Deck 9: Information, Decision Support, and Special-Purpose Systems

Question 1

Management information and decision support systems can provide a wealth of information to help people make better decisions.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The implementation stage of the problem-solving process involves a feedback and adjustment process.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Both reactive and proactive problem solvers can turn problems into opportunities, but taking a reactive approach means you can identify opportunities earlier and exploit them faster.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Most organizations and individuals use only a proactive approach to problem solving.

Question 5

Information systems are often used to support nonprogrammed decisions by providing reports on problems that are routine and that have well-defined relationships.

Question 6

Determining the appropriate training program for a new employee is an example of a programmed decision.

Question 7

Nonprogrammed decisions require human knowledge or software that has human knowledge embedded in it.

Question 8

Optimization is used by airlines to create flight schedules that provide the best return on investment.

Question 9

A heuristic procedure used by baseball team managers is to place those batters most likely to get on base at the top of the lineup, followed by the "power hitters" who will drive the leadoff batters in to score.

Question 10

An MIS is fueled by databases.

Question 11

Transaction processing systems cannot record data in a database for every transaction within a business, as it would overload the system.

Question 12

An MIS can mine transaction data for interesting trends and important statistics.

Question 13

Many corporations have adopted the term artificial intelligence to label their MIS systems.

Question 14

You can view your credit report online on demand.

Question 15

An MIS is "smarter" than a DSS.

Question 16

An ERP for a large business would include components for manufacturing, supply chain management, financials, project management, human resources, customer relationship management, and data warehousing applications.

Question 17

When adopting an ERP system, only select information systems within the organization are studied and redesigned.

Question 18

A DSS often uses mathematical models and calculations designed to solve a specific problem.

Question 19

Simulation uses chance or probability.

Question 20

During the monitoring stage of the problem-solving process, problems and opportunities are identified and defined. ____________________

Question 21

With a(n) proactive problem-solving approach, the problem solver waits until a problem surfaces or becomes apparent before taking any action. ____________________

Question 22

Problems that are routine and that have well-defined relationships are called unstructured problems. ____________________

Question 23

Deciding whether to buy a townhouse or rent an apartment, and weighing the benefits and disadvantages of various diets are examples of nonprogrammed decisions. ____________________

Question 24

An example of a(n) heuristic used in business is to order a four months' supply of inventory for a particular item when the inventory level drops to 20 or fewer units. ____________________

Question 25

An MIS pulls data from one or more databases, sorts and sifts the data based on specific criteria, and produces reports of useful information. ____________________

Question 26

The information produced in MIS reports is commonly referred to as business intelligence. ____________________

Question 27

-Referring to the figure above, the database that is the primary source of input for the MIS of a business is its corporate databases. ____________________

Question 28

A(n) portal report, a special type of scheduled report, summarizes the previous day's critical activities and is typically available at the beginning of each workday. ____________________

Question 29

A bank can use exception reports to get a list of customer inquiries that have been open for a period of time without some progress or closure. ____________________

Question 30

The DSS approach emphasizes that people, not machines, make decisions. ____________________

Question 31

What-if analysis is the process of determining what problem data is required for a given result. ____________________

Question 32

A computer simulation allows people to analyze various possibilities and scenarios. ____________________

Question 33

A patient will get a(n) optimization report from a clinic only if a blood test shows a possible problem. ____________________

Question 34

The true potential of computer systems is in providing information to ____.

A) perform tasks more efficiently
B) perform tasks less expensively
C) help people make smarter decisions
D) help computers make smart decisions

Question 35

-Referring to the figure above, the problem-solving process involves ____ steps.

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5

Question 36

-Referring to the figure above, it would be the ____ stage of the problem-solving process that includes a feedback and adjustment process.

A) design
B) choice
C) implementation
D) monitoring

Question 37

One of the highest compliments is to be recognized by your friends and coworkers as a "real problem ____."

A) identifier
B) solver
C) fact finder
D) designer

Question 38

Decision making is a process that takes place in three stages that does NOT include: ____.

A) intelligence
B) design
C) choice
D) implementation

Question 39

The intelligence stage of the problem-solving process includes all of these tasks EXCEPT ____.

A) problems and opportunities are identified and defined
B) things that might constrain the solution are identified
C) the problem or opportunity environment is investigated
D) alternative solutions to the problem are developed

Question 40

During the ____ stage the feasibility and implications of different alternatives are evaluated.

A) choice
B) implementation
C) intelligence
D) design

Question 41

During the ____ stage of the problem-solving process, a course of action is selected.

A) selection
B) choice
C) implementation
D) design

Question 42

With a(n) ____ problem solving approach, the problem solver seeks out potential problems before they become serious.

A) proactive
B) reactive
C) structured
D) unstructured

Question 43

____ decisions deal with unusual or exceptional situations.

A) Nonprogrammed
B) Programmed
C) either a. or b.
D) neither a. nor b.

Question 44

Nonprogrammed decisions can be difficult to represent as a(n) ____.

A) rule
B) procedure
C) quantitative method
D) all of the above

Question 45

Decision support systems and expert systems are used to solve a variety of ____ decisions in which the problem is not routine and rules and relationships are not well defined.

A) programmed
B) nonprogrammed
C) either a. or b.
D) neither a. nor b.

Question 46

When a problem is not routine and rules and relationships are not well defined, it is a(n) ____ problem.

A) structured
B) unstructured
C) reactive
D) proactive

Question 47

A(n) ____ model finds the best solution, usually the one that will best help individuals or organizations meet their goals.

A) optimization
B) goal-seeking
C) dashboard
D) what-if

Question 48

An example of a ____ rule in the military is to "get there first with the most firepower."

A) what-if
B) goal-seeking
C) demand
D) heuristic

Question 49

The primary purpose of an MIS is to help individuals and organizations achieve their goals by providing ____ and information used to make better decisions.

A) reports
B) tables
C) graphs
D) mind maps

Question 50

An example of the output of an MIS would be ____.

A) A doctor's report on the results of a routine physical exam
B) A report showing all swimmers who have grades below a certain GPA
C) A report comparing features and prices of a particular make and model of car at auto dealers within 100 miles of home
D) all of the above

Question 51

An MIS does all of these tasks EXCEPT: ____.

A) pulls data from one or more databases
B) sifts the data based on specific criteria
C) produces reports of useful information
D) makes decisions

Question 52

External data may be stored ____.

A) on databases within the organization
B) in an external database
C) either a. or b.
D) neither a. nor b.

Question 53

The output of most management information systems is a collection of ____.

A) Web sites
B) statistics
C) reports
D) personnel files

Question 54

In what is commonly called an executive ____, management information systems provide real-time reporting that allows decision makers to stay connected to dynamic changes in the business.

A) dashboard
B) portal
C) report
D) hub

Question 55

____ is a contemporary term for an MIS designed for specific business needs.

A) BI
B) AI
C) DSS
D) KM

Question 56

Many corporations have adopted the term ____ intelligence to label their MIS systems.

A) business
B) artificial
C) dashboard
D) executive

Question 57

The following is an example of a scheduled report: ____.

A) An investor can receive monthly statements summarizing the performance of his or her stock
B) A university student receives a report at the end of each semester or quarter summarizing his or her grades
C) both a. and b.
D) neither a. nor b.

Question 58

____ reports allow people to take quick, corrective action when it is most needed.

A) Key-indicator
B) Key-index
C) Key-information
D) Key-intelligence

Question 59

____ reports are developed to give certain information at a person's request.

A) Scheduled
B) Demand
C) What-if
D) Goal-seeking

Question 60

____ reports are reports that are automatically produced when a situation is unusual or requires action.

A) Exception
B) Optimization
C) Executive dashboard
D) Simulation

Question 61

-Referring to the figure above, the following is a true statement: ____.

A) As you descend the pyramid, each system builds and relies on the systems above it
B) As you ascend the pyramid, each system builds and relies on the underlying systems
C) both a. and b.
D) neither a. nor b.

Question 62

-The figure above illustrates the level of ____ of the primary computer-based information systems discussed in this chapter.

A) complexity
B) intelligence
C) workload
D) all of the above

Question 63

-Referring to the figure above, a(n) ____ extends the functionality of a DSS by implementing AI techniques.

A) TPS
B) MIS
C) ES
D) none of the above

Question 64

A typical category for an MIS is ____.

A) Sales Analytics
B) Marketing Analytics
C) Order Management and Fulfillment Analytics
D) all of the above

Question 65

____ systems have become a necessity for businesses looking to streamline production.

A) Procurement management
B) Supply chain management
C) Logistics streamlining
D) Customer relationship

Question 66

Customer ____ management systems are used by many businesses for gauging customer satisfaction and responding to customer issues.

A) relationship
B) service
C) transaction
D) problem

Question 67

An enterprise resource planning system integrates all data processing in a corporation into one unified system that would ____.

A) share data
B) have a standardized user interface
C) be centrally administered and maintained
D) all of the above

Question 68

Typically, a corporation contracts a professional ERP vendor to manage the design and installation of the system. Vendors include ____.

A) Oracle and IBM
B) Mozilla and Google
C) both a. and b.
D) neither .a nor b.

Question 69

The focus of a DSS is on decision-making effectiveness when faced with ____ problems.

A) unstructured
B) semistructured
C) structured
D) either a. or b.

Question 70

Decision support systems do all of the following EXCEPT: ____.

A) handle a range of data from small amounts to large amounts
B) obtain and process data from different sources
C) provide limited report options
D) perform complex, sophisticated analysis

Question 71

All of the following is true of decision support systems EXCEPT: ____.

A) A DSS is less "smart" than an MIS
B) A DSS supports optimization and heuristic approaches
C) A DSS performs simulation
D) A DSS performs "what-if" and goal-seeking analysis

Question 72

With ____ analysis, a person can make changes to problem data and immediately see the impact on the results.

A) what-if
B) goal-seeking
C) demand
D) proactive

Question 73

Performing ____ analysis allows a manager to determine what monthly net income is needed to have a return of 9 percent.

A) goal-seeking
B) what-if
C) heuristic
D) demand

Question 74

An MIS ____.

A) is strong in modeling
B) provides information from corporate databases to be used by decision makers
C) both a. and b.
D) neither a. nor b.

Question 75

For a system to be more intelligent than a DSS, ____ intelligence techniques would have to be leveraged to give the system the ability to reach conclusions and offer advice, even with insufficient information on which to base a decision.

A) business
B) artificial
C) random
D) mapping

Question 76

The characteristics of a typical GDSS include all of the following EXCEPT: ____.

A) flexibility
B) reduction of negative group behavior
C) support of positive group behavior
D) defends against anonymous input

Question 77

One popular groupware package, ____ Notes, can capture, store, manipulate, and distribute memos and communications that are developed during group projects.

A) Adobe
B) Lotus
C) Microsoft
D) Mozilla

Question 78

____ is an example of a groupware product available on the Web.

A) WebEx
B) Genesys Meeting Center
C) GoToMeeting Corporate
D) all of the above

Question 79

The four most common types of information systems, TPS, MIS, DSS, and ES, are common in ____.

A) all industries
B) all professions
C) both a. and b.
D) neither a. nor b.

Question 80

Often, multiple systems are merged into multifunction ____ systems that support a variety of activities.

A) portal
B) heuristic
C) hybrid
D) demand