ISM Exam 1
Which of the following statements is true regarding virtual private clouds (VPCs)?
A VPC is a subset of a public cloud that has highly restricted, secure access.
What is the difference between a database application and a database application program?
A database application includes forms, reports, queries, and database application programs.
Which of the following statements does NOT correctly describe a database?
A database can contain many tables, each of which contains data about a particular entity, but these tables are separate and distinct and cannot be related to one another.
Which of the following statements about the processing subsystem in a computer is true?
A given computer might have one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs).
Which of the following is NOT an example of a database?
A professor using Microsoft Access to keep track of student grades and contacts
Which of the following is NOT one of the functions of a computer operating system?
Access and manage your database.
Which of the following statements about AllRoad's use of cloud services is MOST accurate?
AllRoad is far more likely to take advantage of cloud services provided by cloud vendors than to develop its own internal server infrastructure because it is a small organization with a very small IT Department.
Which of the following statements about AllRoad's use of cloud services is NOT correct?
AllRoad would not need to use cloud services because it has ample internal resources such as server farms.
Which of the following statements about client and server computers is correct?
Although clients and servers can both use similar hardware (processors, memory chips, hard drives, and so on), servers generally have more capable hardware components than clients (faster processors, more memory, and so on) because a server provides services to many client machines.
Which of the following statements about process quality is true?
An effective business process is one that enables the organization to accomplish its strategy.
Which of the following is NOT an operating system for a nonmobile client computer?
Apple's iOS
Which of the following is NOT one of the SaaS services that AllRoad can utilize?
Azure
Which of the following statements about client-server computing is correct?
A thick-client application is an application program that must be preinstalled on the client, whereas a thin-client application is one that runs within a browser and does not need to be preinstalled.
Which of the following statements about a graph of data points is inaccurate?
Because the raw data have been graphed, they are now considered to be information.
Which of the following statements about operating systems (OS) for client and server computers is correct?
Both client and server computers require an OS.
Which of the following statements is correct regarding the relationship between business processes and value chains?
Business processes implement value chains or portions of value chains.
Which of the following statements about economy of scale as applied to cloud computing is NOT correct?
By consolidating into a web farm, the high cost of electric power to run many servers is reduced, and this is the sole source of an economy of scale for cloud computing.
Which of the following cloud services can AllRoad use to distribute its content worldwide and to respond to leads generated from advertising?
CDN (Content Delivery Networks)
Which of the following correctly associates a device technology with the computer subsystem that uses it?
Cameras, including Webcams, are used in the input subsystem.
Which of the following correctly states the hierarchy of data elements within a database?
Characters are contained within fields, which are contained within records that are contained within tables.
In the 2 x 2 matrix depicting Porter's four competitive strategies, which of the following correctly identifies the two horizontal axis and the two vertical axis labels?
Cost, differentiation, industry-wide, and focus
Which of the following statements about custom software development for application software acquisition is correct?
Custom development is generally difficult, risky, and expensive.
Which of the following incorrectly describes the BPMN standard?
Data repositories are shown in rectangles.
Which of the following statements about the hierarchy of data elements within a database is correct?
Database tables contain records, also known as "rows."
What is the purpose of a database?
Databases help people keep track of things.
Consider two companies that have the same set of value chain activities. Which of the following statements regarding business processes and information systems in these two companies is correct?
Each company will implement these value chain activities using business processes that are consistent with its respective competitive strategy.
Which of the following statements is correct regarding the relationship among value chains, business processes, and information systems?
Each value chain in a company is supported by one or more business processes.
What must a company do if a value chain's margin is negative?
Either the value must be increased, or the costs of the value chain need to be reduced.
An information system can be part of a product (product implementation) or it can provide support for a product or service (process implementation). Which of the following is NOT a process implementation?
Enhance products and services.
Which of the following statements regarding the future of cloud computing is NOT accurate?
Fewer organizations will be able to afford cloud computing because demand for those services will far outpace available supply, and costs will rise.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of future cloud-based information systems?
Free
Which of the following is NOT one of the major subsystems in a modern computer?
Graphics display
Which of the following incorrectly associates the component of an information system with its function in a business process?
Hardware bridges computers and people
Which of the following is one of the categories of application programs?
Horizontal market
Which of the following statements is correct?
I can send you the data.
Which of the following statements about information systems (IS) is true?
IS can improve overall process quality, effectiveness, and efficiency.
The MOST basic cloud offering that provides a bare server computer or data storage is known as ________.
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
Which of the following is the BEST definition for information?
Information is processed data presented in a meaningful context.
Which of the following is NOT a primary activity in a value chain?
Inventory management
Which of the following incorrectly describes the generic value chain?
It is applicable only to manufacturing.
Which of the following is NOT a mobile client operating system?
Linux
An information system can be part of a product (product implementation), or it can provide support for a product or service (process implementation). Which of the following is NOT a product implementation?
Lock in suppliers.
Which of the following statements about metadata is incorrect?
Metadata resides outside of the database itself, which is why it is referred to as meta-data.
A professor wants to track his students' grades, contacts, email messages, and office visits. What database application should he use?
Microsoft Access
Which of the following is NOT an example of open source software?
Microsoft PowerPoint
Which of the following provides a valid example of an application and its associated software application type?
Microsoft Word is a horizontal market application software type.
Which of the following statements BEST describes NoSQL's impact on today's relational DBMS product market?
NoSQL DBMS products will continue to grow and proliferate to meet today's data management demands, but the traditional relational DBMS market is still alive and well and will continue to be important to business users for many years to come.
Which of the following statements BEST describes a NoSQL DBMS?
NoSQL is a generic term for a DBMS that does not rely on the relational model, but instead leverages advances in data storage and computer processing technologies to meet today's data management requirements such as nonstructured data objects (documents, multimedia, and so on) and very large data sets.
Although NoSQL will continue to grow, it will not replace traditional relational DBMSs in the majority of businesses anytime soon for all of the following reasons EXCEPT ________.
NoSQL is a new technology and is not as reliable and secure as traditional relational DBMS products
Windows Azure and SQL Azure are examples of which of the following cloud services?
PaaS (Platform as a Service)
Process diagrams
Provide a means to communicate with others about process structure and possible changes
Which of the following statements about remote action systems is NOT accurate?
Remote action systems allow remote control of a computer but do not include robotic systems
Which of the following is NOT part of the basic concept and definition of the cloud?
Resources owned and operated by a given company
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a service-oriented architecture (SOA)?
SOA are limited to local area networks
A small organization like AllRoad would more likely use which of the following cloud services?
SaaS and PaaS
A cloud vendor that provides not only hardware infrastructure, but also an operating system and application programs, is offering which type of service?
SaaS (Software as a Service)
Which of the following statements about security requirements for browser-based applications is false?
Security requirements are more stringent for traditional applications than for browser-based ones.
Which of the following statements about source code and machine code is accurate?
Source code is understandable by humans, but generally machine code is not.
Which of the following statements is NOT correct regarding the ways in which information systems (IS) can provide competitive advantages to a company?
Strategies and business processes can generate competitive advantages, but IS cannot.
Which of the following statements about the swimlane format is incorrect?
Swimlane format is a graphical arrangment
Which of the following is NOT an example of a remote action system?
Telecommunications
Which of the following is NOT one of the four elements of a database application?
The DBMS
Porter's model of business activities includes linkages, which are interactions across value activities. Which of the following is NOT an example of linkage across value activities?
The addition of new potential customers to a manufacturing company's database in the sales and marketing function
Consider two companies that have different strategies but identical value chain activities related to their respective strategies. Which of the following statements is correct?
The business processes used in these two companies will be different.
Which of the following statements correctly associates data storage technologies with the volatility of the storage technology?
The cache and main memory are volatile, whereas magnetic and optical disks are nonvolatile.
Consider the shipping company ABC, Inc., which has developed and implemented a web-based information system to handle customer interactions in scheduling a shipment. Which of the following statements correctly describes how this information system provides competitive advantages to ABC, Inc.?
The information system helps to differentiate the ABC package delivery product from competitors that do not have a similar system.
Which of the following statements is correct?
The information you conceive from data is the value that you add to the information system.
Which of the following statements is correct regarding the emergence of NoSQL DBMSs?
The relational model was never a natural fit with business documents.
Which of the following is NOT a valid characteristic of support activities in the generic value chain?
They are business functions that relate directly to the production of the organization's products or services.
Which of the following is NOT one of the factors that Porter cites that must be consistent with an organization's strategy if that organization is to be effective?
The organization's information systems
Which of the following statements about private clouds is inaccurate?
Thousands of highly trained, very highly skilled personnel are required to create, manage, administer, and improve a private cloud.
Which of the following statements about future jobs and working characteristics is NOT accurate?
Unemployment will sky rocket because only the very best in each career field will be employed, and they will do all of the work in that field using remote action systems.
Which of the following statements about virtual private networks (VPNs) is NOT accurate?
VPNs provide secure communications over the Internet, but they are so complex and expensive that only the military and government organizations can use them.
Which of the following is NOT one of the ways that organizations use the cloud?
WaaS (Web sites as a Service)
Which of the following is NOT a component of a database?
Web interfaces
Which of the following is NOT a member of the NoSQL family?
WebDB
Which of the following statements about virtualization is correct?
With PC virtualization, a personal computer, such as a desktop or portable computer, hosts several different operating systems.
A private cloud is ________.
a cloud that is owned and operated by an organization for its own benefit
A database is ________.
a tool to keep track of things
Which of the following statements about process quality is true?
an effective business process is one that enables the organization to accomplish its strategy
With respect to a VPN, a tunnel is ________.
a virtual, private pathway over a public or shared network from the VPN client to the VPN server
Multi-user processing ________.
can cause possible data conflicts; if you are the manager for business activities that involve multiuser processing, you should be aware of these potential problems This is the correct answer.B.
Firmware is ________.
computer software that is installed into devices such as printers, print servers, and various types of communication devices, and that is installed into special, read-only memory of the printer or other device, becoming part of the device's memory
Which of the following statements about business processes is incorrect?
each activity is a collection of data.
Information systems can provide competitive advantages to a company by all of the following ways EXCEPT ________.
establishing low switching costs for customers
To those in the MIS field, Porter's requirements for an organization to be effective means that all information systems in the organization must ________.
facilitate the organization's competitive strategy
Value chains exist in service-oriented companies. The difference between a value chain in a manufacturing company and one in a service company is that most of the value in a service company is generated by all of the following EXCEPT ________.
inbound and outbound logistics
With regard to business processes, information systems can
increase process effectiveness and increase process efficiency
With regard to business processes, information systems can ________.
increase process effectiveness and increase process efficiency
Business process modeling notation (BPMN)
is an international standard for creating
Databases should be used for all of the following purposes EXCEPT ________.
keeping track of a company's inventory of parts and the suppliers that they obtain those parts from
The two dimensions that can be used to measure process quality are ________.
process effectiveness and process efficiency
Porter's competitive strategy that is industry-wide and achieves differentiation for the company is to ________.
provide better products and services across the industry
Negative aspects of cloud computing include all of the following EXCEPT ________.
the inability to obtain all of the computing power that is needed at a given time
The term "open source" means that ________.
the source code of the program is available to the public
Open source software is a viable alternative because ________.
there are no licensing fees
Programmers volunteer their services to work on open source software projects because ________.
they can exercise their creativity while working on projects they find interesting and fulfilling
Companies can use web services internally ________.
to build internal information systems that use the same standards as cloud-based web services
Information is data that has been processed by any combination of the following operations EXCEPT ________.
truncation
To maintain a strategy that is competitive, AllRoad must ________.
understand 3D printing technology and be prepared to address changes in the competitive forces of customer bargaining power and competitive threats as it relates to this technology area
Today's modern database applications ________.
use new technologies that employ browsers, the web, and related standards
The cloud might not make sense for a business for all of the following reasons EXCEPT ________.
cloud-based hosting always makes sense for all businesses