MIS 309

5) Andrea, the floor supervisor at a call center, calls Bryan, a call attendant, to her office. She reports observing a few critical omissions in his calls, a finding supported by recent employee ratings. Andrea discusses with Bryan a few ways to improve his productivity. Bryan feels that Andrea is just overreacting. Which of the following is a valid observation of this scenario? A) Andrea failed to express an unpopular viewpoint. B) Bryan needs to learn to receive feedback. C) The office lacks a communication system. D) Bryan is self-managing and requires low supervision.

) Bryan needs to learn to receive feedback.

32) 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

) people and procedures

26) Which of the following decisions is least likely to involve collaboration? A) How much of product A should be ordered from vendor B? B) What products should we include in the new product line? C) Should our company acquire company A? D) What type of relationship should the company maintain with company A?

A) How much of product A should be ordered from vendor B?

41) Which of the following statements is true of information technology (IT)? A) Information technology (IT) refers to the products, methods, inventions, and standards that are used for the purpose of producing information. B) Information technology is an umbrella term that covers information systems and the products, methods, inventions, and standards used to produce information. C) Information technology and information systems are synonymous with each other and can be used interchangeably. D) Information technology is an assembly of hardware, software, data, procedures, and people that produces information.

A) Information technology (IT) refers to the products, methods, inventions, and standards that are used for the purpose of producing information.

21) 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) Managerial decisions concern the allocation of resources, whereas operational decisions concern day-to-day activities.

39) Identify how information technology differs 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 systems, information technology is used for producing information.

A) One can buy information technology, but not information systems.

11) ________ decisions are decisions that support day-to-day activities. A) Operational B) Tactical C) Strategic D) Managerial

A) Operational

29) ________ decisions are the most structured and have very little need for collaboration. A) Operational B) Tactical C) Managerial D) Strategic

A) Operational

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

A) Synchronous

16) Which of the following is an example of computer hardware? A) a monitor B) a browser C) a spreadsheet D) a user manual

A) a monitor

7) Carlos is a business student doing an internship at Bruno and Venus, a firm specializing in exports of sophisticated equipment to other countries. He finds that he is unable to create a representative chart depicting the relation between processes such as procurement, shipping, and billing. This indicates that he lacks ________ skills. A) abstract reasoning B) collaborative C) experimental D) systems thinking

A) abstract reasoning

4) A student team, which is assigned a term project, works together to achieve results. They provide continuous feedback to each other and thus, complete the project. Which of the following is being illustrated in this activity? A) collaboration B) groupthink C) systems thinking D) experimentation

A) collaboration

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

A) growth in team capability

17) The storage disk in a computer is an example of the ________ component of information systems. A) hardware B) software C) database D) virtual

A) hardware

34) Which of the following components of an information system is the easiest to change and results in the least amount of organizational disruption? A) hardware B) software C) database D) procedures

A) hardware

47) Sandra is the production manager at a soda manufacturer's bottling plant. She receives a report that contains the list of raw materials stored in the warehouse. She notices that the list also includes items that are not present in the warehouse. The list that she received would not qualify as good information because it is ________. A) inaccurate B) late C) voluminous D) too narrow in scope

A) inaccurate

29) Your company uses a software tool to manage its supply chain. This software tool is an ________ of your company's information system. A) instruction on the computer side B) actor on the human side C) instruction on the human side D) actor on the computer side

A) instruction on the computer side

48) 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) members of a team who work in different time zones

40) Project data is data that is ________. A) part of the collaboration's work product B) used to manage a project C) used to schedule the tasks of the project D) part of documents such as schedules and budgets

A) part of the collaboration's work product

35) A project manager defines the tasks that her team members have to perform and determines the schedule for carrying out each of the tasks. This project is in the ________ phase of project management. A) planning B) starting C) doing D) finalizing

A) planning

4) Which of the following ratios has fallen as a result of Moore's Law? A) price/performance B) demand/supply C) profit/loss D) debt/equity

A) price/performance

21) Mark follows certain steps to access the supplementary readings for a course when using his organization's library management system. These steps that he follows are examples of the ________ component of an information system. A) procedure B) data C) software D) hardware

A) procedure

18) An operating system like Windows or Linux is an example of the ________ component of an information system. A) software B) hardware C) data D) procedure

A) software

31) An organization defines the rules that govern a project that it needs to undertake and the responsibilities of the project team. The project is in the ________ phase of project management. A) starting B) finalizing C) doing D) planning

A) starting

32) The decision about team members' roles and authorities is made during the ________ phase of a project. A) starting B) planning C) doing D) evaluating

A) starting

23) 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) autocratic C) corporate D) strategic

A) structured

16) Managerial decisions in an organization concern ________. A) the utilization of resources B) broad organizational issues C) the day-to-day activities D) strategic decision making

A) the utilization of resources

51) Which of the following statements is true of data characteristics in the context of information systems? 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) An appropriate relationship should exist between the cost of data and its value.

2) ________ occurs when a group of people work together to achieve a common goal via a process of feedback and iteration. A) Systems thinking B) Collaboration C) Groupthink D) Experimentation

B) Collaboration

25) Which of the following questions is best answered through unstructured decision making? A) How many overtime hours should be used to fill this order? B) Should we continue to outsource our bookkeeping processes? C) What is the acceptable defect ratio for this product? D) When should the next batch be scheduled to reduce idle time?

B) Should we continue to outsource our bookkeeping processes?

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

B) Strategic

9) ________ 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) Systems thinking

27) 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) The higher levels of decision making tend to be associated with unstructured decision processes. C) Higher-level organizational decisions should be highly structured. D) Need for collaboration is highly significant for lower-level, structured decisions.

B) The higher levels of decision making tend to be associated with unstructured decision processes.

24) Which of the following statements is true of business users who administer the development of information systems? A) It is mandatory that they hold a degree in database management. B) They should take an active role in the system's development. C) They should refrain from specifying the system's requirements. D) When the system fails, they must refrain from performing tasks related to system recovery.

B) They should take an active role in the system's development.

33) Which of the following is a low-tech information system? A) an inventory tracking system that 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) a file of email addresses stored in an email program

5) 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) accounting skills

46) 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) accuracy

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

B) being an experienced businessperson

10) Which of the following is a primary purpose of collaboration? A) eliminating individual tasks B) being informed C) evaluating coworkers D) performing routine tasks

B) being informed

12) When presenting an idea to his colleagues, Marcus failed to consider others' views and got defensive when people asked him questions. This situation indicates that Marcus lacks ________ skills. A) systems thinking B) collaboration C) abstract reasoning D) experimentation

B) collaboration

20) A customer relationship management (CRM) system contains the names and phone numbers of customers. Such details stored in a CRM system are part of the ________ component. A) hardware B) data C) procedure D) people

B) data

22) The words that an individual types in an MS Word document exemplify the ________ component of the information system. A) procedure B) data C) hardware D) software

B) data

45) You have a spreadsheet that provides the airfares to different cities from Chicago. If the contents of the spreadsheet are used to make a decision, it will be considered ________. A) knowledge B) data C) information D) intuition

B) data

19) Which of the following is an example of a strategic decision? A) deciding to increase the salaries of a group of employees B) deciding to open a centralized distribution system C) deciding to increase the reorder quantity of raw materials D) deciding to give an employee certain tasks and responsibilities

B) deciding to open a centralized distribution system

34) Which of the following tasks should be performed during the planning phase of project management? A) reporting project progress B) determining schedule C) performing project tasks D) preparing archival documents

B) determining schedule

38) Identify the project management phase in which the tasks of a project are performed. A) finalizing B) doing C) planning D) starting

B) doing

14) Erin is a manager for a reputed software firm. She typically monitors and evaluates the existing working procedures of her subordinates. She constantly changes these working procedures so that they are consistent with the company's resources. This shows her ability to ________. A) participate in systems thinking B) experiment C) make abstractions D) collaborate

B) experiment

10) A manager will essentially require ________ skills to clearly understand how the resources that his or her company uses are converted to desired outputs. A) collaboration B) experimentation C) interpersonal D) systems thinking

B) experimentation

27) Which of the following components in the five-component model of information systems is considered an actor? A) software B) hardware C) data D) procedure

B) hardware

8) Abstract reasoning is the ability to ________. A) work with others when performing tasks B) make and manipulate models C) act quickly on a problem D) perform routine tasks

B) make and manipulate models

23) The ________ component of the five-component framework of an information system includes individuals who maintain the data and support the networks of computers. A) procedural B) people C) data D) networking

B) people

44) 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) rewarding accomplishment

18) The directors of a company meet to decide if they should start a new product line or not. This is an example of a(n) ________ decision. A) operational B) strategic C) managerial D) procedural

B) strategic

22) Using a standardized procedure to calculate the incentives of employees is an example of a(n) ________. A) autocratic participative decision-making style B) structured decision C) robust decision D) consensus participative decision-making style

B) structured decision

47) The use of a conference call is an example of ________ communication. A) sequential B) synchronous C) indirect D) unidirectional

B) synchronous

6) A student group that is working on a project is considered to be a collaboration if ________. A) the members work on different sections by themselves B) the members provide feedback on each other's work C) the group uses Google Drive to share files D) the group uses a file server to share files

B) the members provide feedback on each other's work

42) Which of the following is considered information rather than mere data? A) a list of property prices in a neighborhood B) the return on investment of an advertising campaign C) the total number of students in a school D) the price of a company's shares on a given day

B) the return on investment of an advertising campaign

24) A company's top managers meet to decide on a potential merger with one of its competitors. They discuss various aspects of the merger, such as business valuations and conducting due diligence. This is an example of ________ decision making. A) asynchronous B) unstructured C) programmed D) operational

B) unstructured

41) 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 D) used in documents to describe recommended solutions

B) utilized to manage the project

1) Collaboration occurs when a number of people ________. A) come together to perform tasks that are different B) work together to achieve a common goal C) perform independent tasks that are important D) work without having to critically analyze each other's work

B) work together to achieve a common goal

13) ________ 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) Collaboration

48) Which of the following statements is true of good information? A) Good information should go well beyond the scope of the purpose for which it is generated. B) Information should be relevant to the subject, not necessarily to the context. C) Good information should be based on correct and complete data. D) Good information is only received from sources that provide information for free.

C) Good information should be based on correct and complete data.

20) 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) Managerial decisions concern allocation and utilization of resources, whereas strategic decisions concern broad organizational issues.

1) ________ states that the number of transistors per square inch on an integrated chip doubles every 18 months. A) Nielsen's Law B) Faraday's Law C) Moore's Law D) Newton's Law

C) Moore's Law

50) ________ is a popular commercial webinar product used in virtual sales presentations. A) Microsoft SharePoint B) MS Office Web C) WebEx D) Google Drive

C) WebEx

30) 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) data

33) The main purpose of the planning phase in a project is to ________. A) set up the project scope and initial budget B) accomplish the project tasks effectively C) determine who will do what and by when D) establish team roles, responsibilities, and authorities

C) determine who will do what and by when

49) Which of the following tools facilitates asynchronous communication? A) videoconferencing B) webinar C) discussion forum D) screen-sharing application

C) discussion forum

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

C) do not meet at the same time

36) A project manager has to manage tasks and budgets and solve problems during the ________ phase of project management. A) planning B) starting C) doing D) finalizing

C) doing

37) 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) doing

49) 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) irrelevant

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

C) knowledge derived from data

14) Project leaders have to take decisions on the allocation and utilization of materials and labor. Such decisions are called ________ decisions. A) operational B) top-level C) managerial D) strategic

C) managerial

2) According to Moore's Law, the ________. A) price of integrated chips increases once in 18 months B) size of computing devices and integrated chips doubles every year C) number of transistors per square inch on an integrated chip doubles every 18 months D) size of computing devices and integrated chips reduces by fifty percent every year

C) number of transistors per square inch on an integrated chip doubles every 18 months

40) 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) people

44) 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) recorded facts or figures

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

C) strategic

43) According to Hackman's three criteria for team success, which of the following IS requirements will be categorized under the growth in team capability criterion? A) reward accomplishment B) manage many versions of content C) support intra-team training D) create sense of importance

C) support intra-team training

11) Meredith constantly analyzes her work in terms of her individual contribution that she makes to the overall output of the organization. This shows her ________ skills. A) collaboration B) experimentation C) systems thinking D) problem-solving

C) systems thinking

7) Which of the following is the most important trait that an effective collaborator should have? A) avoiding unpopular ideas B) persuasive presentation skills C) willingness to enter into difficult conversations D) previous experience as a collaborator

C) willingness to enter into difficult conversations

3) 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) Costs of communications and storage have become very low.

15) ________ refers to 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) Collaboration D) Experimentation

D) Experimentation

3) 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) Unlike cooperation, collaboration emphasizes iteration and feedback.

28) The hardware components of an information system will act as a(n) ________. A) bridge between the computer side and the human side B) instruction on the human side C) instruction on the computer side D) actor on the computer side

D) actor on the computer side

Drudgen Fitness Inc. is a fitness equipment provider that markets its products through a chain of retail outlets in four states. As part of its expansion strategy, the company decides to open outlets in four more states and decides to revise its existing business processes. According to the five-component model of information systems, which of the following processes will be the least disruptive to the organization? A) collecting demographic data from the new markets B) developing new CRM software for the existing and new outlets C) relocating existing employees and hiring new employees D) buying and installing new computers in the new outlets

D) buying and installing new computers in the new outlets

36) Which of the following would be the most disruptive to an organization when implementing an information system? A) installing new hardware components B) creating new databases C) developing new programs D) changing reporting relationships

D) changing reporting relationships

13) A decision is called an operational decision if it ________. A) is made by an individual rather than a group B) is made by managers C) involves allocation of resources D) concerns day-to-day activities

D) concerns day-to-day activities

42) Which of the following is an example of project data? A) list of project tasks B) schedule C) budget D) design document

D) design document

39) Project teams should document project results and information for future teams. Which of the following is the project management phase in which the teams perform this function? A) doing B) planning C) starting D) finalizing

D) finalizing

31) 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) hardware and software

26) The process of automation is a process of moving work from ________. A) processes to procedures B) procedures to people C) instructions to actors D) human side to computer side

D) human side to computer side

15) Departmental heads should determine the computer hardware and programs that are needed for their department. This is an example of a(n) ________ decision. A) operational B) strategic C) procedural D) managerial

D) managerial

12) Kyra, an inventory manager, orders 500 units of Type-2 steel beams for the current month from the company's usual vendor. In doing so, she has made a(n) ________ decision. A) managerial B) tactical C) strategic D) operational

D) operational

25) 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) procedure

37) 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) procedures

30) 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) setting the ground rules for the project and team

19) Adobe Acrobat is an application that allows users to create and edit digital documents. Adobe Acrobat is an example of a ________. A) hardware B) procedure C) database D) software

D) software

6) Which of the following is categorized as a nonroutine cognitive skill? A) computer programming B) marketing knowledge C) tax accounting D) systems thinking

D) systems thinking

38) Graham & Hilda Corp. is a firm that offers enterprise software solutions to independent retailers. The firm recently entered into a contract with a major national retail chain to develop and implement proprietary software that tracks inventory, restocking, and supplier information. Which of the following actions will be most difficult to perform when implementing the new information system? A) upgrading the computer systems used by the retail chain B) writing the programs to create the software C) changing the structure of existing databases that reflect supplier and customer data D) training the employees to use and manage the new system

D) training the employees to use and manage the new system