Question Paper

Question PaperManagement Information Systems (MC261) : July 2007

Section A : Basic Concepts (30 Marks)

This section consists of questions with serial number 1 - 30.

Answer all questions.

Each question carries one mark.

Maximum time for answering Section A is 30 Minutes.

1.Information systems that rely on computer hardware and software for processing and distributing information are called

(a)

CRM Systems

(b)

Enterprise Systems

(c)

Computer- based Information Systems

(d)

Knowledge Management Systems

(e)

Database Management Systems.

2.A prototype that is used as a reference for the new system and then is discarded best describes

(a)

Throwaway Prototype

(b)

Evolutionary Prototype

(c)

Leveraged Prototype

(d)

System Prototype

(e)

Software Prototype.

3.The process of helping users see patterns and relationship in large amounts of Data by presenting the data in graphical form is called

(a)

GIS

(b)

Data visualization

(c)

DSS

(d)

An optimization model

(e)

MIS.

4.The process of buying and selling goods and services electronically involving transactions using internet and networks is defined as

(a)

Electronic process

(b)

Digital process

(c)

E- commerce

(d)

Relational database management systems

(e)

E- goods.

5.Which of the following is not component of a DSS

(a)

The data management system

(b)

The knowledge engine

(c)

DSS Kernel

(d)

The user interface

(e)

Data base engine.

6.The element for bridging the gap between the actual situation and the standard required that helps in synchronizing the organizations activities is the

(a)

Detector

(b)

Effector

(c)

Assessor

(d)

Processor

(e)

Accessor.

7.During logical design the project team

(a)

Describes the functional features of the system chosen for development in the previous phase

(b)

Studies the organizations current procedures and the information systems used to perform organizational tasks

(c)

Determines the scope of the proposed systems and produces a specific plan for the proposed project

(d)

Codes, tests, and installs the new system

(e)

Both (a) and (b) above.

8.Every DSS development tool contains

(a)

Knowledge variation

(b)

Knowledge manipulation

(c)

Knowledge transfer

(d)

Knowledge representation

(e)

Knowledge formulae.

9.Systems that support the creation , storage and distribution of firm expertise and Knowledge are called

(a)

Enterprise systems

(b)

CRM systems

(c)

Knowledge management systems

(d)

DBMS

(e)

Expert systems.

10.The most common models in a DSS software system are

(a)

Libraries of statistical models

(b)

Statistical graphs from multiple information sources

(c)

Optimization models

(d)

OLAP tools

(e)

OLTP tools.

11.The function of the menus is

(a)

Comprised of sequences of keystrokes that could make up answers

(b)

Provides guidance to user about filling in slots

(c)

Give guidance to users about requests

(d)

Does not provides guidance to user about filling in slots

(e)

Does not contain sequences of keystrokes that could make up answers.

12.The general DSS development process contains how many activities?

(a)

4

(b)

7

(c)

3

(d)

9

(e)

8.

13.The subsystem of the formal control system from the following list is/are

(a)

Informal control process

(b)

Informal coordinating mechanisms

(c)

Infrastructure

(d)

Formal control process

(e)

All of the above.

14.Which of the following is decision support technology?

(a)

Decision Support Systems

(b)

Enterprise (Executive) Information Systems

(c)

Expert Systems

(d)

Management Information Systems

(e)

Database Management Systems.

15.The representation of software system is

(a)

KS

(b)

PPS

(c)

LS

(d)

DDS

(e)

EIS.

16.Which of the following is not the DSS development process?

(a)

SDLC

(b)

ROMC

(c)

Functional analysis

(d)

JAD

(e)

RAD.

17.The planning involves decision making with tools help and these are based on which of the following factor(s)?

(a)

Creativity

(b)

Modeling

(c)

Both (a) and (b) above

(d)

Designing

(e)

Analysis.

18.The analysis that helps identifying the critical control variables and latent factor is

(a)

Sales Analysis

(b)

Cost Analysis

(c)

Multivariate Analysis

(d)

Formal Control Process

(e)

Data Analysis.

19.Knowledge workers are

(a)

People who design products for the organization

(b)

People who create knowledge for the organization

(c)

Both (a) and (b) above

(d)

People who sell knowledge to the customers

(e)

People who analyze knowledge for the organization.

20.A process of determining the goals and objectives and evolving strategies is called

(a)

Controlling

(b)

Planning

(c)

Organizing

(d)

Leading

(e)

Managing.

21.Information system that automate the relationship between a firm and its suppliers is called

(a)

Relational Database Management System

(b)

Management Information System

(c)

Product Management Systems

(d)

Supply Chain Management Systems

(e)

Executive Information Systems.

22.In an organization, the strategy can be classified into

(a)

Growth strategy

(b)

Product strategy

(c)

Both (a) and (b) above

(d)

Designing

(e)

Multiple strategy.

23.Which of the following is/are not a measure(s) of the effectiveness of decision-making?

(a)

Accuracy of information

(b)

Timeliness of information

(c)

Cost of making the decision

(d)

Quality of information

(e)

All of the above.

24.A drawback of prototyping is

(a)

That the end user is involved in the project

(b)

The end user notices the missing functions, which can be an embarrassment to a computer professional

(c)

The software is more susceptible to viruses

(d)

That the project management can be sloppy

(e)

That the software is not reliable.

25.Which one of the following best describes the role of a manager?

(a)

Attending meetings, attending corporate luncheons, disciplining staff, representing the company

(b)

Planning, organizing, coordinating, making decisions, controlling

(c)

Maintaining a rigid position in the hierarchy to prevent customer complaints from coming to the attention of the Board

(d)

Supervising the work of junior staff

(e)

Maintaining the work flow and coordination of the work.

26.A manager has to make an unstructured decision, which means that

(a)

The decision has a definite procedure to deal with the problem

(b)

The manager has to use judgment based on previous experience, insight and careful evaluation

(c)

The decision will result in no correct course of action

(d)

No decision can be made

(e)

The decision is based is not based on careful evaluation.

27.Why do computer projects in MIS need to be carefully managed?

(a)

Computer professionals are rather disorganized people

(b)

Many specialist skills are needed, which have to be coordinated

(c)

MIS systems are powerful bits of software that make decisions

(d)

The hardware is complex to be set

(e)

All of the above.

28.Top managers may use an ________________, a combination of MIS and DSS, to support their decision making.

(a)

GIS (b)

ESS (c)

Expert system (d)

GDSS

(e)

TPS.

29.Which of the following is/are example of input to an information system?

(a)

Sales trend forecast

(b)

Inventory report

(c)

Customers information

(d)

Summary of customers preference analyses

(e)

All of the above.

30.___________ addresses unstructured decision making through advanced graphics and communications

(a)

A GIS

(b)

An ESS

(c)

A DSS

(d)

A TPS

(e)

An Expert System.

END OF SECTION A

Section B : Caselets/Problem (50 Marks)

This section consists of questions with serial number 1 4.

Answer all questions.

Marks are indicated against each question.

Detailed explanations/working should form part of your answer.

Do not spend more than 110 - 120 minutes on Section B.

Caselet 1

Read the caselet carefully and answer the following questions:1.Explain the procedure for identifying the potential customers provided by the water body using Ordnance Survey GIS data.

(10 marks)

2.After identifying the potential customers suggest the procedure to make them accountable for the services provided by the water body.

(10 marks)

Water Utilities Company, UK provides water supply and wastewater treatment services across multiple districts. Their aim is to provide a high level of service at all times, with more than 1.5 million customer contacts a year, three thousand operational sites and a vast network of water mains and sewers.

The UK based water-company has a customer base registered in their legacy billing system. But the water company believes that it has customers who enjoy the benefit of the services provided by them, but have no corresponding entries in the billing system Thus these potential customers are not being billed, as a result of which the water company is losing a lot of revenue for its services.

Caselet 2

Read the caselet carefully and answer the following question:3.You are required to suggest a solution to meet the below specified requirements.i) Scanning of 228 million A3 size forms in 2 years.ii) Processing of these forms using latest ICR technologyiii) Achieving more than 90% recognition rate with less than 2 % false positive rate.iv) Training of more than 1500 govt. supervisors and data entry operators at 15 locations all over India.v) Process forms in 17 different Indian languages.vi) Process forms printed at more than 100 presses.(20 marks) The decennial Census of India is the largest single administrative exercise of its kind in the World. Even the preparations for it make news because of the size and impact of the operation. The Indian Census is the largest single source of statistics on the people of India. With a history of more than 125 years, this reliable, time tested exercise has been bringing out a veritable wealth of statistics every 10 years beginning from 1872 when the first census was conducted in India non-synchronously in different parts. To scholars and researchers in demography, economics, anthropology, sociology, statistics and many other disciplines, the Indian Census is a fascinating data source. The rich diversity of the people of India is truly reflected through the decennial census which is one of the basic tools to understand and study India. Office of Registrar general of India and census commissioner is responsible for conducting the population census once every ten years. Indian census is the second largest in the world. Census in the year 2001 was the 14th consecutive census since 1872. Processing of 1991 census forms were done using conventional data entry method. CMC had the challenge to complete the India 2001 Census in 2 years using the latest ICR technology.

4.Define a Decision Support System? Explain in brief the characteristics and capabilities of a decision support system.

(10 marks) END OF SECTION B

Section C : Applied Theory (20 Marks)

This section consists of questions with serial number 5 - 6.

Answer all questions.

Marks are indicated against each question.

Do not spend more than 25 -30 minutes on section C.

5.What is Strategic planning? When does it assume importance in the business?

(10 marks)

6.What is Prototyping? State the advantages and disadvantages of Prototyping.

(10 marks)

END OF SECTION C

END OF QUESTION PAPER

Suggested AnswersManagement Information Systems (MC261) : July 2007Section A : Basic Concepts

1.Answer : (c)

Reason : Computer based information systems are the information systems that rely on computer hardware and software for processing and distribution of information.

2.Answer : (a)

Reason : The prototype which is used as a reference and is discarded defines a Throwaway prototype.

3.Answer : (b)

Reason : Data Visualization is a process which helps the users to see patterns and relationship in large amounts of data in a graphical form.

4.Answer : (c)

Reason : E-commerce is the process of buying and selling goods and services using an internet as the medium of transactions.

5.Answer : (c)

Reason : DSS kernel is not a component of the DSS.

6.Answer : (b)

Reason : The effector is the element which is used as a bridge between the actual situation and the standard required that helps in synchronizing the organizations activities.

7.Answer : (c)

Reason : During the logical design the project team determines the scope of the proposed systems and produces a specified plan for the proposed project.

8.Answer : (d)

Reason : Every DSS tool contain Knowledge representation.

9.Answer : (c)

Reason : Knowledge management systems support the creation , storage and distribution of knowledge.

10.Answer : (a)

Reason : Libraries of statistical models are the most common models in a DSS software system.

11.Answer : (c)

Reason : The function of menus is to give guidance to the users about requests.

12.Answer : (b)

Reason : The general DSS development process model contains 7 activities.

13.Answer : (c)

Reason : Infrastructure is the subsystem of the formal control system.

14.Answer : (d)

Reason : MIS is the decision support technology.

15.Answer : (b)

Reason : PPS is the representation of a software system.

16.Answer : (d)

Reason : JAD is not an DSS development process.

17.Answer : (c)

Reason : Creativity and Modeling are the two factors of planning which involves the decision making with the help of tools.

18.Answer : (c)

Reason : Multivariate analysis helps in identifying the critical control variables and the latent factor.

19.Answer : (c)

Reason : Knowledge workers are the people who design the products of the organization and who also create knowledge for the organization.

20.Answer : (b)

Reason : Planning is the process of describing the goals and objectives and also evolving strategies.

21.Answer : (d)

Reason : Supply Chain Managements are the information systems that automate the relationship between a firm and its suppliers.

22.Answer : (c)

Reason : The strategy can be classified as both Growth strategy and Product strategy.

23.Answer : (c)

Reason : Cost of making the decision is not a measure of the effectiveness of decision-making.

24.Answer : (d)

Reason : The drawback of prototyping is that the project management can be sloppy and may lead to project management difficulties.

25.Answer : (b)

Reason : Planning, organizing, coordinating, making decisions, controlling describe the role of a manager.

26.Answer : (b)

Reason : For the manager to take a unstructured decision, the manager has to use judgement based on previous experience, insight and careful evaluation.

27.Answer : (b)

Reason : Many specialist skills are needed, which have to be coordinated.

28.Answer : (b)

Reason : Top managers use a combination an ESS, a combination of MIS and DSS to support the decision making.

29.Answer : (c)

Reason : Customers information is an example input to an information system.

30.Answer : (b)

Reason : ESS addresses Unstructured decision making through advanced graphics and communications.

Section B : Caselets/Problems

1.The primary task is to identify the address points for which the water company has been providing service, but not being accounted for. This is done by match of billing system data extract on QAS and move the matched address points file to MapInfo and then subtract the matched address points list from all the address points within the area served by the water company.

First, an automatic matching is done and then a manual match is done with quality check. The unmatched records are then taken and substantiated with contact numbers for each of the address points. 2.A collection strategy ensures the debt collection from the respective potential customers. These details are then entered into the billing system maintained by the water service. The respective customers (known as potential customers) are contacted individually. Pending bills are sent to the customers. Thus the potential customers are brought under the billing system of the water company.

Benefits:As the solution leads to the potential customers to be identified and brought under the billing system, it maximizes the revenue of the water service provider. The appropriate collection strategy will enable the maximization of returns across 50,000 properties to positively impact on the Debt Book of the water service company.

3.The solution to be offered is a imaging solution with Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) Technology,. The solution included development, customization & tuning of ICR software and workflow management of complete scanning and processing operations at 15 RGI Data Centers spread across the country in a two shift operation involving close to 150 scanner operators/ supervisors. In addition, 1500 RGI staff were trained in ICR technology and the relevant softwares.

4.Decision support systems are a class of computer-based information systems including knowledge based systems that support decision making activities.A DSS can take many different forms. In general, we can say that a DSS is a computerized system for helping make decisions. A decision is a choice between alternatives based on estimates of the values of those alternatives. Supporting a decision means helping people working alone or in a group gather intelligence, generate alternatives and make choices. Supporting the choice making process involves supporting the estimation, the evaluation and/or the comparison of alternatives. In practice, references to DSS are usually references to computer applications that perform such a supporting role.Characteristics and Capabilities of DSS Support for decision makers in semistructured and unstructured problems. Support managers at all levels. Support individuals and groups. Support for interdependent or sequential decisions. Support intelligence, design, choice, and implementation. Support variety of decision processes and styles. DSS should be adaptable and flexible. DSS should be interactive and provide ease of use. Effectiveness balanced with efficiency (benefit must exceed cost). Complete control by decision-makers. Ease of development by (modification to suit needs and changing environment) end users. Support modeling and analysis. Data access. Standalone, integration and Web-based.

Section C: Applied Theory

5.Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people.The outcome is normally a strategic plan which is used as guidance to define functional and divisional plans, including Technology, Marketing, etc.Strategic Planning is the formal consideration of an organization's future course. All strategic planning deals with at least one of three key questions:1. "What do we do?"2. "For whom do we do it?"3. "How do we excel?"In business strategic planning, the third question is better phrased "How can we beat or avoid competition?". In many organizations, this is viewed as a process for determining where an organization is going over the next year or more -typically 3 to 5 years, although some extend their vision to 20 years.In order to determine where it is going, the organization needs to know exactly where it stands, then determines where it wants to go and how it will get there. The resulting document is called the "strategic plan".Vision, mission and valuesVision: Defines where the organization wants to be in the future. It reflects the optimistic view of the organization's future. Mission: Defines where the organization is going now, basically describing the purpose, why this organization exists. Values: Main values protected by the organization during the progression, reflecting the organization's culture and priorities.MethodologiesThere are many approaches to strategic planning but typically a three-step process may be used: Situation - evaluate the current situation and how it came about. Target - define goals and/or objectives (sometimes called ideal state) Path - map a possible route to the goals/objectives In other terms strategic planning can be as follows: Vision - Define the vision and set a mission statement with hierarchy of goals SWOT - According to the desired goals conduct analysis Formulate - Formulate actions and processes to be taken to attain these goals Implement - Implementation of the agreed upon processes Control - Monitor and get feedback from implemented processes to fully control the operation Situational analysisWhen developing strategies, analysis of the organization and its environment as it is at the moment and how it may develop in the future, is important. The analysis has to be executed at an internal level as well as an external level to identify all opportunities and threats of the new strategy.There are several factors to assess in the external situation analysis:1. Markets (customers) 2. Competition 3. Technology 4. Supplier markets 5. Labor markets 6. The economy 7. The regulatory environment It is rare to find all seven of these factors having critical importance. It is also uncommon to find that the first two - markets and competition - are not of critical importance. Analysis of the external environment normally focuses on the customer. Management should be visionary in formulating customer strategy, and should do so by thinking about market environment shifts, how these could impact customer sets, and whether those customer sets are the ones the company wishes to serve.Analysis of the competitive environment is also performed, many times based on the framework suggested by Michael Porter.Importance of Strategic Planning:Strategic planning is a very important business activity. It is also important in the public sector areas such as education. It is practiced widely informally and formally. Strategic planning and decision processes should end with objectives and a roadmap of ways to achieve those objectives. 6.Prototyping is the process of quickly putting together a working model (a prototype) in order to test various aspects of a design, illustrate ideas or features and gather early user feedback. Prototyping is often treated as an integral part of the system design process, where it is believed to reduce project risk and cost. Often one or more prototypes are made in a process of incremental development where each prototype is influenced by the performance of previous designs, in this way problems or deficiencies in design can be corrected. When the prototype is sufficiently refined and meets the functionality, robustness, manufacturability and other design goals, the product is ready for production.Advantages of prototyping May provide the proof of concept necessary to attract funding Early visibility of the prototype gives users an idea of what the final system looks like . Encourages active participation among users and producer Enables a higher output for user Cost effective (Development costs reduced) Increases system development speed Assists to identify any problems with the efficacy of earlier design, requirements analysis and coding activities Helps to refine the potential risks associated with the delivery of the system being developed Disadvantages of prototyping Users expectation on prototype may be above its performance. Possibility of causing systems to be left unfinished. Possibility of implementing systems before they are ready. Producer might produce a system inadequate for overall organization needs Producer might get too attached to it (might cause legal involvement). Often lack flexibility. Not suitable for large applications . Project management difficulties.