MIS Midterm

Business Functions

Specialized tasks performed in a business organization, including manufacturing and production, sales and marketing, finance and accounting, and human resources.

Management Information Systems (MIS)

Specific category of information system providing reports on organizational performance to help middle management monitor and control the business.

Data

Streams of raw facts representing events occurring in organizations or the physical environment before they have been organized and arranged into a form that people can understand and use.

Business Model

An abstraction of what an enterprise is and how the enterprise delivers a product or service, showing how the enterprise creates wealth.

Business Processes

The unique ways in which organizations coordinate and organize work activities, information, and knowledge to produce a product or service.

Complementary Assets

Additional assets required to derive value from a primary investment.

Computer Hardware

Physical equipment used for input, processing, and output activities in an information system.

Computer Literacy

Knowledge about information technology, focusing on understanding of how computer-based technologies work

Computer Software

Detailed, preprogrammed instructions that control and coordinate the work of computer hardware components in an information system.

Culture

The set of fundamental assumptions about what products the organization should produce, how and where it should produce them, and for whom they should be produced.

Data Management Technology

Software governing the organization of data on physical storage media.

Data Workers

People such as secretaries or bookkeepers who process the organization's paperwork.

Digital Firm

Organization where nearly all significant business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, and employees are digitally enabled, and key corporate assets are managed through digital means.

Extranet

Private intranet that is accessible to authorized outsiders.

Feedback

Output that is returned to the appropriate members of the organization to help them evaluate or correct input.

Information

Data that have been shaped into a form that is meaningful and useful to human beings.

Information System

Interrelated components working together to collect, process, store, and disseminate information to support decision making, coordination, control, analysis, and visualization in an organization.

Information Technology (it) Infrastructure

Computer hardware, software, data, storage technology, and networks providing a portfolio of shared IT resources for the organization.

Input

The capture or collection of raw data from within the organization or from its external environment for processing in an information system.

Internet

Global network of networks using universal standards to connect millions of different networks.

Intranet

An internal network based on Internet and World Wide Web technology and standards.

Knowledge Workers

People such as engineers or architects who design products or services and create knowledge for the organization.

Middle Management

People in the middle of the organizational hierarchy who are responsible for carrying out the plans and goals of senior management.

Network

The linking of two or more computers to share data or resources, such as a printer.

Networking and Telecommunications Technology

Physical devices and software that link various computer hardware components and transfer data from one physical location to another.

Operational Management

People who monitor the day-to-day activities of the organization.

Organizational and Management Capital

Investments in organization and management such as new business processes, management behavior, organizational culture, or training.

Output

The distribution of processed information to the people who will use it or to the activities for which it will be used.

Processing

The conversion, manipulation, and analysis of raw input into a form that is more meaningful to humans.

Production or Service Workers

People who actually produce the products or services of the organization.

Senior Management

People occupying the topmost hierarchy in an organization who are responsible for making long-range decisions.

Sociotechnical View

Seeing systems as composed of both technical and social elements.

World Wide Web

A system with universally accepted standards for storing, retrieving, formatting, and displaying information in a networked environment.

Business processes that cross many different functional areas and require coordination across departments are supported by​ ________ among the participants.

flows of​ material, information, and knowledge

How do information systems improve business​ processes?

Information systems improve the efficiency​ and/or effectiveness of business processes.

Downloading a Kindle​ e-book from​ Amazon, buying a computer online at Best​ Buy, and downloading a music track from​ iTunes, are examples of how information systems help business processes​ ________.

change the flow of information

Functional information systems that operate independently of one another are becoming a thing of the past because​ ________.

they make sharing information across functional systems difficult

Transaction processing systems​ (TPS) are information systems that​ ________.

perform and record​ sales, receipts, cash​ deposits, payroll, and credit decisions in a factory

Which of the following is NOT an example of a​ company's transaction processing​ system?

Walmart's internal email system

The data and software tools for​ organizing, analyzing, and providing access to data to help managers and other enterprise users make more informed decisions are referred to as​ ________ systems.

business intelligence

Management information systems​ (MIS) provide​ ________.

middle managers with reports on the​ organization's current performance

Which of the following systems would BEST support managers who focus on unique problems for which the procedure to arrive at a solution may not be fully predefined in​ advance?

Decision-support

Vail Ski Resort implemented a decision support system​ (DSS) in order to​ ________.

make better decisions about how to target their marketing programs

A Web interface which presents integrated personalized business content delivered to senior managers is​ ________.

a portal

A(n) ________ is used by senior managers to make decisions.

executive support system​ (ESS)

A display which presents graphs and charts of key performance indicators on a single screen for managing a company is called a​ ________.

digital dashboard

​_________ help businesses become more efficient by integrating functional business processes into a single information system that spans all business areas.

Enterprise resource planning​ (ERP) systems

Customer relationship management includes​ ________.

customer support applications

A(n) ________ system helps​ capture, manage, and apply the experience of the organization.

knowledge management​ (KM)

A supply chain management system is considered a type of​ ________ system because it shares data across multiple organizations.

interorganizational

An extranet is a system that shares data​ ________.

across multiple organizations

Working together as a team to align a competitive strategy with the​ company's goals is an example of​ ________.

collaboration

If a cookie company uses Facebook to help sell a​ product, they are embracing​ ________.

social business

A key word in social business is​ ________.

conversations

Businesses that collaborate and use social business often see benefits in​ productivity, quality,​ innovation, sales​ growth, and​ ________.

customer service

A collaborative business culture is characterized​ by:

reliance on teams of employees to achieve and implement the results.

In many​ companies, the information systems department is headed by​ a(n) ________.

chief information officer​ (CIO)

________ include(s) the strategy and policies for using information technology within an organization.

IT governance

Based on your​ reading, information systems help businesses compete​ ________.

by sustaining a competitive advantage is challenging

Another name for standard operating procedures for creating goods and services is​ (are) ________.

routines

A collection of routines for producing goods and services is called​ a(n) ________.

business process

The assumption that an MIS professor knows more about normalization than a student is an example of​ ________.

organizational culture

An innovation that dramatically changes the business environment is called​ a(n) ________.

disruptive technology

Information systems can​ ________ the organization by empowering​ lower-level employees.

flatten

The observation that IT broadens the distribution of​ information, empowers​ lower-level employees, and increases management efficiency is an example of the​ ________ effect of information technology on organizations.

organizational and behavioral

Which of the following options increases the strength of the market entrant​ force?

A reduction in government or local regulations that govern an industry

In the music​ industry, ________ are considered a newer substitute for​ CD-based music stores.

Internet music sites

The power of the customer​ ________ if they have an easy time switching from one company​ (e.g., not having to pay an exit​ fee) to another.

grows

Because Walmart has an efficient inventory replenishing​ system, they are able to reduce​ ________ costs.

overhead

Nike sells customized sneakers through NIKEiD to establish​ ________.

product differentiation

Companies that establish a competitive advantage by having the lowest prices in an industry are using a​ ________ approach.

cost-leadership

The competitive rivalry force of the Internet is strong because it has​ ________.

made it easier for companies to compete on price alone

According to the value chain​ model, employee​ recruiting, hiring, and training are considered a​ ________ activity of the firm.

support

mainframe

Largest category of computer, used for major business processing.

According to the value chain​ model, technology is considered a​ ________ of the firm.

support activity

According to the value chain​ model, sales and marketing is considered a​ ________ activity of the firm.

primary

According to the value chain​ model, operations are considered a​ ________ of the firm.

Primary activity

A​ ________ consists of a networked system that can synchronize the value chains of business partners​ ________.

value​ web; within an industry

A​ ________ consists of a networked system that can synchronize the value chains of business partners​ ________.

value​ web; within an industry

________ include two organizations sharing expertise.

Synergies

A virtual company uses​ ________ to link​ people, assets, and ideas.

networks

​A(n) ________ includes interdependent networks of​ suppliers, distributors, and outsourcing firms.

business ecosystem

In most​ cases, a business ecosystem includes​ ________.

a few keystone firms

Which of the following options is a challenge to the sustainability of strategically implementing an information​ system?

Managing strategic transitions

_____ refers to the principles of right and wrong that individuals use to make choices.

Ethics

The doubling of computer power every 18 months has raised questions about the _____.

Use of databases

Advances in data storage techniques and rapidly declining storage costs threaten ____.

Individual privacy

Comparing data from multiple sources to create digital dossiers of detailed information on individuals is called ______.

Profiling

In Europe, before data is gathered, _____ must be given by customers with knowledge of all the facts needed to make a rotational decision.

Informed consent

Copyright protects creators (individuals) of intellectual property for ______ .

70 years after the author's death

client/server computing

A model for computing that splits processing between clients and servers on a network, assigning functions to the machine most able to perform the function.

server

Computer specifically optimized to provide software and other resources to other computers over a network.

cloud computing

Model of computing in which computer processing, storage, software, and other services are provided as a shared pool of virtualized resources over a network, primarily the Internet.

moore's law

Assertion that the number of components on a chip doubles each year.

nanotechnology

Technology that builds structures and processes based on the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules.

unix

Operating system for all types of computers, which is machine independent and supports multiuser processing, multitasking, and networking. Used in high-end workstations and servers.

web hosting service

Company with large web server computers to maintain the websites of fee-paying subscribers.

legacy system

A system that has been in existence for a long time and that continues to be used to avoid the high cost of replacing or redesigning it.

BYOD

Stands for "bring your own device," and refers to employees using their own computing devices in the workplace.

quantum computing

Use of principles of quantum physics to represent data and perform operations on the data, with the ability to be in many different states at once and to perform many different computations simultaneously.