IS 3100 Study Guide
What is legendary GE CEO Jack Welch quoted as saying about competition?
"The time your game is most vulnerable is when you're ahead."
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
What occurs in the process execution step of business process management?
???Managers track the individual components of the process as well as the process as a whole.
What is the relationship of blue ocean strategy to price leadership versus product differentiation?
???With a blue ocean strategy, an organization focuses on both differentiation and price leadership.
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.
What is conducted in the process design step of business process management?
Activities are examined and divided into their individual components.
What is conducted in the process modeling step of business process management?
Activities are examined and divided into their individual components.
What business management system seeks to streamline an organization's activities to prevent backlogs and inefficiencies?
Business Process Management (BPM)
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.
What typically happens during Step 3 of business process management just before the execution process is fully automated?
Decision makers compare engine output to previous business activity.
What is the goal of the process design step of business process management (BPM)?
Identify redundancies and inefficiencies in existing processes.
The first two steps in business process management (BPM) are examining the design of the process and modeling the process. What are the third and fourth steps of the process?
Step 3: running the process; Step 4: monitoring the process
During which step of business process management are bottlenecks and excesses in the engine identified?
Step 4: process monitoring
The first modern transaction processing system was
cash register
If McDonald's and Burger King raise prices too high, customers may switch from burgers to tacos. This illustrates Porter's force of
substitutes
During the 1950s, automobile manufacturers had little control over labor costs because the United Auto Workers union (UAW) exercised considerable control over labor
supply
Which of Porter's 5 forces is countered by the barriers to entering a market?
the force of new competitors
In the fifth and final step in business process management, managers adapt the process to enhance process performance. This is called the process optimization step.
true
In the fourth step of business process management, managers measure the performance of the engine. This is called the process monitoring step.
true
In the second step in business process management, analysts use flowcharts and other tools to depict the workflow, the sequence of operations, and the decision points. This is called the process monitoring step.
true
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 must have the power and the right to give orders to subordinates.Managers can expect subordinates to follow orders and discipline them if needed.Managers can expect subordinates to follow orders and discipline them if needed.The organization's interests must take priority over the interests of individuals.The organization's interests must take priority over the interests of individuals.There must be at least one person assisting every manager, under their direct command.There must be at least one person assisting every manager, under their direct command.Organizational objectives require department managers to lead together, collaboratively.
Which businesses are currently considered direct competitors? More than one answer may be correct.
McDonald's and Burger King Aquafina and Dasani
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 decisionThe board needs detailed information about a new product from the research and development groupHuman Resources are needed to assist certain work groups who are showing overtime stress
Which step of business process management allows managers to create a continually improving process?
Step 5: process optimization
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.
What is the key role of a client-server network in business?
To provide businesses with a low-cost option for storing data.
What is a downfall to just-in-time manufacturing and inventory management?
When supply chain disruptions occur, a lack of sufficient inventory on hand can lead to widespread shortages.
Which of the following is an example of an industry that requires just-in-time inventory management to remain profitable? More than one answer may be selected.
a fast-fashion retailer that sells knock offs of recent trends targeted to teenage girls an appliance repair business that provides services for all major appliance manufacturers
If an increase in price results in a relatively large decrease in demand for the product, the firm cannot easily increase its profit margin. This demonstrates which of Porter's 5 forces?
customers
National Weather Service databases are used by modern supply chain management systems to track weather events that could impact logistics. Which element of a PESTEL analysis does this example represent?
environmental
The first step in business process management examines business activities and breaks them down into their individual components. This is called the process decomposition step.
false
By allowing managers to automate business processes through modeling, analyzing, and improving efficiencies, business performance management (BPM) systems streamline organizations' activities.
false (business process management)
Lieberman and Montgomery examined the advantages and disadvantages of being the first firm to enter a product into the market. They coined this phenomenon
first-mover advantage.
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 these is the "L" factor that managers examine while conducting a PESTEL analysis?
legal considerations
In his text, "The Human Side of Enterprise," Douglas McGregor focused on
manager attitudes toward their employees.
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.
When conducting a SWOT analysis, an organization's human resource management system is used to evaluate the relative strength or weakness of its
personnel (workforce).
What did Henri Fayol consider to be the main roles or responsibilities of a manager?
planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling processes
A branch manager for a national car rental company is in the process of conducting a SWOT analysis for her location. Which of the 5 Ps can she examine using the company's inventory management system for its rental fleet?
plant (physical attributes or resources)
During the optimization process step of business process management, what are two key things manager look for in the process?
potential slowdowns and savings opportunities
The first step in business process management, in which analysts often "storyboard" the processes in an attempt to view the entire system prior to investigating each component is called
process design
The second step of business process management (BPM) involves the use of flowcharts and other tools to examine decision points and inputs. This step is called
process modeling
In the fourth step in business process management, managers track the individual components of the process as well as the process as a whole so engine performance can be measured. This step is called
process monitoring
Who are the users of an executive support systems (ESS)?
professionals with extensive skills in computer and data technology
When competitors seek to gain competitive advantage through price leadership or by making product improvements, Professors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne would say they are using a(n)
red ocean strategy
What is an important step in integrating cloud computing into a business's IT structure?
secure a dependable, high-speed Internet service
Which PESTEL factor can managers monitor by improving communications throughout the organization and gaining better perceptions of consumers' opinions using CRM software?
sociocultural
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo dominate the soft drink market. However, during the 2000s, many customers switched from soft drinks to water, causing Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to develop Dasani and Aquafina. The ability of customers to switch from one product to an alternate product illustrates what Porter called the force of
substitutes
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.
What occurs during the process optimization step of business process management?
Managers adapt (modify) the process to enhance process performance.
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.
An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is
an integrated MIS system for agility and a competitive edge
The third step in business process management provides managers with real-time (executable) decision making as well as the ability to play the "what-if" game by changing input variables (abstract) decision making. This is called the process modeling step.
false (process execution)
Rather than creating a new product, Chinese manufacturers have been notably successful at adopting a different strategy. They have been able to make and offer a competing product so rapidly that the majority of adopters have a choice when purchasing the product for the first time. This is referred to as a
fast-follower strategy
One important ________ is that the firm's employees will learn to use technologies to develop the new product, providing a competitive boost.
first-mover advantage
Computing is considered "green" or environmentally responsible when
it reduces the consumption of natural resources and the associated environmental impact.
Economies of scale means using
large production or purchasing power.
Mainframes were originally developed for their
reliability of handling transactions.
A search engine continually adjusts its algorithms as more data enter its servers. This is an example of the use of
data analytics
