Investigating MIS

Select three circumstances that describe when one might use mainframe computers.

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

Which three of the following are examples of a business that would benefit from scheduling software?

A daycare center that is open Monday through Saturday from 7:00 am until 6:00 pm. There are six classrooms and each must have two teachers present at all times. No employee may work more than 40 hours per week. A national drugstore chain whose policy is that there must be two cashiers, one stock person, and one manager or assistant manager working per shift. A restaurant that is open for lunch and dinner and has a full bar staffed with a bartender. There are 50 tables in the restaurant and each server is responsible for no more than five tables at a time.

In which three of the following situations would data analytics be most helpful?

A healthcare firm has received a vast amount of information from drug companies and research entities and must finalize their policies and communication concerning several controversial treatments. A search engine continually adjusts its algorithms as more data enter its servers. An international automaker is producing a new line of vehicles in several locations and the production lines must run uniformly and smoothly.

Which two of the following organizations adhere to the principles described by Max Weber?

A large, multinational pharmaceutical corporation has a standardized recruiting process for hiring scientists out of college. A minimum GPA is required, as is published research. Once hired, students are placed in entry-level research positions that focus on testing a specific new drug. All new hires are paid the same starting salary. They are managed by people who have 3-5 years seniority over them; these people are managed, in turn, by people who have had successful commercial launches of new drugs. New hires are trained in company policies and provided with management training after their first successful year. Employees with 3 years of exemplary performance reviews are invited to interview for positions managing the newest batch of college recruits. A local public relations firm specializes in promoting local businesses to tourists. While the firm is small, it boasts employees who spend their entire career there. The PR firm recruits interns from a local university, and hires those interns for entry-level positions if they demonstrate adeptness at serving clients. Promotions are based on annual reviews; employees with noted potential receive training to help them achieve the next step in their career. Employees are divided into different categories, based on the type of client they work with (i.e., lodgings, local activities; restaurants).

Which two of the following problems may be solved with the capabilities of an ERP system?

A manufacturer must coordinate its new production line with elements of its supply chain. An apparel firm needs to know how directly its marketing and advertising efforts effect sales.

Which two of the following are examples of managers using a decision support system?

A sales manager wants to know how customer responses to a large, multistate sales promotion affect each of his reps' sales in real time. A doctor evaluating a patient with complex, unusual symptoms tracks the patient's symptoms in the electronic health record (EHR) during the exam. The EHR analyzes the symptoms, suggesting possible illnesses related to the symptoms.

Which three of the following scenarios depict an employment situation that Elton Mayo believed would result in an employee becoming more engaged and productive?

A sales tracking report at a furniture store shows how each salesperson's daily sales help the store reach its quarterly quota. Managers at a software company have weekly meetings with their customer service staff. As a regular part of the agenda, managers report the number of customers who continued to use their product after the customer service department helped with a software malfunction or error. At a software company, project managers working on bringing new products to the market receive monthly updates on how past products are selling and helping the company achieve its goals.

Select three options that describe benefits of cloud computing.

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

In which of the following scenarios is a learning management system (LMS) being used to administer assignments?

Before the semester begins, a professor aligns the syllabus with the LMS so that students receive automated reminders about required readings and when essays are due.

How did Henri Fayol factor the welfare of employees into his guiding principles of management? More than one answer may be correct.

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

According the Max Weber, which of the following characteristics are fundamental to capitalism? More than one answer may be correct.

Charity Personal responsibility Ethical behavior

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

Communicating via e-mail Creating and using databases and spreadsheets

The value of data analytics to an organization can be best summarized by which statement?

Data analytics is a capability that supports increased organizational performance by drawing meaning from large amounts of data.

Which three of the following are key benefits of electronic point-of-sales (POS) stations?

Decreased customer wait time Increased information available to managers Increased accuracy

A sales manager receives weekly reports on each of the sales representatives they manage. Included in these reports are weekly sales by product, what percentage of the monthly quota the rep has achieved, and the sales ranking of reps compared to other reps in the company. These reports represent what function of a marketing information system (MKIS)?

Distributing sales and marketing information

What are three advantages of using personal computers in business?

Efficiency Flexibility of use Improved team communications

For what two reasons might a large organization choose to use remote desktop software rather than employee monitoring software?

Employee privacy concerns must be balanced with organizational needs. Detailed oversight of a large number of employees moment-by-moment may be problematic due to capacity.

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

Employees are capable of working without constant supervision.

Which statement best describes common employer conditions or limits on flex-time policies?

Employees must be able to complete their work assignments and responsibilities, including those requiring in-person attendance.

Which three of these practices increase both an organization's sustainability and "green" credentials?

Encouraging employees to telecommute. Using teleconferencing for meetings. Shifting to a shorter, four-day workweek.

An electrical company is considering opening a new location in North Idaho. In order to determine the size of the new location, it uses its HR management system to determine the number of employees to transfer from other locations, how many new employees it would like to hire for that location, and what each employees' role would be. What function is this HR management system helping the company perform?

Forecasting Reason: Correct. Forecasting is used to determine future needs, so it would be appropriate to use in this scenario.

Which is the best description of how computing can be "green"?

Green computing reduces the consumption of fossil fuels, paper, and other office supplies and resources.

What is the main purpose of a decision support system?

Help manage processes involving a variety of quickly changing inputs

Select three options that describe advancements made in point-of-sale (POS) system software in the 1990s (in addition to in-store sales and tax tracking).

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

A nationwide job search requires lengthy candidate interviews. A US content team works with an Indian graphics team. A publisher must train remotely located freelance editors. Why is videoconferencing a better choice than voice calls in all of these situations?

In addition to practicality, documents can be shown on a video call and nonverbal messages can be conveyed.

According to Adam Smith, which three of the following can increase the efficiency of labor?

Inventing machines to multiply the productivity of workers Reducing the distance between manufacturing steps or facilities Having workers specialize in a single, simple task

How does John Locke's labor theory of property relate to modern management theory?

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

From the following list, select four typical characteristics of telecommuting.

It reduces the environmental impact of road traffic. It allows employees to work from almost anywhere. It often places additional demands on employees' time. It requires reliable, high-speed Internet access.

Which two of the following are reasons why employee scheduling software was originally developed?

Make the execution of management policies more consistent Improve the quality of employee performance

Which three of the following are components of supply chain management systems?

Manage inventory in real time Forecast future inventory needs Ability to create and process purchase orders

Which three of the following ideas did Henri Fayol consider to be a guiding principle of management?

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

How have management information systems (MIS) changed the management of organizations? More than one answer may be correct.

Managers can have more information and data about the organization to help them make smarter decisions. Managers (and employees) can communicate different types of information in a greater variety of ways.

Which two of the following statements illustrate a potential drawback of management information system (MIS)?

Many workers find that a steady flow of business information, along with its demands, blurs the boundaries between work time and personal time. The temptation to work overtime or without breaks can lead to competition and stress.

Meera loves her job, especially the fact that she can work both from home and in the office. Lately, however, being available and accountable 24/7 is starting to crowd her, and she feels her personal life slipping away. To improve her work-life balance, what are two strategies Meera should try?

Meera should plan her day according to priorities that she's reasonably sure are achievable. The first step of her plan may include scheduling a specific time for responding to e-mails and calls. During the day, she can take a break for informal chats with colleagues in person when she's in the office or over the phone when she's home. At the end of the day, Meera should give herself time to wind down and get the rest she needs.

Which statement best describes why telecommuting is considered an employee benefit?

Not commuting to work adds flexibility to telecommuters' schedules.

What are two advantages that made mainframe-based POS stations among the first commercially available local area networks?

Ongoing backup of data generated by each POS station Communication between POS stations within a store

What are the advantages of videoconferencing in today's business environment?

Organizations can save on travel time and expenses. The ability to observe nonverbal cues improves the accuracy of communication.

Who is quoted as saying "Do what you do best and outsource the rest"?

Peter Drucker Reason: Correct. Drucker believed that most corporations performed best when they focused on the work at which they excelled and had a comparative advantage, and outsourced the rest.

Select three options that are examples of how client-server networks are used.

Printing from a shared computer Data backup Data storage

Which of the following statements best describes Follett's theory of management?

Receptivity to the flow of ideas from all levels of the organization leads to success.

A company uses an HR management system with artificial intelligence that scans resumes for specific colleges attended and previous employers that are known for breeding successful talent. Any resumes without these colleges or previous employers are not sent on to the HR manager to be contacted for an interview. What function is this HR management system helping the company perform?

Recruiting

Select two options that are point-of-sale (POS) station output devices.

Speaker Thermal printer

In which of the following scenarios is a learning management system (LMS) being used to document student activity?

Students have a semester-long project that they are required to submit in stages through their LMS.

A manager receives word that a large portion of inventory is missing from a shipment to a channel partner. She analyzes the RFID tracking data and determines that this part of the shipment was delivered to the wrong channel partner. Which component of supply chain management experienced a breakdown in this scenario?

Supply chain logistics

Frederick Taylor's four principles of scientific management can be described as ______.

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

Select two ways telecommuting managers will most likely be affected by improvements in management information systems (MIS) and other technologies?

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

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

To provide personal computer users secured access to shared data.

In which two of the following situations would an executive support system (ESS) be most helpful?

Vice-presidents require detailed reports from all divisions for a merger decision.

Which 2 of the following statements accurately reflect Frederick Taylor's foundational beliefs?

When the company is successful, its employees are successful. Helping workers become more productive leads to jobs for more workers.

According to the Hawthorne effect, when do employees become more productive?

When they know their work is being monitored.

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

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

Adam Smith's Invisible Hand theory proposes that ______.

a free, unregulated market operates better than one in which the government controls the business activities of individuals and companies correct Reason: Correct. Smith's Invisible Hand theory argues for a laissez-faire (hands-off) approach to markets and a free enterprise system in which individuals and companies can conduct their business however they see fit.

The primary advantage of mainframes computers is that they ______.

allow modifications to system capacity while the system is in use

A business uses enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to achieve ______.

an integrated MIS system that will strengthen its position in a competitive marketplace

According to Mary Parker Follett, a successful business depends on ______.

competence and expertise

Management information systems (MIS) for communication have ______.

continued to improve and become more widely used each year Reason: Correct. The use of MIS and new communication technologies has vastly improved organizations' ability to communicate in productive, efficient ways.

A typical flex-time policy allows employees to ______.

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

An advertising campaign for a hair removal product placed ads on different websites. The ad on each website listed a unique URL where customers could go to buy the product; otherwise the content was the same. A marketing manager needs to place ad buys for the next quarter and wants to focus all of his advertising dollars on the previous quarter's top revenue-generating websites. He uses the company's marketing information system (MKIS) to determine which URLs generated the most revenue. This is an example of using an MKIS to ______.

evaluate the return on investment for each ad placement in a marketing

Mechanical cash registers were first created to _______.

make it more difficult for employees to steal money

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

manager attitudes toward their employees

According to Henri Fayol, the main roles or responsibilities of a manager are ______.

planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling processes

John Locke's labor theory of property proposes that ______.

since people own their own labor, they naturally own the products of their labor correct Reason: Correct. This concept explains why people work: they expect that their efforts will increase their private property or personal wealth.

As management information systems (MIS) technology improves, managers' jobs will likely change because ______.

some tasks will be performed by online services and staff using collaboration tools

The purpose of executive support systems (ESS) is to ______.

support decision making by compiling and organizing data into clear, usable reports

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

the importance of involving employees in the decision-making process

A network administrator uses employee monitoring software to _______.

track computer use of all employees from a central location in real time

Cloud computing can best be described as ______.

using the Internet to store and access resources