Chapter eight: Information Systems

In the early 20th century, Henry______ developed a horizontal bar chart that could be used to visualize a project schedule. today, his chart is the most widely used tool in project management

Ford

the last stage of the project management process, in which managers document the lessons they learned during the projects execution is the_____ phase

closure

the three main components of a business management system include a decision-making information system, a predictive information system, and a_______

database management system

provides a means of storing and finding information

database management system (DBMS)

works with a limited number of inputs and unknown to provide managers with a statistical analysis of likely outcomes

decision making information system

three categories of human resource management systems:

employees benefit administrations software employee evaluation software compensation management software

Because some tasks can be done concurrently while other tasks are dependent upon the completion of preceding tasks, Gantt charts are constructed using a_______

horizontal bar chart

when did human resources management (HRM) originate?

human resource management has existed at least as long as recorded history

Sara, an executive with McMurty Management, has decided that her organization needs to update its business management system. what three questions should be considered prior to choosing a system?

is the change worth the expense and impact on employee morale? where will the new system be housed? how will the new system interact with existing systems?

the objective that is typically accomplished during the execution phase (the third stage) of the project management process

managers monitor the progress of the project and resources

three common services provide by project management systems software

permissions levels document storage visual project depictions

employee compensation software at major corporations is often included as part of it enterprise resource_____

process

human resource managers look ahead to determine the future workforce needs of the corporation

recruiting and hiring software

when implementing a new business management system, which option provides managers with lowest initial start-up expenses

software-as-a-service

three objectives that might typically be accomplished, during the initiation phase (the first stage) of the project management process

stakeholders in the project are identified a statement of work or other working agreement is created a projected timeline for deliverables is developed

during the first stage of the project management process, the manager outlines the requirements of the project, documents these requirements, and analyzes the costs of the project. this is called_____

the initiation phase

the project management process has 4 phases.

the initiation phase the planning phase the execution phase the closure phase

three common services provided by project management systems software

visual project depictions permissions levels document storage

Wesley has decided to implement a new business management system. what are three advantages of using a Software-as-a-service solution?

A SaaS solution minimizes initial start-up costs Security concerns are minimizing as the SaaS provider un-doubtly has greater resources and expertise in security management than most firms they are updated by a third-party that has a major financial incentive in ensuring that the software is in compliance with the latest regulations

inappropriate and inconsistent pay can demotivate the strongest workplace, for this reason, many firms use_____

compensation management software

computer chips double in computing power roughly every 18 months. this phenomenon is called:

Moore's Law

when implementing a new business management system, which option provides managers with the greatest degree of control?

On-Premises Option

Jira and GanttPro are examples of what kind of software?

Project managment system software

three popular inventory management systems

SAP Material Management Oracle NetSuite QuickBooks Enterprise

along with their pay, human resource managers often need to track employee hiring dates, martial status, number of dependents, cafeteria choices, and usage, in order to accurately manager their employees_______. For this reason, nearly all firms use a management system to ensure this is done correctly

benefits packages

documenting employee performance and providing an equitable means of ranking performance

employee evaluation software

tracking the performance of employees will always be a critical component of management for this reason, most firms use___

employee evaluation software

the third stage of the project management process, in which managers constantly monitor the progress of the project and the projects resources, is the_______ phase

execution

the third stage of the project management process, in which managers constantly monitor the progress of the project and the projects resources. is the_____ phase

execution

the first stage of the project management process, in which project objectives are identified and feasibility studies are conducted is the_______ phase

initiation

the first step of the project management process, in which project objectives are identified and feasibility studies are conducted is the____ phase

initiation

Todays employees expect to be able to go online and see a record of their compensation and make adjustments such as their tax withholding. twenty years ago, they would have planned to meet with their human resources department representative to make such changes. this is one example of how expectations change has advancements in business_____

management

managers should opt for a system that integrates easily with existing business management software, and that will take the shortest training time for employees that need to provide sales or usage quantity inputs when choosing an inventory_____

management solution

human resources managers focus on which three of the following?

managing employee grievances, absences, sick days, and paid time off days scanning the environment to determine future HR needs recruiting, hiring, training, retaining, compensating, appraising, promoting, reassigning, and firing employees

two reasons for the increased efficiency of modern inventory management systems

more accurate estimates of re-ordering points improved forecasts of order quantity levels

the second stage of the project management process, which involves meetings with project stakeholders is the_______phase

planning

models trend and attempts to predict outcomes

predictive information system

the software can prove an indispensable aid in the successful execution of a project that has a specific starting point and ending point, and a set of deliverable is called________

project

the use of machinary to assist in employee management began during the late 19th century when time clocks with ______ were developed to track employee work hours

punch cards

two technologies that advanced the efficiency of inventory management systems

radio frequency identification universal product codes

which of the following is a tool commonly used by project managers?

Gantt chart

Two technologies that advanced the efficiency of inventory management systems

Universal Product Codes Radio Frequency Identification

As technology improves, the capabilities of, and the demands on, business management systems increase. Three examples of the impact of advancements in business management systems on the expectations of users

a sales representative observes customer purchases of 15 client stores in real time a lead contractor views the latest changes to a building blueprint online a customer checks the status of the pizza's creation and delivery from his phone

three objectives that might typically be accomplished during the closure phase (the last stage) of the project management process

all associated contracts are ended managers document the lessons they learned during the project's execution stakeholders discuss how closely the project met expectations

Jameson, a senior executive, wants significant control of his business management system so that he can implement changes to quickly adapt to the dynamic business environment. the system that would best meet these needs would be a_____ system.

on-premises option

two objectives that might typically be accomplished during the planning phase (the second stage) of the project management process

A Gantt chart is created or fine-tuned if one was started during the feasible study a meeting with a project stakeholder is convened allowing these key players to review the Gantt chart and the project timeline

Skyler, an executive, wants to implement a business management system that can be quickly scaled as he anticipates rapidly changing database storage needs. He likes his uniquely developed, current system but wants increased security from hackers while decreasing his need for a large IT department. Skyler should choose a_____

custom Cloud based solution

Kronos Workforce Ready, BamboHR, PerformancePro, and other, provide packages designed to meet the employee___ needs of smaller firms

evaluation

the strategic use of employees to allow organizations to operate efficiently and gain competitive advantage is referred to as human_____

resource management

Leann is implementing a new business management system for her firm. she wants to minimize start-up costs and her businesses management system needs are similar to many other organizations. Leann wisely chooses a software-as-a-_________

service system

Joes business management system needs to meet very unique needs. he also has a very small IT department. which business management system should Jose adopt?

Custom cloud based solution

Jim, an HR director, does not want to change business management systems, even though it brings several advantages and falls within his department budget.

Jim believes the change will create employee stress as they are required to adapt to a new system Jim believes changing to the new system will cause a decrease in productivity, at least in the short term

along with pay, employee______ remain a critical part of an overall compensation strategy

benefits

providing estimates of how accurate the re-ordering point and order quantity levels forecast will be (confidence levels), based on historical trends are examples of the efficiencies associated with today's_________ management systems

inventory

Advances in technology greatly impact the capabilities of business management systems. the doubling of the number of transistors on each chip that occurs roughly every 18 months reflects the speed of this technology advance. this phenomenon is called____

Moore's Law

Ayala has decided to implement a new business management system. what are two advantages of hosting on-premises?

any changes deemed necessary can be implemented extremely quickly it can be configured to meet the unique needs of the organization

many managers, particularly in smaller firms, use companies such as Zenefits and BenefitFocus to manage their employees_____

benefits systems

to reduce security risks and to facilitate collaboration among the various stakeholders in the project, most project management systems are located on the__________

cloud

whether the firm uses primarily hourly, salaried, or independent contractors; ensuring that these employees are paid correctly

compensation management software

human resources managers need sophisticated software to assist them in making accurate estimates of______

recruiting, hiring, and training requirments

during the second stage of the project managment process, a Gantt chart is created, or fined-tuned if one was started during the feasibility study. this is called the_______ phase

planning

two reasons why a human resource manager might choose to use recruiting and hiring management software

extensive governmental oversight regarding the hiring of employees makes using an updated recruiting and hiring management essential human resources managers often need sophisticated soft ware to assist them in making accurate estimates of recruiting, hiring, and training requirements

Emerson has decided to implement a new business management system. what are three advantages of choosing a cloud-based custom option such as a platform as a service (PaaS) or an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) system, over an on-premises option?

storage size can be quickly scaled to meet changing needs more secure from hackers reduces the need for a large IT staff