situations would an enterprise resource planning system (ERP) be clearly helpful? More than one answer may be correct.

-A hospitality brand needs to know how directly its marketing and advertising efforts effect room sales. -An international automaker must coordinate its new-vehicle production line with elements of its supply chain.

How can working with management information system (MIS) affect work-life balance? More than one answer may be correct.

-A steady flow of business information and the need to respond can encroach on personal time. -The temptation to work overtime or without breaks can lead to competition and stress.

What was a benefit of Square Inc. that differentiated it from the other POS systems that were available at the time it first launched? More than one answer may be correct.

-Servers at restaurants were able to process customer payments right at the table, increasing the speed at which they could turn over tables. -Smaller companies and individual vendors were able to accept credit and debit cards for payment since they didn't need to invest in expensive servers or infrastructure. -Small businesses were able to afford to accept credit and debit card transactions because a flat fee was charged per transaction.

Although Miguel does not want to give up the option to work from both home and office, he's starting to feel his personal and work lives blending together, and not in a good way. What are some strategies he should try to improve his work-life balance? More than one answer may be correct.

-When at the office, Miguel can break for informal chats with colleagues in person and on video chat or phone when he's home. At the end of the day, he should take time to wind down and get enough rest. -Wherever he is, Miguel should plan his day according to achievable priorities. A first step may be scheduling a specific time for responding to messages and calls.

Frederick Taylor built scientific management on which of the following beliefs? More than one answer may be correct.

-When workers are more productive, more employment opportunities arise. -When the company is successful, its employees are successful.

A retail chain store uses a centralized mainframe system that connects all of the cash registers within a region. Regional managers are able pull sales reports for all units on this mainframe. Salespeople are able to easily ring up and total customers purchases, as well as communicate with other associates at different machines. What is his mainframe system an example of? More than one answer may be correct.

-client-server network -mobile POS station

A company's annual sales conference has been cancelled, but the sales force still needs to receive new product information as soon as possible. An international firm is looking to hire the best candidates worldwide. A consulting firm must conduct remote training. Which of these statements explain what videoconferencing can uniquely provide in these situations?

In addition to "meeting" others through video, documents can be shown, screens shared, and nonverbal messages can be conveyed.

A manager wants to accurately predict how many light-up three-wheeled scooters they'll need to meet holiday demand. Which component of supply chain management would the manager be using to determine the appropriate number to produce?

Supply chain planning

A key function of a client-server network is to provide businesses with data confidentiality.

TRUE

Using employee monitoring software, an administrator can view real-time, time-lapsed, or intermittent computer screenshots of a large group of employees.

TRUE

While a decision support system can analyze and interpret a large amount of rapidly changing data, it cannot provide the analysis needed to ultimately make the decision.

TRUE

Data analytics clearly would be efficient and practical in which of the following situations? More than one answer may be correct.

-A farm equipment manufacturer is producing a new line of machines in three separate plants and it needs to test, troubleshoot, and coordinate production processes before opening the factory lines. -Several new drugs have been FDA approved and a regional healthcare network must finalize its decision making concerning best practices for treatment options.

Describe the benefits of cloud computing. More than one answer may be correct.

-Affordability for business use -Access to applications software -Flexibility of user devices

Select all of the following contemporary work situations that show scientific management at work. More than one answer may be correct.

-Warehouse packers are having a difficult time managing the piles of items that the robots are picking off the shelves. Managers adjust the robots' speed to coordinate with the humans' speed. -Junior high school teachers work in teams of two: one newer teacher and one seasoned teacher. The principal and assistant principal assign the teams and hold staff trainings throughout the year. -Instead of relying on "old hands," a political campaign director recruits from groups who are very enthusiastic about the candidate's ideas. The director sees training as a way to shape energy into action.

From the following list, select all the ways in which Henri Fayol's guiding principles of management address the welfare of employees.

-by requiring that all employees be fairly compensated -by requiring clear lines of authority and communication -by requiring managers to be fair and kind to employees -by requiring managers to encourage people to take initiative

Describe who might use mainframe computers. More than one option may be correct.

-An airline taking reservations. -A warehouse restocking a recently published book. -A company seeking better operational efficiency.

According to Adam Smith, what are three ways that businesses can make labor more efficient?

-They can have workers specialize in a single, simple task. -They can reduce the distance between manufacturing steps or facilities. -They can invent machines to multiply the productivity of workers.

Which of the following is a benefit to utilizing employee scheduling software? More than one answer may be correct.

-Automatically schedule employees, freeing up management for more important tasks -Automatically record and add up the number of hours employees are working

Which of the following scenarios depicts an employment situation that Elton Mayo believed would result in an employee becoming more engaged and productive? More than one answer may be correct.

-Sales managers at Lenovo are given weekly sales status reports indicating how much their rep's sales are contributing to the overall corporate revenue. -At an ad agency, graphic designers receive updates for the revenue that past campaigns have generated for clients. -At its annual conference, a real estate agency provides information on the amount of revenue generated each year from referrals from previous customers and awards the top three referral generating agents with an award.

In which of the following scenarios is a learning management system (LMS) being used to document student activity? More than one answer may be correct.

-Students taking online classes are required to use the discussion board each week to comment on the readings and reply to three classmates' comments. -Auto-graded quizzes become available in the LMS after a student has completed the assigned readings that accompany each quiz.

From the following list, select all the ways in which improvements in MIS technologies and tools are likely to affect managers who telecommute.

-They will be able to do additional tasks on their mobile phones. -They will face additional work demands on their personal time.

Which of the following are examples of the key benefits of the first electronic point-of-sales (POS) stations? More than one answer may be correct.

-Using images to denote what product was desired -Customers were able to spend less time in line to order and pay -New employees were quickly able to work independently with minimal training

How do managers use personal computers for their business needs? More than one answer may be correct.

-Communicating via email -Creating and using databases and spreadsheets

Peter Drucker felt the most important responsibility of a corporation is to

serve its customers.

Which of the following is an example of a primary function of human resource information system? More than one answer may be correct.

-A small company selects employees who should be considered for promotion by determining which employees have received the top 10% of performance evaluation scores over a three-year period. -A large corporation changes which insurance carrier will offer health insurance to its employees. Each employee receives an email denoting which of the new insurance carrier's plans is most similar to the plan they are currently signed up for. -An independent bookstore wants to open a new store in a neighboring city and needs to determine how many employees it should hire based on the characteristics and square footage of the new store.

Which of the following scenarios describes a situation that would benefit from a mobile POS system? More than one answer may be correct.

-A pop-up art space is opening downtown. They will be in their retail space for two months before closing up shop and hope to sell the works of three local artists. They would like to use one system to manage inventory, purchasing and customer payment. -A handy man runs a business where he does small repairs and maintenance work at homes in his town. He does not advertise and gains new client by word of mouth only. Currently, he only accepts cash or check for payment but would like to accept credit and debit cards. -Two yoga instructors plan on offering weekly pop-up yoga classes for small children and their parents. They will advertise on social media and parents will pay the fee as they arrive for the class. Each class will be held a different local brewery or restaurant before it opens for the day.

An executive support system (ESS) would be most useful in which of the following situations? More than one answer may be correct.

-Reports from all divisions are needed quickly for a crucial decision. -The Board needs detailed information about a new product from the research and development group.

A marketing manager wants to determine which marketing campaign for a specific product was the most successful as determined by the amount of revenue generated. She uses the company's MKIS to determine how much revenue was generated for each of the three major campaigns run that year to determine revenue generated as compared to the cost of the campaign. This is an example of using an MKIS to

assist with cost-benefit analysis.

Which of the following is an example of a business that would benefit from scheduling software? More than one answer may be correct.

-A local gym offers personal training and group fitness classes throughout the day. Different employees lead the group fitness classes; personal trainers must have completed a specified number of annual certification hours. Another employee is needed to check guests in at the front desk. This answer should be selected. Because there are specified roles that must be filled for each shift. The automated scheduling and rostering features of employee scheduling software would be beneficial. -A medi-spa offers the following services: manicures, pedicures, massages, laser hair removal, Botox, and chemical peels. Local agencies require different levels of training and certification for the technicians performing these different services. Weekends are the most popular time for manicure and pedicure services, while the beginning of the week is the most popular time for services that use a chemical or a laser. -A library that has six locations within a city. Each location offers different services—targeting preschool aged children, seniors, out of work adults, and school aged children—on different days. The programs are generally run by the same employee at different locations so care needs to be taken not to schedule the same programs for different locations on the same day and that each employee is scheduled for the right location on the right day.

Which of the following companies popularized the use of personal computers? More than one answer may be correct.

-Dell -Apple -Hewlett-Packard

Which of the following are examples of cloud-based management information systems support offered by mobile POS systems? More than one answer may be correct.

-A system that keeps track of which required online training courses each employee has taken and makes new training available once prerequisites have been met. -A system that alerts management when different items are selling faster than expected and need to be restocked. -A system that works with payroll systems to keep track of how many hours an employee has worked and totals up their weekly paychecks.

Which of the following is an example of an MKIS being used to evaluate industry trends within a market? More than one answer may be correct.

-Determine if a decrease in sales of a frozen food product is unique to the company or is occurring at all companies that sell that type of frozen food -Determine if increased demand for a cleaning product after a severe weather event occurs in all regions or is just a local phenomenon

From the following list, select all the ideas that Henri Fayol identified as a guiding principle of management.

-Managers must have the power and the right to give orders to subordinates. -Managers can expect subordinates to follow orders and discipline them if needed. -The organization's interests must take priority over the interests of individuals.

In which of the following situations does remote desktop software have advantage over employee monitoring software? More than one answer may be correct.

-when monitoring a large number of employees is not practical -when employee privacy is a serious concern