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IBS555 IT for Managers - I

Part A

Q. Which of the following is not considered as resource for MIS

a. Data

b. Hardware

c. People

d. Money

e. Software

Q. The stage of systems development life cycle that give recommendations for a better systemprocess is

a. Problem definition

b. System analysis

c. System design

d. Coding

e. Testing

Q. An error discovered in which phase proves to be costlier.

a. Design phase

b. Requirements Analysis

c. Implementation

d. Testing

e. Maintenance

Q. Prototyping is used in developing an application

a. In a phased manner

b. Rapidly

c. Incrementally

d. Systematically

e. In a structured manner

Q. In what situation does an organization go in for a wireless LAN

a. Frequent change of the location of the offices where the LAN has to be established

b. When the organization is located in remote area

c. To decrease the cost of establishing the LAN

d. To improve the data transfer rates

e. None of the above

Q. Information systems, for cash management, investment management, capital budgeting andfinancial forecasting

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a. Accounting information systems

b. Financial information system

c. Financial planning system

d. Financial control systems

e. Cross functional information system

Q. A _________ is a unique identifier that can be a combination of two or more attributes.

a. Secondary Key

b. Composite key

c. Multivalued key

d. Primary key

e. Unique key

Q. Enterprise resource planning system is an example of

a. TPS

b. Knowledge Base

c. MIS

d. Expert System

e. Robotics

Q. If a decision is based on a rule or a method it is said to be a ______ decision

a. Semi programmed

b. Programmed

c. Non programmed

d. Ad-Hoc programmed

e. Set

Q. __________System helps manager to keep track of appointments, changes in the environment,

political news and organizational information:a. DSS

b. MIS

c. EIS

d. GIS

e. TPS

Q. __________ documents serve as confirmation to their recipients that certain actions haveoccurred

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a. Action

b. Information

c. Confirmation

d. Turnaround

e. Reply

Q. Which of the following is an alternative to building a system in-house?

a. External acquisition

b. End-user development

c. Outsourcing

d. All the above

e. None of the above

Q. Older, traditional information systems are called

a. Legacy systems

b. Old systems

c. Analysis systems

d. Business systems

e. None

Q. In MIS context data is processed or analyzed to reach decisions with the help of a set of toolscalled

a. Information systems

b. Data warehousing

c. Decision models

d. Data base

e. Data mining

Q. Budget analysis is an example ofa. Structured problem

b. Unstructured problem

c. Semi structured problem.

d. Cant be defined.

e. Depends on the managerial level.

Q. Which of the following will act like a consultant to Users.

a. Expert system

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b. Integrated information system

c. Strategic information system

d. Executive information system

e. End user computing

Q. An information system is capturing employee data and produces paycheck every month. Thiscomes under

a. Process control system

b. Integrated information system

c. Transaction processing system

d. Decision support system

e. Enterprise collaboration systems

Q. Which of the following is system design

a. Study in detail the information needs of users and any information system presently used

b. The process that results in specifications for the hardware,software, people, network,software, people network, and data resources and information products needed by aproposed system

c. An interactive and iterative process of developing and refining information system prototypes.

d. Determine the organizational, economic feasibility of a proposed information system.

e. Analyzing a reliable hardware and software to implement a proposed system.

Q. Intranets and extranets that can use their network fire walls and other security features toestablish secure internet links within an enterprise or with its trading partners is called:

a. Inter networked enterprise

b. Extra nets

c. Intranets

d. Virtual private networks

e. Wide area network

Q. Spreadsheets are very useful in business becausea. Making charts and tables is very simple

b. Single change can be reflected in all instances instantly

c. Long and complicated mathematical calculations can be done

d. It is user-friendly

e.All the above.

Q. To be part of a LAN a computer should be equipped with

a. Backbone

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b. Workstation

c. Network interface card

d. Node

e. IP Protocol

Q. Which of the following is not important to consider before taking up a VPN service.

a. Reliability

b. Capacity and scalability

c. Reach

d. Interoperability

e. Distance

Q. Which of the following is not a valid function in MS-Excel?

a. Sum

b. Average

c. Sort

d. Sqrt

e. Max

Q. Which of the following represents a valid range in MS-Excel?

a. B1:B7

b. 1B:7B

c. B1::B7

d. All the above are valid.

e. None of the above is valid.

Q. A sheet once deleted from a work book in MS-Excel

a. Can be retrieved as and when required

b. Can never be retrieved

c. Can be pasted in other work book

d. A sheet can never be deleted

e. Both a) and c) can be done.

Q. Which of the following is not a user interface control in MS-Access?

a. Text Boxes

b. Radio Buttons

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c. Check boxes

d. Data grid

e. Combo box.

Q. Which of the following is FALSE With respect to reports in MS-Access?

a. Pages in a report can be given numbers.

b. Summary report cant be created using report wizard

c. A report can be given a header and footer

d. A report once created through wizard can be altered later.

e. A report can be created based on a query.

Q. Which of the following is TRUE with respect to MS-Access?

a. A relation once set between two tables cant be altered.

b. The initial value for an auto number field can be set at the time of column definition.

c. Input mask describes how value of a field is displayed on the screen.

d. MS-Access doesnt allow to create a table without primary key.

e. A column in a MS-Access table can be deleted.

Q. ________ consists of hardware or software designed to keep unauthorized users out of networksystem.

a. Encryption system

b. Firewall

c. Router

d. Network server

e. Alarm system

Q. A code that usually does not destroy files but spreads rapidly throughout networked computersand eventually bringing computers to a halt simply by clogging memory space.

a. Virus

b. Worm

c. Encryption

d.Digital divide

e. None of the above.

Part B

Problems, Conceptual Understanding, Analytical Ability and Situational Analysis

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1. a. Discuss the need for e-commerce in todays business and write about electronic paymentand security.

(6 marks)

Suggested Answer:

Electronic commerce is defined as doing business over interconnected networks using webbased technologies. It encompasses the entire online process of developing marketing sellingdelivering, servicing, and paying for products and services. The Internets web browser andclient/server architecture, and networks of hypermedia databases on the World Wide Web serveas the technology platform for electronic commerce among networked communities ofcustomers and business partners. The electronic payments process presents a vital andcomplex challenge to business and financial institutions to develop efficient flexible, and securepayment system for electronic commerce. A variety of payment system have evolved forelectronic funds transfers, including several major ways to provide security for transactions andpayments over the internet. Electronic funds transfer systems are a major form of electroniccommerce system in banking. They include credit cards, charge cards, electronic checks, debit

cards, etc.

b. Write a short note on network topologies.

(4 marks)

Suggested Answer:

The answer should contain the description of Bus, Ring and Star topologies.

2. Answer the following questions, in not more than 4 lines each.

a.Mention any 4 reasons for failure of Information system implementation.

(2 marks)

Suggested Answer:

Lack of user input

Incomplete requirements and specifications

Changing requirements and specifications

Lack of executive support

Technical incompetence

b.Attributes of information quality.(2 marks)

Suggested Answer:

The answer should contain related attributes in time dimension, content dimension and formdimension.

c.Batch processing Vs Real-time processing in TPS context.

(3 marks)

Suggested Answer:

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Batch processing:

Transactions are accumulated over a period of time and processed periodically.

It is economical method when large volumes of transactions data must be processed.

The disadvantage is master files are frequently out of date between scheduled processing asare the periodic scheduled reports that are produced.

Real-Time Processing: Also called online transaction processing. In this transaction data isprocessed immediately after they are generated and can provide immediate output to end users.Responses to end users inquiries are immediate since information stored on direct accessdevices ca be retrieved almost instantaneously.

d.In what way EIS is different from DSS.

(3 marks)

Suggested Answer:

EIS DSS

EIS is not model based Model based

No Problem solving subsystems exists Problem solving subsystems exists.

Managers information system Managers tool for decision making

Alerts are in built No alerts are designed

3. a. Briefly describe System Development Life cycle.

(6 marks)

Suggested Answer:

SDLC phases are

Systems Investigation, Systems Analysis, Systems design, Systems Implementation andSystems maintenance

Preliminary investigation - determining the problem. The preliminary investigation - oftencalled the feasibility study, or system survey - is the initial investigation, a brief study of theproblem.

Analysis - understanding the existing system. In order to understand the existing system, you

must gather all the data about it, then organize and analyze the data. Common data sources arewritten documents, interviews, questionnaires, observation, and sampling. A variety of toolssuch as data flow diagrams and decision tables are used to analyze the data.

Design - planning the new system.

Systems design involves designing the new system, and is broken down into two sub phases:preliminary design, and detailed design. Preliminary design often involves alternative plans andoften makes use of devices such asprototypingand CASE tools.

Development- doing the work to bring the new system into being.

Development phase involves Schedulingof the development. That is often accomplished usingGantt charts and bar charts to depict schedule deadlines and milestones. Programming isbegun after detailed design specifications are established. Testing is done on the program to

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ensure it does what it is supposed to do.

Implementation - converting to the new system. Implementation activities include Acquisition,Software Development, Training, Testing, Documentation and Conversion

b. What do you understand by Prototyping? Answer briefly.

(4 marks)

Suggested Answer:

Aprototype is a limited working system - or a subset of a system that is developed quickly sousers can see how the system will work before it is fully developed.

Prototyping exploits advances in computer technology and uses powerful high-level softwaretools. This technique is adopted when the requirements are not clear to the users. Thissometimes called as rapid application design. The following steps best describe the process ofprototyping.

1. Identify an end users information requirements

2. Develop information system prototypes

3. Revise the prototypes to better meet end user requirements: If the system developed instep 2 is not acceptable to end user then recommendations form end users are taken andstep 2 will be done again.

4. Use ad maintain the accepted system

4. What are the tools for data analysis in Excel? Discuss how each of them supports the businessdecision making.

(10 marks)Suggested Answer:

The answer should describe the following analysis tools provided in Excel and their use inbusiness.

What-if analysis

Goal seek analysis

Sensitivity analysis

Solver

Part C

Problems, Conceptual Understanding, Analytical Ability and Situational Analysis

5. Write short answers for the following:

a. How do you store time in MS-Access?

b. Define Entity, attribute and relationship. Give an example.

c. What is the purpose of normalization,

d. How do you protect information systems?

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e. Information systems in Marketing.

(2 x 5 = 10 marks)

Suggested Answer:

a. The date/time data type in MS-Access accepts date. By setting the format in fieldproperties window time can be entered.

b. Entity: An entity is something you collect data about such as persons or places.

Attribute: An attribute is the property of an entity such as name, population

Relationship: A relationship is an association among several entities. For ex we canassociate person Mr. Anil with place Hyderabad.

c. Normalization is a technique to make complex databases more efficient and more easilyhandled by the DBMS. Elimination of data redundancy is a major goal and benefit of usingdata normalization technique.

d. Like any other vital business assets, the resources of information systems hardware,software networks and data need to be protected by built in controls to ensure their qualityand security. The answer should contain 1 or 2 lines description of the following points.

Information system control

Procedural control

Facility controls

e. Marketing information systems provide information technologies that support majorcomponents of the marketing function. The following components should be discussed

Interactive marketing

Sales force automation

Advertising and promotion

Sales management

Market research and forecasting

Customer service and support

Product management.

Case Analysis / Applied Theory

6. Read the following case and answer the following questions:

The US Army often enters into agreements for long term leasing or even for building appropriatehousing facilities close to or on military bases. The decision about where, what, when and howto build or lease is a complex one and it requires a formal segmented housing marketanalysis(SHMA) that costs about $50,000 to prepare and whose purpose is to justify thedecisions. The SHMA must meet not only the available budget but also the requirements ofseveral auditing agencies. Furthermore, the analysis takes into account the economy aroundeach base and the existing housing market. The problem is even more complex because thereare 20 military ranks. Housing is available in sizes ranging from a studio to a five bedroom unit.A family size is also a determining factor. The SHMA uses several quantitative models, including

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econometric models. The execution of such computations for each of the 200 militaryinstallations is lengthy and is subject to errors, especially when done manually.

A DSS was created to support SHMA, consisting of the following components

i. Off-Post data: Economic characteristics of the area around the military installations

ii. On-post data: Profiles of the military personnel seeking housing.

iii. Regional Econometric Model was created, which uses variables like consumer price index,value of housing, median per capita income, and military allowances.

iv. Modified segmented housing market analysis model was created that uses both off- postand on-post data

Three major outputs are produced.

i. Housing reports as described by army managers (Ex. Market conditions)

ii. Housing deficit forecasts (Demand over supply)

iii. Cross-leveled and re designated deficit forecasts

The DSS provides what-if analysis and goal seeking capabilities. When there is a change in thesituation being examined, what-if questions are posed to the model. If targeted goals arerequired, they are performed with goal seeking.

The system provides both monetary and managerial benefits. The tedious manual proceduresthat often resulted in inaccurate, incomplete and redundant data have been eliminated. Thedecision making process has been considerably improved by quicker analysis of the housingmarket impact analysis, error free computation and rapid sensitivity analysis. In addition, theauditing process has been standardized, and it is done faster, resulting in an earlier release offunds and the alleviation of housing shortages in many locations.

Questions:

a.Why was this DSS needed?

b.Discuss the role of forecasting in this DSS

c.Discuss the role sensitivity analysis which may play in this DSS

(7 + 7 + 6 = 20 marks)

Suggested Answer:

a. The department has to do a sort of analysis before going for building/leasing housingcomplex for military base. The analysis requires lot of departmental data and also thedemographic data. A computer based tool is required to them to arrive at right decision withthe complexity of the analysis that involved in it.

b. With the help of tool the department could foresee the housing deficit and cross leveledand re designated deficit. This definitely improves the efficiency of the department inproviding the facilities to the officers and other ranks.

c. Sensitivity analysis attempts to assess the impact of a change in the input data orparameters on the proposed solutions. Any change in the off post data and on post data ora change in the situation being examined can be taken the impact of the change can beseen immediately in the proposed solution.

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