Ch. 11
Which of the following is NOT one of your rights as an information system user?
An annual bonus payment for making it through the year without requiring hardware or software assistance from the IT department
Which of the following describes the CIO's role as a fast mover?
Managing project delivery in shorter time cycles of weeks instead of months
Which of the following is a function associated with the operations group of an IS department?
Managing the computing infrastructure
Which of the following is the most critical skill that a next-generation CIO should have?
Managing transformational change
__________ is the moving of business processes or tasks to another company.
Outsourcing
Determining the effect of the implementation of new information systems is associated with which of the following groups of an IS department?
Technology group
Your boss just told you that the IS department tried to run an automated security scan of the system and that it ran into a problem with your computer. He tells you that IS personnel went to your office and noticed that you had installed an eternal, removable, hard drive to your computer. They told your boss that the hard disk had unauthorized software on it and that it was a security threat. Your boss told you that you are terminated. Why would he fire you for installing a simple external hard disk?
You have a responsibility not to make any unauthorized hardware modifications to your work computer and not to install any unauthorized programs.
In information systems projects, the information systems steering committee __________.
is responsible for systems development and operation
You were just notified by the HR department at the company where you applied for a job that they want you to come to work for them to help maintain their in-house server farm. You realize that you will be working in the ________.
operations department
Which of the following is a function associated with the development group of an IS department?
Adapting existing information systems to support new features and functions
You are the CIO for a fast-growing company. You are in a meeting with several senior department members when the CTO informs you that a new application has been adopted and must be integrated into the system ASAP. Which of the IS functions does this issue fall under in the immediate sense?
Aligning information systems with organizational strategies and maintaining that alignment as the organization grows
Which of the following is a best practice when using information systems?
Aligning information technology with business goals and objectives
You installed some software on your office computer, and the next day your boss chews you out for driving up his costs. He tells you to get that software off of your computer so he doesn't get internally billed by the IT department again. Why would your department be getting billed by the IT department if you install software on your computer?
Because you have a responsibility not to make any unauthorized hardware modifications to your work computer and not to install any unauthorized programs
You keep deleting notices from the IS department to update specific software on your computer. After about a week, your boss calls you to his office and tells you to get the updates done, or you will be suspended because of unprofessional behavior. Why would your boss know if you hadn't done the updates, and why would he accuse you of unprofessional behavior?
Because you have the responsibility to install updates and fixes on your computer when told to do so
Which of the following is NOT one of the information systems planning functions?
Brief the Board of Directors
Which of the following acronyms would be appropriate for the person heading up the technology department of IS?
CTO
You are the CIO for a fast-growing company. You are in a meeting with several senior department members when the CEO sends you an email stating that he has just signed an agreement to merge another smaller company into your company. Which of the IS functions does this issue fall under in the immediate sense?
Communicating IS/IT/organizational issues to and from the executive group
Which of the following is true of outsourcing?
Decrease in communication costs has powered outsourcing of business processes on a global scale.
Identify the function of the technology office in an IS department.
Determining the effect of the implementation of new information systems
You are the CIO for a fast-growing company. You are in a meeting with several senior department members when the CTO says that he thinks that corporate reporting services need to move to the cloud in order to save costs. Which of the IS functions does this issue fall under in the immediate sense?
Developing and enforcing IS priorities within the IS department
Which of the following is a right?
Effective training
Which of the following is NOT one of the functions of the information system?
It is used to manage outsourcing relationships.
Jordan and Cameron are software developers at Crane Inc., a software development firm. They are developing an information system for another company based in the U.S. Jordan and Cameron develop software code during the day. Before leaving the office, Jordan and Cameron upload the code that they have developed to cloud storage. Their counterparts in another country download the code and test it for bugs, and upload the debugged code to cloud storage. When Jordan and Cameron return to work in the morning, they have debugged code waiting on the cloud storage. Which of the following indicates that Crane is involved in offshore outsourcing?
Jordan and Cameron's counterparts working on testing the code in another country
Which of the following is NOT one of your responsibilities as an information system user?
Modify your company-issued hardware to best suit your personal work habits and preferences.
Identify the function of the outsourcing relations group of an IS department.
Negotiating the costs of hiring another organization to perform a service
What is different about today's IT environment?
New business needs occur more quickly today than they did in the past.
You are the director of the technology office, and you were just in a meeting where outsourcing HR was discussed because the company has grown and HR has not grown along with it. Your organization basically lacks an HR department. Hiring has been done on an ad hoc basis, and leads for new employees are generated from word of mouth. This problem needs to be fixed quickly by finding a source of expertise in the area of HR. Which is the BEST reason that this move may make sense?
Outsourcing can be an easy way to gain expertise.
You are the director of the technology office, and you were just in a meeting where outsourcing the development function was discussed. The company had two original founders, who each have their preferred areas of interest, and they don't want to be bothered with problems in a department they don't understand. Which is the BEST reason that this move may make sense?
Outsourcing can be one way to avoid management problems.
You are a junior executive, and you were just in a meeting where it was decided to outsource some development work. The provider was asked for a fixed price contract, and the company decided to withhold payment of part of the fee until the services are in place and working properly. Why is this a good idea?
Outsourcing can cap financial risk by requiring a cap on the price of services rendered.
Which of the following statements about outsourcing is NOT accurate?
Outsourcing might be done to create jobs in a foreign country thereby promoting international goodwill.
Which of the following is NOT one of the information systems departments?
Outsourcing relations
You're the CTO, and the CIO has just informed you that the organization has decided to outsource its hardware and software management services to a cloud provider. You immediately understand that you will need to find a(n) ________.
PaaS provider
Identify the function of the data administration group of an IS department.
Protecting information assets of the company
You're the CTO, and the CIO has just informed you that the organization has decided to outsource its hardware, software, and data management services to a cloud provider. You immediately understand that you will need to find a(n) ________.
SaaS provider
Which of the following is NOT one of the functions of the IS department?
Serve as an internal corporate auditor for the accounting department.
Which one of the following is NOT one of the risks of outsourcing?
The CIO might become indispensable.
Which of the following statements about the IS steering committee is NOT accurate?
The steering committee enables the CIO to specify what the company's strategies and objectives should be to best support the available information technologies and systems.
A couple years ago, your organization began outsourcing a number of its key IS functions. Now your organization has become aware that when it requests specific enhancements to be added to their services, other less important enhancements are being added first. Which of the major issues with outsourcing regarding loss of control are you now dealing with?
The vendor does not properly prioritize product fixes and enhancements.
A couple years ago, your organization began outsourcing a number of its key IS functions. Now your organization has become aware that its competitors are using new technology that your vendor is not prepared to provide. Which of the major issues with outsourcing regarding loss of control are you now dealing with?
The vendor has not kept up with the direction of technology.
A couple years ago, your organization began outsourcing a number of its key IS functions. Now they are feeling the pain of the loss of control because the vendor has become the de-facto provider and there is no way for the company to take back control. Which of the major issues with outsourcing regarding loss of control are you now dealing with?
The vendor is in the driver's seat.
A couple years ago, your organization began outsourcing a number of its key IS functions. Now your organization has noticed processes and procedures designed by their experts are being used by competitors. Which of the major issues with outsourcing regarding loss of control are you now dealing with?
The vendor is now in complete control of the intellectual capital of the organization.
Which of the following is true of next-generation CIOs?
They need to be leaders in IT innovation.
Which of the following is required of a next-generation CIO?
They need to have a greater understanding of the complexity of IT.
Which of the following is an important reason for outsourcing business activities to other countries?
To control costs and free up internal resources
Which of the following is NOT one of the purposes or uses of information systems?
To manage disparate applications without integrating them in order to limit the drag on the organization's opportunities
A typical IS departmental organizational structure includes all of the following groups and staff functions EXCEPT ________.
VP engineering
Which of the following is true of offshore outsourcing?
Wage inflation in other countries leads to an erosion in the advantages of outsourcing.
Your boss just told you that your co-workers have complained to him that you ask too many questions about the basic functions in the applications used in the department. He tells you that you have used up your opportunities to learn the system and that you don't have any more training opportunities. He says that if you don't come up to speed, you will be let go for being incompetent to do the work required. What is the problem you are facing?
You have a responsibility to learn basic computer skills.
The __________ group manages the process of creating new information systems as well as maintaining existing ones.
development
With respect to the job positions in the information systems industry, advising the CIO, executive group, and project managers on emerging technologies is the responsibility of the __________.
chief technology officer
The title of the principal manager of the IS department is __________.
chief information officer
The __________ reports to the chief information officer, according to the reporting relationships.
chief technology officer
You were just notified by the HR department at the company where you applied for a job that they want you to come to work for them to help create a new information system. You realize that you will be working in the ________.
development department
Companies choose to outsource business activities because __________.
of the need to compensate for a lack of specific skills
You were just notified by the HR department at the company where you applied for a job that they want you to come to work for them to help them save costs by finding other organizations that can be hired to provide specific services. You realize that you will be working in the ________.
outsourcing relations department
Davis works for Matrix Inc., a software company in Boston. He is responsible for designing and writing computer programs for the company. This is an example of a __________ job position in an information systems industry.
programmer's
You're the CTO, and the CIO has just informed you that the organization has decided to outsource its entire payroll system. You immediately understand that you will need to find a(n) ________.
system outsourcing service
You were just notified by the HR department at the company where you applied for a job that they want you to come to work for them, investigating new information system technologies. You realize that you will be working in the ________.
technology office
Successful firms that align information systems to its business objectives __________.
understand how information technology works and what its use is