Computer Science Ch. 1-3 Test

Team roles, responsibilities, and authorities are established during the ________ phase of a project. A) starting B) planning C) doing D) evaluating

A

________ decisions are those that support broad-scope, organizational issues. A) Operational B) Strategic C) Unstructured D) Managerial

B

Organizations can lock in suppliers either by making it difficult to switch to another organization or by ________. A) making it easy for the customers to switch products B) reducing investments in their supply chain C) making it easy to work with the organization D) reducing the bargaining power of consumers

C

According to the five-component model of information systems, the ________ component provides instructions for the people who use information systems. A) software B) data C) hardware D) procedure

D

Abstract reasoning is the ability to ________. A) develop ideas and plans with others when performing tasks B) make and manipulate models C) act quickly on a problem D) provide and receive critical feedback

B

Which of the following pairs of components constitutes the human side of information systems? A) software and procedures B) software and people C) people and procedures D) hardware and people

C

Locking in customers by making it difficult or expensive for customers to move to another product is called establishing high ________. A) entry barriers B) switching costs C) product standards D) value differentiation

B

Which of the following observations about the relationship between decision type and decision process is true? A) Managerial decisions tend to be highly structured, whereas operational decisions are unstructured. B) Decisions at the operational level tend to be structured, whereas decisions at the strategic level tend to be unstructured. C) Higher-level organizational decisions should be highly structured. D) Need for collaboration is highly significant for lower-level, structured decisions.

B

I-scream-4 Ice Cream recently faced competition against their flagship brand of "Orange peel ice cream." The competitor made significant in-roads into this market by offering three varieties of "Orange peel ice cream." I-scream-4 Ice Cream decided to counter this threat by introducing five new varieties of ice creams. Which competitive strategy is I-scream-4 implementing? A) cost leadership B) product differentiation C) cost differentiation in the segment D) service focus

B

Identify the least important characteristic for an effective collaborator. A) willingness to enter difficult conversations B) having experience as a collaborator C) showing the ability to receive negative feedback D) being skillful at giving negative feedback

B

Which of the following types of skills is most likely to be outsourced to the lowest bidder? A) ability to experiment B) accounting skills C) ability to collaborate D) abstract reasoning skills

B

Reduction in production cost results in ________. A) better customer service B) lower shareholder value C) increased profitability D) increased competition

C

It is generally more difficult to make changes to the ________ of an information system than to the database itself. A) software B) hardware C) programs D) procedures

D

A database is an example of a ________. A) repository B) procedure C) linkage D) value chain

A

A(n) ________ is a network of activities that generate value by transforming inputs into outputs. A) business process B) competitive strategy C) linkage D) information system

A

According to J. Richard Hackman, which of the following is a primary criterion for judging team success? A) successful outcome B) experience in collaborating C) ability to be dynamic D) availability of external help

A

An organization uses a formula to compute the reorder quantity of an item in inventory. This is an example of a(n) ________ decision process. A) structured B) unstructured C) corporate D) strategic

A

Focused differentiation occurs when ________. A) a better product is provided within an industry segment B) there is limited competition in an industry C) the customers are highly price-sensitive D) product quality improves across an entire industry

A

Identify a key difference between managerial decisions and operational decisions. A) Managerial decisions concern the allocation of resources, whereas operational decisions concern day-to-day activities. B) Managerial decisions are corporate decisions, whereas operational decisions concern the utilization of resources. C) Managerial decisions deal with the allocation of resources, whereas operational decisions concern broad-scope, organizational issues. D) Operational decisions have broad scope, whereas the scope of managerial decisions is limited to day-to-day activities.

A

Identify a statement that differentiates information technology from information systems. A) One can buy information technology, but not information systems. B) People are an important component of information technology, but not of information systems. C) Information systems are a subset of information technology. D) Unlike information system, information technology is an assembly of hardware, software, data, procedures, and people.

A

Managerial decisions are decisions about ________. A) the utilization of resources B) broad organizational issues C) the day-to-day activities D) strategic decision making

A

Porter defined value as the ________. A) amount of money that a customer is willing to pay for an offering B) extent of after-sale service provided to customers C) perceived satisfaction of the customers and sellers after a transaction D) actual money exchanged in return of a product/service

A

Which of the following factors determines the structure, features, and functions of an information system used in a company? A) the competitive strategy B) the value of its brands C) the size of the company D) the technology used by competitors

A

Which of the following is a primary activity in the value chain? A) receiving and distributing inputs to the product B) negotiating prices with vendors C) finding suitable vendors to supply raw materials D) setting up contractual arrangements with various suppliers

A

________ skills determine the ability to conceive information from data. A) Cognitive B) Abstract reasoning C) Symbolic thinking D) Experimentation

A

According to Moore's Law, the ________. A) price of an integrated chip reduces once in 18 months B) performance of an integrated chip doubles every year C) number of transistors per square inch on an integrated chip doubles every 18 months D) density of a transistor decreases every year

C

According to Porter's model of business activities, interactions across value activities are called ________. A) support activities B) triggers C) linkages D) cross-functionalities

C

Asynchronous communication occurs when team members ________. A) cannot arrive at consensus after discussions B) engage in conflicting discussions C) do not meet at the same time D) communicate in a sequential manner

C

One of the procedures of a collaboration project is documenting and reporting progress. This is performed in the ________ phase of the project. A) starting B) planning C) doing D) scheduling

C

The CEO of an organization asks the human resources manager to send information about the rate of employee turnover in the organization for the last quarter. The manager sends the salary details of new hires during this period. This information is likely to be of little use to the CEO because it is ________. A) inaccurate B) not timely C) irrelevant D) too expensive

C

The ________ component in the five-component model of information systems is considered a bridge that connects the computer side and the human side. A) software B) procedure C) data D) hardware

C

The automobile industry is characterized by many manufacturers and intense competition among them. According to Porter's five forces model, this statement illustrates ________. A) low threat of substitutions B) high bargaining power of suppliers C) high levels of rivalry D) low bargaining power of customers

C

The need for collaboration is greatest for ________ decisions. A) operational B) procedural C) strategic D) managerial

C

Which of the following is a common description of information? A) collection of unprocessed data B) unbiased, unrelated data C) knowledge derived from data D) list of recorded facts or figures

C

Which of the following is a component of an information system, but not of information technology? A) hardware B) data C) people D) software

C

Which of the following is considered a support activity in the value chain of a business? A) operations B) customer service C) contract negotiation D) marketing

C

Which of the following is the most important trait that an effective collaborator should have? A) avoiding unpopular ideas B) persuasive presentation skills C) skillfulness at giving/receiving negative feedback D) previous experience as a collaborator

C

Which of the following principles of competitive advantage is related to process implementations? A) creating new products B) enhancing services C) locking in suppliers D) differentiating products

C

Which of the following statements is consistent with the central idea of business process design? A) Technology should be used to supplement the existing value chain. B) Business processes should focus on improving individual functional systems. C) Organizations should create new business processes rather than improve existing systems. D) Technology should be used to modify and improve standard business processes.

C

Which of the following value chain activities involves inducing buyers to purchase a product and providing a means for them to do so? A) inbound logistics B) operations C) sales and marketing D) outbound logistics

C

________ is the activity of two or more people working together to achieve a common goal, result, or work product. A) Systems thinking B) Abstract reasoning C) Collaboration D) Experimentation

C

According to Hackman's three criteria for team success, which of the following IS requirements will be categorized under the meaningful and satisfying experience criterion? A) documenting definitions B) rewarding accomplishment C) managing many versions of content D) managing tasks

B

Collaboration is defined as a group of people ________. A) coming together to perform tasks that are different B) working together to achieve a common goal C) performing independent tasks that are important D) working without having to critically analyze each other's work

B

Dynotrix Motors is a large car-manufacturing company. The company purchases raw materials from many small-sized sellers across the globe. In this case, Dynotrix Motors is characterized by ________. A) very low threat of substitute products B) high bargaining power over its suppliers C) very low threat of new entrants in the market D) very high bargaining power over its customers

B

Identify a task that should be performed during the planning phase of project management. A) reporting project progress B) determining the schedule C) performing project tasks D) preparing archival documents

B

In the context of information systems, which of the following statements is true of data characteristics? A) Data generated should be in excess of what is required. B) An appropriate relationship should exist between the cost of data and its value. C) Data should be relevant to the context, not necessarily to the subject. D) Freely available data is always accurate and timely.

B

In the five-component model of information systems, which of the following components is considered as an actor? A) software B) hardware C) data D) procedure

B

Project metadata is data that is ________. A) summarized after the completion of the project B) utilized to manage the project C) developed to design new offerings

B

Version management systems ________. A) lack the features needed to track changes to shared documents B) provide features and functions to accommodate concurrent work C) prevent more than one user from checking out the same document D) provide version control to limit and direct user activity

B

Which of the following is a critical characteristic of good information? A) abundance of details B) accuracy C) low cost D) ease of creation

B

The fundamental purpose of the starting phase of a project is ________. A) accomplishing the project tasks effectively B) determining tasks and dependencies C) managing tasks and budgets of the project D) setting the ground rules for the project and team

D

Which of the following is a key difference between collaboration and cooperation? A) Unlike cooperation, collaboration occurs when a job has to be accomplished. B) Cooperation requires people to have a common goal, whereas collaboration occurs even without a common goal. C) People should work together to cooperate, whereas they need not work together to collaborate. D) Unlike cooperation, collaboration emphasizes iteration and feedback.

D

Which of the following is a major implication of Moore's Law? A) Data processing activities have become complex and time-consuming. B) Costs of computing and processing have increased. C) The size of integrated chips has increased. D) Costs of communications and storage have become very low.

D

Which of the following pairs of components constitutes the computer side of information systems? A) software and data B) data and hardware C) people and procedures D) hardware and software

D

Which of the following value chain activities involves collecting, storing, and physically distributing the product to buyers? A) inbound logistics B) operations C) customer service D) outbound logistics

D

________ is defined as making a reasoned analysis of an opportunity, envisioning potential solutions, evaluating those possibilities, and developing the most promising ones, consistent with the resources one has. A) Systems thinking B) Abstract reasoning C) Problem-solving D) Experimentation

D

The cost of the business process is the sum of the cost of the inputs and the ________. A) cost of the activities B) cost of the outputs C) value of the outputs D) value of the products

A

Porter's five forces model is used to assess ________. A) industry structures B) market share C) internal competition D) life cycles of products

A

A group of shoe manufacturing firms purchases raw materials collectively from a single supplier to obtain better deals. This is an example of obtaining competitive advantage by ________. A) differentiating the industry B) locking in customers C) establishing alliances D) enhancing the products

C

Which of the following best describes data? A) information presented in a meaningful context B) processed information C) recorded facts or figures D) knowledge derived from facts or figures

C

________ communication occurs within a team when all team members meet at the same time. A) Synchronous B) Asynchronous C) Virtual D) Unidirectional

A

Identify a primary purpose of collaboration. A) eliminating individual tasks B) making decisions C) evaluating coworkers D) performing routine tasks

B

Which of the following is a key difference between strategic decisions and managerial decisions? A) Strategic decisions deal with the utilization of resources, whereas managerial decisions deal with day-to-day activities. B) Managerial decisions concern organizational issues, whereas strategic decisions concern external issues. C) Managerial decisions concern allocation and utilization of resources, whereas strategic decisions concern broad organizational issues. D) Strategic decisions involve financial issues, whereas managerial decisions do not involve financial issues.

C

Which of the following is an example of computer hardware? A) a monitor B) a browser C) a spreadsheet D) an operating system

A

Which of the following statements is true about the quality of information? A) Information should be just barely sufficient for its purpose. B) Data that arrives after a prolonged period of time is of the highest quality. C) Information needs to be relevant to the subject, not necessarily to the context. D) Freely available data is always accurate and timely.

A

Which of the following statements is true of business process designs? A) Most process designs require people to work in new ways. B) Business process designs do not involve the need to follow different procedures. C) Business process designs should be accompanied by a change in management. D) Process designs very rarely attract employee resistance.

A

Which of the following value chain activities involves transforming raw materials into a finished product or service? A) operations B) inbound logistics C) marketing

A

Who among the following are most likely to use asynchronous communication? A) members of a team who work in different time zones B) managers who work in the same office C) employees who work in an assembly line D) a group of directors who regularly meet for board meetings

A

________ decisions are concerned with day-to-day activities. A) Operational B) Strategic C) Managerial D) Tactical

A

Which of the following is an example of a low-tech information system? A) an inventory tracking system that that stores millions of records and produces reports every 24 hours B) a file of email addresses stored in an email program C) a customer support system that keeps track of product issues D) a decision support system that analyzes multiple variables

B

Which of the following principles of competitive advantage is associated with product implementations? A) locking in customers B) differentiating service offerings C) locking in suppliers D) establishing alliances

B

Which of the following statements is true of managing tasks? A) When a single person is made responsible for accomplishing a task, it means that he/she should do the task. B) No benefit will come from the task list unless every task has a date by which it is to be completed. C) Accountability and follow-up are seldom required for task management. D) For team members to utilize a task list effectively, they need to keep it confidential.

B

Which of the following value chain activities involves assisting users with handling of the products after sale, thus maintaining and enhancing the products' value? A) inbound logistics B) customer service C) operations D) outbound logistics

B

________ is the ability to model the components of a system, to connect the inputs and outputs among those components into a sensible whole that reflects the structure and dynamics of the phenomenon observed. A) Abstract reasoning B) Systems thinking C) Collaboration D) Experimentation

B

In the five-component model, the process of automation is a process of moving work from ________. A) processes to procedures B) procedures to people C) instructions to actors D) the human side to the computer side

D