Management Information System (Final Exam Spring 2024) PDF

Management information system Final exam revision Spring (2024 ) Chapter 1 1-1 How are information systems transforming business, and why are they so essential for running and managing a...

Management information system Final exam revision Spring (2024 ) Chapter 1 1-1 How are information systems transforming business, and why are they so essential for running and managing a business today? Organizations are trying to became more competitive and ef cient by digitally enabling their core business processes and evolving into digital rms. The Internet has stimulated globalization by dramatically mducing the costs of producing, buying, and selling goods on a global scale. New information system trends include the emerging mobile digital platform, big data (including lot), more mmote management, democratisation of decision making, machine learning systems, and the growing use of social media in business. Information systems are a foundation for conducting business today. In many industries, survival and the ability to achieve strategic business goals are dif cult without extensive use of information technology. Businesses today use information systems to achieve six major objectives operational excellence, new products, services, and business models, customer/supplier intimacy; improved decision making, competitive advantage, and day-to-day survival. 1-2 What is an information system? How does it work? What are its management, organization, and technology components? Why are complementary assets essential for ensuring that information systems provide genuine value for organizations? From a technical perspective, an information system collects, stores, and disseminates information from an organization's environment and internal operations to support organizational Functions and decision making, communication, coonlination, control, analysis, and visualisation. Information sys tems transform raw data into useful information through three hasic activities input, processing, and output. From a business perspective, an information system provides a solution to a problem or challenge facing a rm and represents a combination of management, organisation, and technology elements. The management dimension of information systems involves issues such as leadership, strategy, and management behavior. The technology dimension consists of computer hardware, software, data man agement technology, and networking/telecommunications technology (including the Internet). 1 fi fi fi fi The organisation dimension of information systems involves issues such as the organisation's hierarchy, functional specialties, business processes, culture, and political interest groups. In order to obtain meaningful value froen information systems, organisations must support their technology investments with appropriate complementary investments in organizations and manage ment. These complementary assets include new business models and business processes, supportive organisational culture and management behavior, and appropriate technology standards, regulations, and laws. New information technology investments are unlikely to produce high returns unless busi nesses make the appropriate managerial and organizational changes to support the technology. 1-3 What academic disciplines are used to study information systems, and how does each contribute to an understanding of information systems? The study of information systems deals with issues and insights contributed from technical and behavioral disciplines. The disciplines that contribute to the technical approach focusing on formal models and capabilities of systems are computer science, management science, and operations research. The disciplines contributing to the behavioral approach focusing on the design, implementation, management, and business impact of systems are psychology, sociology, and economics. A sociotechnical view of systems considers both technical and social features of systems and solutions that represent the best t between them. Chapter 2 2-2 How do systems serve the different management groups in a business, and how do systems that link the enterprise improve organizational performance? Systems serving operational management are transaction processing systems (TPS), such as payroll or order processing, that track the ow of the daily routine transactions necessary to conduct business Management information systems (MIS) produce reports serving middle management by condensing information from TPS, and these are not highly analytical. Decision support systems (DSS) support management decisions that are unique and rapidly changing using advanced analytical models. All of these types of systems provide business intelligence that helps managers and enterprise employees make more informed decisions. These systems for business intelligenon serve multiple levels of management and include executive support systems (ESS) for senior management that provide data in the form of graphs, charts, and dashboards delivered via portals using many sources of internal and external information. 2 fl fi Enterprise applications are designed to coordinate multiple functions and business proces Enterprise systems integrate the key internal business processes of a rm into a single software sys tem to improve coordination and decision making. Supply chain management systems help the rm manage its relationship with suppliers to optimise the planning, sourcing, manufacturing, and de livery of products and services. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems coordinate the business processes surrounding the rm's customers. Knowledge management systems enable rms to optimize the creation, sharing, and distribution of knowledge. Intranets and extranets are private corporate networks based on Internet technology that assemble information from disparate systems. Extranets make portions of private corporate intranets available to outsiders. 2-3 Why are systems for collaboration and social business so important, and what technologies do they use? Collaboration is working with others to achieve shared and explicit goals, Social business is the use of internal and external social networking platforms to engage employnes, customers, and suppliers, and it can enhance collaborative work. Collaboration and social business have become increasingly important in business because of globalisation, the decentralisation of decision making, and growth in jobs where interaction is the primary value adding activity. Collaboration and social business enhancon innovation, productivity, quality, and customer service. Tools for collaboration and social businesa include email and instant messaging, wikis, virtual meeting systems, virtual worlds, cloud- based le sharing services, corporate collaboration systems such as Microsoft SharePoint and IBM Notes, and enterprise social networking tools such as Chatter, Yammer, and IBM Connections. 2-4 What is the role of the information systems function in a business? The information systems department is the formal organisational unit maponsible for information technology servicons. It is responsible for maintaining the hardware, software, data storage, and net works that comprise the rm's IT infrastructure. The department consists of specialists, such as pro grammers, systarms analysts, project Inadens, and information systems managens, and is often headed by a CIO Chapter 5 5-2 what is the components of IT infrastructure ? Major IT infrastructure components include computer hardware platform ,operating system platforms , enterprise software platforms , networking and telecommunications platforms , data management software , internet platforms , and consulting services and system integrators. 5-3 What are the current trends in computer hardware platforms? 3 fi fi fi fi fi fi Increasingly, computing is taking place on a mobile digital platform. Quantum computing is an emerging technology that could dramatically boost processing power through the ability to be in more than one state at the same time. Consumerization of IT is the business use of information technology that originated in the consumer market. Virtualization organizes computing resources so that their use is not restricted by physical con guration or geographic location. In cloud computing, rms and individuals obtain computing power and software as services over a network, including the Internet, rather than purchasing and installing the hardware and software on their own computers. Edge com- puting helps optimize cloud computing by performing some data processing on a set of linked servers at the edge of the network, near the source of the data. A multicore processor is a microprocessor to which two or more processing cores have been attached for enhanced performance. Green comput- ing includes practices and technologies for producing, using, and disposing of information technology hardware to minimize negative impact on the environment. 5-4 What are the current computer software platforms and trends? Open source software is produced and maintained by a global community of programmers and is often downloadable for free. Linux is a powerful, resilient open source operating system that can run on multiple hardware platforms and is used widely to run web servers. Java and JavaScript provide software for making web applications more interactive. HTML5 makes it possible to embed images, audio, and video directly into a web document without add-on programs. Web services are loosely cou- pled software components based on open web standards that work with any application software and operating system. They can be used as components of web-based applications linking the systems of two different organizations or to link disparate systems of a single company. Companies are purchas- ing their new software applications from outside sources, including software packages, by outsourcing custom application development to an external vendor (that may be offshore), or by renting online software services (SaaS). Mashups combine two different software services to create new software ap- plications and services. Apps are software applications that run on mobile devices and are delivered over the Internet. 5-5 What are the challenges of managing IT infrastructure and management solutions? Major challenges include dealing with platform and infrastructure change, infrastructure manage- ment and governance, and making wise infrastructure investments. Solution guidelines include using a competitive forces model to determine how much to spend on IT infrastructure and where to make strategic infrastructure investments, and establishing the total cost of ownership (TCO) of information technology assets. The total cost of owning technology resources includes not only the original cost of computer hardware and software but also costs for hardware and software upgrades, maintenance, technical support, and training. Many rms are turning to cloud computing in an effort to reduce their IT platform costs. Firms use tools for mobile device management (MDM) to monitor, manage, and se- cure mobile devices that are deployed across the enterprise. Chapter 6 4 fi fi fi 6-1 – what are the managing data resources in a traditional le environment ?. Traditional le management techniques make it dif cult for organizations to keep track of all of the pieces of data they use in a systematic way and to organize these data so that they can be easily ac- cessed. Different functional areas and groups were allowed to develop their own les independently. Over time, this traditional le management environment creates problems such as data redundancy and inconsistency, program-data dependence, in exibility, poor security, and lack of data sharing and availability. A database management system (DBMS) solves these problems with software that permits centralization of data and data management so that businesses have a single consistent source for all their data needs. Using a DBMS minimizes redundant and inconsistent les. 6-3- what are the principal tools and technologies for accessing information from databases to improve business performance and decision making ? Contemporary data management technology has an array of tools for obtaining useful information from all the different types of data used by businesses today, including semistructured and unstructured big data in vast quantities. These capabilities include data warehouses and data marts, Hadoop. in-memory computing, and analytical platforms. OLAP represents relationships among data as a multidimensional structure, which can be visualized as cubes of data and cubes within cubes of data, enabling more sophisticated data analysis. Data mining analyzes large pools of data, including the contents of data warehouses, to nd patterns and rules that can be used to predict future behavior and guide decision making. Text mining tools help businesses analyze large unstructured data sets consisting of text. Web mining tools focus on analysis of useful patterns and information from the web, examining the structure of websites and activities of website users, as well as the contents of web pages. Conventional databases can be linked via middleware to the web or a web interface to facilitate user access to an organization's internal data. Chapter 7 7-1 - What are the principals components of telecommunication networks and key networking technologies ? A simple network consists of two or more connected computers. Basic network components include computers, network interfaces, a connection medium, network operating system software, and either a hub or a switch. The networking infrastructure for a large company includes the traditional telephone system, mobile cellular communication, wireless local area networks, videoconferencing systems, a corporate website, intranets, extranets, and an array of local and wide area networks, including the Internet. Contemporary networks have been shaped by the rise of client/ server computing, the use of packet switching, and the adoption of Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) as a universal communications standard for linking disparate networks and computers, including the Internet. 5 fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi  Protocols provide a common set of rules that enable communication among diverse components in a telecommunications network. 7-2 – what are the different types of networks ? The principal physical transmission media are twisted copper telephone wire, coaxial copper cable, ber-optic cable, and wireless transmission. Local area networks (LANs) connect PCs and other digital devices within a 500-meter radius and are used today for many corporate computing tasks. Wide area networks (WANs) span broad geographical distances, ranging from several miles to entire continents and are often private networks that are independently managed. Metropolitan area networks (MANs) span a single urban area Digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies, cable Internet connections, and T1 lines are often used for high-capacity Internet connections. 7-3- how do the internet and internet technology work and how they support communication and e- business ? The Internet is a worldwide network of networks that uses the client/server model of computing and the TCP/IP network reference model. Every computer on the Internet is assigned a unique numeric IP address. The Domain Name System (DNS) converts IP addresses to more user-friendly domain names. Worldwide Internet policies are established by organizations and government bodies such as the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Major Internet services include email, newsgroups, chatting, instant messaging, Telnet, FTP, and the web. Web pages are based on Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and can display text, graphics video, and audio. Website directories, search engines, and RSS technology help users locate the information they need on the web. RSS, blogs, social networking, and wikis are current information- sharing capabilities of the web. The future web will feature more semantic search, visual search, prevalence of apps, and interconnectedness of many different devices (Internet of Things). Firms are also starting to realize economies by using VolP technology for voice transmission and virtual private networks (VPNs) as low-cost alternatives to private WANs. Chapter 8 8-1 Why are information systems vulnerable to destruction, error, and abuse? Digital data are vulnerable to destruction, misuse, error, fraud, and hardware or software failures. The Internet is designed to be an open system and makes internal corporate systems more vulnerable to actions from outsiders. Hackers can unleash denial-of-service (DoS) attacks or penetrate corporate networks, causing serious system disruptions. Wi-Fi networks can easily be penetrated by intruders using sniffer programs to obtain an address to access the resources of the network. Malware can dis- able systems and websites, with mobile devices a major target. The dispersed nature of cloud comput- ing makes it dif cult to track unauthorized activity or to apply controls from afar. Software 6 fi fi presents problems because software bugs may be impossible to eliminate and because software vulnerabilities can be exploited by hackers and malicious software. End users often introduce errors 8-4 What are the most important tools and technologies for safeguarding information resources? Firewalls prevent unauthorized users from accessing a private network when it is linked to the Internet. Intrusion detection systems monitor private networks for suspicious network traf c and at- tempts to access corporate systems. Passwords, tokens, smart cards, and biometric authentication are used to authenticate system users. Anti-malware software checks computer systems for infections by viruses and worms and often eliminates the malicious software. Encryption, the coding and scram- bling of messages, is a widely used technology for securing electronic transmissions over unprotected networks. Blockchain technology enables companies to create and verify tamperproof transactions on a network without a central authority. Digital certi cates combined with public key encryption pro- vide further protection of electronic transactions by authenticating a user's identity. Companies can use fault-tolerant computer systems to make sure that their information systems are always available. Use of software metrics and rigorous software testing help improve software quality and reliability. Chapter 9 9-1 How do enterprise systems help businesses achieve operational excellence? Enterprise software is based on a suite of integrated software modules and a common central data hase. The database collects data from and feeds the data into numerous applications that can support nearly all of an organization's internal business activities. When one process enters new information, the information is made available immediately to other business processes Enterprise systems support organizational centralization by enforcing uniform data standards and business processes throughout the company and a single uni ed technology platform. The rmwide data that enterprise systems generate help managers evaluate organizational performance. 9-2 How do supply chain management systems coordinate planning, production, and logistics with suppliers? Supply chain management (SCM) systems automate the ow of information among members of the supply chain so they can use it to make better decisions about when and how much to purchase, producer, or ship. More accurate information from supply chain management systems reduces uncer tainty and the impact of the bullwhip e ist. Supply chain management software includes software for supply chain planning and for supply chain earcution. Internet inchnology facilitates the management of global supply chains by providing the connectivity for organisations in different countries to share supply chain information. Improved communication among supply chain members also facilitates ef cient customer response and move ment toward a demand driven model. 7 fl fi fl fi fi fi fi 9-3 How do customer relationship management systems help rms achieve customer intimacy? Customer relationship management (CRM) systems integrate and automate customer-facing pro onsans in sales, marketing, and customer service, providing an enterprise wide view of customers. Companies can use this customer knowledge when they interact with customers to provide them with better service or sell new products and services. These systems also identify pro table or unpro table customers or opportunities to reduce the churn rate The major customer relationship management software packages provide capabilitins for both oper ational CRM and analytical CRM. They often include modules for managing relationships with selling partners (partner relationship management) and for employee mlationship management. 9-4 What are the challenges that enterprise applications pose, and how are enterprise applications taking advantage of new technologies? Enterprise applications are dif cult to implement. They require extensive organisational change, large new software investments, and careful assessment of how these systems will enhance organiza tional performance. Enterprise applications cannot provide value if they are implemented atop awed processes or if rms do not know how to use these systems to measure performance improvements. Employens require training to prepare for new procedures and roles. Attention to data management is essential.Enterprise applications are now more exible, web-enabled, and capable of integration with othersystems. They also can run in cloud infrastructures or on mobile platforms. CRM software has added ancial networking capabilities to enhance internal collaboration, deepen interactions with customers,and use data from social networking sites. Enterprise applications are incorporating business intelligence capabilities for analyzing the large quantities of data they generate Good luck 8 fi fi fi fl fi fi fl