Deck 2: Information Systems Defined

Question 1

Why do modern organizations build IT-enabled Information Systems?

A) To increase efficiency
B) To improve effectiveness
C) To comply with external requirements, such as regulations
D) All of the above
E) Only A and B

Answer 1

All of the above

Question 2

In class, we have defined Information Systems as socio-technical systems made up of four components. Such components are:

A) Technology, Process, Structure, People
B) Strategy, Culture, Information, Procedure
C) Input, Processing, Output, Feedback
D) Operators, Computers, Information, Feedback
E) Both A and B

Answer 2

Technology, Process, Structure, People

Question 3

The following is an example of an informal Information Systems

A) Facebook
B) Your university's bursar system
C) Amazon.com's billing system
D) Wal-Mart's inventory system
E) The Internal Revenue Service income tax processing system

Answer 3

Facebook

Question 4

When discussing the fact that Information Systems exist in context, which of the following is not part of the organizational context of an Information System?

A) Firm's strategy
B) Firm's IT infrastructure
C) Firm's culture
D) Firm's external environment
E) Firm's organizational structure

Question 5

First order change is the easiest to manage because:

A) Employees are typically trained when it occurs
B) Employees are typically on board and committed to it
C) The introduction on an IT innovation only impacts people
D) The introduction on an IT innovation only impacts structure
E) The introduction on an IT innovation only impacts process

Question 6

Why do managers need to consider the context in which the organization is embedded when making an information systems decision?

A) A genuine understanding of the people involved, their skills, interests, and motivations is necessary when designing and implementing a new information systems.
B) Every organization is unique and the type of information systems the firm needs depends on its unique characteristics
C) The user resistance, incentive systems, and relationships within the information systems are crucial to information systems success
D) So that managers can stay abreast of current developments
E) To identify best practices so that all companies in a given industry can work to become more identical to each other.

Question 7

The information systems and organizational changes which heavily involve the people, process, and technology components of the information systems is called:

A) Robotics
B) First-order change
C) Second-order change
D) Third-order change
E) Fourth-order change

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT defined as relating to Information Technology?

A) Servers (webservers, fileservers, etc.)
B) User equipment (PCs, cell phones, etc.)
C) Telecommunication equipment (Routers, Switches, cables, etc.)
D) People (Users, Managers, etc.)
E) Software (Windows, Microsoft Office, etc.)

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT one of the components of Information Systems?

A) The collection of beliefs, expectations and values shared by the members of an organization
B) The individuals or groups directly involved
C) The organizational design, reporting, and relationships
D) Both processing and telecommunications equipment
E) Software used to manage data, information, and decision making.

Question 10

"Systemic effects" refers to:

A) The interdependence of the four components of information systems
B) The achievement of the goals of information systems
C) The effects of external environment on information systems implementation
D) The effects of firm strategy on information systems success
E) The effects of business output on business input

Question 11

The information systems and organizational change which heavily involves all four components of the information systems is considered as:

A) Automation
B) First-order change
C) Second-order change
D) Third-order change
E) Fourth-order change

Question 12

We have defined Information Systems (IS) as socio-technical systems. What does the term "socio-technical" mean in this definition?

A) That an IS is designed and built by people
B) That an IS is enabled by IT
C) That an IS has two subsystems, a social and technical one
D) That an IS is generally built for the greater good of society
E) That an IS requires that users be technically trained.

Question 13

A business process is:

A) The series of steps that a firm performs in order to complete an economic activity
B) The procedure manuals typically used in large organizations to train new hires
C) The firm's culture and its manifestations
D) A methodology for streamlining business operations so as to achieve substantial performance improvements
E) The way that information is handled within the company.

Question 14

IT includes which of the following?

A) Recorded data
B) Software
C) An organization's structure
D) Users
E) Paper and pencil

Question 15

When designing an information system you must optimize the IS as a whole, not each individual component. This is because the components of an IS interact with one another. We have termed this phenomenon:

A) Systemic effects
B) Component interrelationship
C) The architecture of the IS
D) Mutual component dependency
E) Enabler effects

Question 16

A socio-technical system has the following fundamental components:

A) Social Groups, Hardware, Software, and Technical Environment
B) IT, Governance, Environment, and People
C) Process, People, IT, and Structure
D) IT, People, and Process
E) IT, Process, and Social Groups

Question 17

Various levels of organizational change can be brought about by the introduction of new IT. They include:

A) Intermediate
B) Integrate
C) Input
D) Interface
E) Transform

Question 18

First-order change includes the following components:

A) Social Groups, Hardware, Software, and Technical Environment
B) IT, Governance, Environment, and People
C) Process, People, IT, and Structure
D) IT and Process
E) IT, Process, Social Groups, Business Process

Question 19

Which of the following is not part of the organizational context of an Information System?

A) Firm strategy
B) Process
C) Firm culture
D) External environment
E) Legal issues

Question 20

An Information System consists of the following components: IT, Process, ________, and Structure; these four components are then grouped into two subsystems; technical and ________.

A) External environment, philosophical
B) People, organizational context
C) People, social
D) Managers, strategy
E) Data, informational

Question 21

Which of these definitions best describes hardware?

A) A series of statements or instructions to the computer
B) The contents of a computer's memory
C) The physical components of your computer system.
D) Network routing tables
E) Software loaded on a computer's hard drive.

Question 22

The term interface is used to represent:

A) The source code for a software application.
B) The part of a software application that a user interacts with.
C) The information processing logic of a software application.
D) The separation between the software and the user.
E) The environment that a computer operates in.

Question 23

A third-order change includes which of the following components:

A) Process and IT
B) IT, Structure, and People
C) Process, People, IT, and Structure
D) IT, People, Process, and Environment
E) IT and People

Question 24

When second order change occurs, only the manner in which the process is performed changes, making it relatively easy to envision, justify, and manage.

Question 25

IT and IS are exactly the same concepts.

Question 26

Networking Devices are IT components.

Question 27

There is only one way to correctly perform a business activity.

Question 28

The organizational structure component includes the organization's culture.

Question 29

The unintended effects of IT are always negative and should be minimized.

Question 30

The external environment should not be included in the design of IS.

Question 31

Among the positive effects of an information system we can include employee empowerment and the widening scope of their responsibility.

Question 32

Software is an opinion about how data are represented, organized, and manipulated

Question 33

The external environment is one of the four fundamental components of IS.

Question 34

What is an Information System and what are some examples?

Question 35

Why is the people component a necessary part of an IS?

Question 36

Produce the "Information Systems in Organizational Context" model. Why is the Feedback Loop important to this model?

Question 37

Why do organizations build Information Systems?

Question 38

What is required for the successful design and implantation of an Information System?

Question 39

What are some key implications that stem from the notion of systemic effects and the fact that Information Systems exist in an organizational context?

Question 40

Why is constant re-evaluation of Information Systems necessary?

Question 41

Define "information systems" and provide an example of formal information system.

Question 42

Please draw the socio-technical system diagram to show the components of information systems and the interaction among the components, and define a "third-order" information systems and organizational change?

Question 43

Define "information systems" and provide an example of an informal information system

Question 44

We have used the model below to aid in the analysis of information systems and how they interact with each other. Please fill in the missing components and describe all four components of an information system.

Question 45

Briefly define the notion of Systemic Effects and provide an example to illustrate your definition.

Question 46

Imagine the following scenario: You manage a table restaurant in your town. You have been asked to implement wireless table ordering using portable wireless (e.g., palm) devices. This is clearly a situation where you need to design an Information System. Use the framework we have introduced in class to identify the most important components that will make up such Information System (be specific to the example of the restaurant).Note, you are asked to list the components you will need, not to troubleshoot this implementation effort

Question 47

Explain why it is necessary for managers to be aware of the four components of an information system. Include discussion regarding what the four components are, along with examples.

Question 48

Explain why it is necessary for managers to be mindful of both organizational and national culture differences when making decisions regarding information systems. Provide examples to support your statements.