MIS 101 Exam #1

Why is introduction to MIS the most important class in the business school?

Future business professionals need to be able to assess, evaluate, and apply IT to business. Develop non-routine skills

What is IS?

assembly of five fundamental components that interact to produce information

What is MIS?

The development and use of information systems (IS) that help businesses achieve their goals and objectives

What is the 5 component model?

Hardware,
software,
data
Procedures,
people

What is the difference between IT and IS?

IT: products methods standards
IS: 5 components
IT drives the development of IS.
You can buy IT, but can never buy an IS!

What is Information?

Information that is derived from data and presented in a meaningful context.

What are necessary data characteristics?

accuracy, relevance, timeliness, cost efficency

2024?

Most computers won't look like a computer, rather computers-in-a-product

What are the two key characteristics of collaboration?

Two or more people working together to achieve a common goal

It requires feedback and iteration

What are the three criteria for successful collaboration?

Successful outcome
Growth in team capability over time
Meaningful and satisfying experience

What are the four primary purposes of collaboration?

Become informed
Make decisions
Solve problems
Manage projects

How can you use collaboration tools to improve team communications?

virtual meetings

How can you use collaboration tools to share content?

no control
version management
version control

How can you use collaboration tools to manage tasks?

calendars, lists, prioritizing

Which collaboration IS is right for your team?

Minimal- email text chat
Good- skype
comprehensive- microsoft link

What five forces determine industry structure?

New vendors
Suppliers
Customers
Subsitutes

How does analysis of industry structure determine competitive strategy?

Competitive strategy is an organization's response to the forces of its industry
cost
differentiation
industrywide
focus

What is a chain structure?

network of value-creating activities

How do business processes generate value?

Business processes generate value by transforming input into output resources

Business Process Redesign

Create new, efficient business processes, rather than just automating existing processes

How do information systems provide competitive advantages?

Create new products or services
Enhance products or services
Lock in customers and buyers via high switching costs
Lock in suppliers via easy-to-use connections

What does a manager need to know about computer hardware?

Memory Swapping: Occurs when RAM is too small to hold all open programs and data

What is visualization?

One computer hosts the appearance of many computers

Server virtualization

A server computer hosts other server computers
Makes cloud computing feasible

Desktop virtualization

A server hosts many versions of desktop OS.
Allows access from any computer a user has authorization to use

PC virtualization

A PC hosts several different operating systems

What are the Differences between Native and Thin-client Applications?

Native:program designed to run on OS like phone app
Thin: designed to run within web browser

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.

abstract reasoning

________ 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.

Systems thinking

According to Moore's Law, the ________.

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

The process of automation is a process of moving work from ________.

human side to computer side

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 ________.

inaccurate

A manager will essentially require ________ skills to clearly understand how the resources that his or her company uses are converted to desired outputs.

systems thinking

Which of the following pairs of components constitutes the human side of information systems?

people and procedures

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.

data

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?

collaboration

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.

strategic

Which of the following decisions is least likely to involve collaboration?

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

Using a standardized procedure to calculate the incentives of employees is an example of a(n) ________.

structured decision

________ is a popular commercial webinar product used in virtual sales presentations.

WebEx

_______ is a process that occurs when the collaboration tool limits, and sometimes even directs, user activity.

Version control

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.

operational

Who among the following are most likely to use asynchronous communication?

members of a team who work in different time zones

Which of the following factors determines the structure, features, and functions of an information system used in a company?

the competitive strategy

According to Porter's five forces model, which of the following would be most affected by the threat of substitutes?

Southwest Airlines

I-scream-4 Ice Cream recently faced competition against their flagship brand of "Orange peel ice cream." The competitor made significant in-roads into this market by offering three varieties of "Orange peel ice cream." I-scream-4 Ice Cream decided to counter this threat by introducing five new varieties of ice creams. Which competitive strategy is I-scream-4 implementing?

product differentiation

Which of the following is a primary activity in the value chain?

receiving and distributing inputs to the product

________ argues that firms should create new, more efficient business processes that integrate the activities of all departments involved in a value chain.

Business process design

Which of the following principles of competitive advantage is related to process implementations?

locking in suppliers

An organization implements an information system to optimize its supply chain. The system helps the organization decrease wastages. Hence, the system provides a competitive advantage to the organization. Here, the information system helped the organization achieve competitive advantage by ________.

reducing costs

Locking in customers by making it difficult or expensive for customers to move to another product is called establishing high ________.

switching costs

A thin-client application is designed to run within a program such as ________.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

________ is a version of Unix that was developed by an open source community

Linux

Which of the following is the presentation format of an application?

user interface

Virtualization is the process by which ________.

one computer hosts the appearance of many computers

Which of the following refers to server virtualization?

a server computer that hosts one, or more, other server computers

Ronald runs both Windows 7 and Linux on his desktop computer. This process is called ________.

PC virtualization

DenTimes, a software package installed in hospitals, is used to schedule appointments and bill patients. This is an example of ________.

vertical-market application software

Which of the following is an advantage to an organization if its BYOD policy offers wireless network to mobile devices?

The organization can sniff employees' mobile traffic.