Deck 2: Business Processes, Information Systems, and Information

Question 1

Feedback and iteration enable a group to produce something greater than any single person could accomplish working independently.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Determining the best mix of products that a company should sell is an example of an unstructured decision.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Moving a factory from Detroit to Mexico is an example of a strategic decision.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In order to be an effective collaborator, one should refrain from airing unpopular and different viewpoints.

Question 5

Being a skilled and persuasive presenter is the most important characteristic for an effective collaborator.

Question 6

An unstructured decision is one for which there is no agreed-on decision-making method.

Question 7

Determining the reorder quantity of an item in inventory by using a formula is an example of an unstructured decision.

Question 8

The fundamental purpose of the starting phase of project management is to set the ground rules for the project and the team.

Question 9

A group of programmers work separately to create modules and merge the modules later to build an application. This is an example of collaboration.

Question 10

Informing is the first and most fundamental collaboration purpose.

Question 11

Need for collaboration increases as the decisions become more structured.

Question 12

Richard Hackman's studies revealed that growth in team capability is a major criterion for judging team success.

Question 13

Being well organized is the most important characteristic of an effective collaborator.

Question 14

Strategic decisions are typically not collaborative.

Question 15

The facility manager of an insurance company makes decisions on the monthly purchase of office supplies. This is an example of an operational decision.

Question 16

Finding the best location for building a new plant is an example of a structured decision.

Question 17

Operational decisions require a high degree of collaboration.

Question 18

Being a perceptive listener is more important for a collaborator than being gregarious and dynamic.

Question 19

A group of four painters, each painting a different wall in the same room, are not working cooperatively.

Question 20

Operational decisions concern the allocation and utilization of resources.

Question 21

Files placed on Google Drive can be accessed only by users with a Gmail address.

Question 22

Project plan and budget are prepared during the finalizing phase of project management.

Question 23

Susan, the operations manager at Multitech Systems Inc., schedules a face-to-face meeting with her vendors to decide on the specifications for a project. Some of her senior engineers are also asked to participate in the discussion through a conference call. This is an example of synchronous communication.

Question 24

Collaboration systems should ideally store data on team member's devices, rather than on servers.

Question 25

The purpose of the planning phase of project management is to accomplish project tasks.

Question 26

Email is the medium preferred for collaborations in which content control is highly desired.

Question 27

One of the advantages of a team survey is that it is easy to determine who has not yet responded.

Question 28

Project documentation and a progress report are prepared during the starting phase of a project.

Question 29

Managers assign project tasks to team members during the planning phase of project management.

Question 30

Margaret finds that calling all her senior supervisors and quality managers for a face-to-face meeting is not feasible. She arranges for a multiparty text chatting session involving all of them. This is an example of asynchronous communication.

Question 31

Preparing archival documents is performed during the finalizing phase of a project.

Question 32

The applications teams use and the means by which they share data depend on the type of content.

Question 33

Discussion forums ensure the simultaneous participation of the entire team.

Question 34

Project data and project metadata are subject to iteration and feedback.

Question 35

Email is a form of asynchronous communication.

Question 36

With Google Drive, documents are stored on the user's computer.

Question 37

Project data is data that is part of the collaboration's work product.

Question 38

A shared file server is best suited for sharing content when there is increased risk of interference with the user's work by other team members.

Question 39

Version management applications offer a higher degree of control than the version control applications.

Question 40

Webinar is a tool used to facilitate asynchronous communication.

Question 41

Which of the following is the most important trait that an effective collaborator should have?

A) avoiding unpopular ideas
B) persuasive presentation skills
C) willingness to enter into difficult conversations
D) previous experience as a collaborator

Question 42

Version management systems improve the tracking of shared content and provide version control.

Question 43

Only one user at a time can open Google Drive documents for editing.

Question 44

The ideal power curve has a positive power value at time zero and has no flat spots.

Question 45

In version control systems, the shared directories used to store shared documents are called libraries.

Question 46

The task lists of SharePoint are industrial-strength.

Question 47

A student team, which is assigned a term project, works together to achieve results. They provide continuous feedback to each other and thus, complete the project. Which of the following is being illustrated in this activity?

A) collaboration
B) groupthink
C) systems thinking
D) experimentation

Question 48

Identify the least important characteristic for an effective collaborator.

A) willingness to enter difficult conversations
B) being an experienced businessperson
C) showing ability to receive negative feedback
D) being skillful at giving negative feedback

Question 49

________ occurs when a group of people work together to achieve a common goal via a process of feedback and iteration.

A) Systems thinking
B) Collaboration
C) Groupthink
D) Experimentation

Question 50

Using a file server to exchange documents is superior to using Google Drive.

Question 51

Collaboration tools that provide workflow control manage the activities in a process pre-defined by the group.

Question 52

Microsoft Lync is an example of a comprehensive content sharing collaboration tool.

Question 53

A student group that is working on a project is considered to be a collaboration if ________.

A) the members work on different sections by themselves
B) the members provide feedback on each other's work
C) the group uses Google Drive to share files
D) the group uses a file server to share files

Question 54

Which of the following is a key difference between collaboration and cooperation?

A) Unlike cooperation, collaboration occurs when a job has to be accomplished.
B) Cooperation requires people to have a common goal, whereas collaboration occurs even without a common goal.
C) People should work together to cooperate, whereas they need not work together to collaborate.
D) Unlike cooperation, collaboration emphasizes iteration and feedback.

Question 55

All text messages that the user sends via Lync are automatically recorded and stored in the user's email folder.

Question 56

Collaboration occurs when a number of people ________.

A) come together to perform tasks that are different
B) work together to achieve a common goal
C) perform independent tasks that are important
D) work without having to critically analyze each other's work

Question 57

Accountability and follow-up is seldom required for task management.

Question 58

Andrea, the floor supervisor at a call center, calls Bryan, a call attendant, to her office. She reports observing a few critical omissions in his calls, a finding supported by recent employee ratings. Andrea discusses with Bryan a few ways to improve his productivity. Bryan feels that Andrea is just overreacting. Which of the following is a valid observation of this scenario?

A) Andrea failed to express an unpopular viewpoint.
B) Bryan needs to learn to receive feedback.
C) The office lacks a communication system.
D) Bryan is self-managing and requires low supervision.

Question 59

Task descriptions need to be specific and worded so that it is possible to decide whether or not the task was accomplished.

Question 60

Team members need not continually check the SharePoint task list for new tasks.

Question 61

Identify a key difference between managerial decisions and operational decisions.

A) Managerial decisions concern the allocation of resources, whereas operational decisions concern day-to-day activities.
B) Managerial decisions are corporate decisions, whereas operational decisions concern the utilization of resources.
C) Managerial decisions deal with the allocation of resources, whereas operational decisions concern broad-scope, organizational issues.
D) Operational decisions have broad scope, whereas the scope of managerial decisions is limited to day-to-day activities.

Question 62

A company's top managers meet to decide on a potential merger with one of its competitors. They discuss various aspects of the merger, such as business valuations and conducting due diligence. This is an example of ________ decision making.

A) asynchronous
B) unstructured
C) programmed
D) operational

Question 63

________ decisions are decisions that support day-to-day activities.

A) Operational
B) Tactical
C) Strategic
D) Managerial

Question 64

The directors of a company meet to decide if they should start a new product line or not. This is an example of a(n) ________ decision.

A) operational
B) strategic
C) managerial
D) procedural

Question 65

Which of the following decisions is least likely to involve collaboration?

A) How much of product A should be ordered from vendor B?
B) What products should we include in the new product line?
C) Should our company acquire company A?
D) What type of relationship should the company maintain with company A?

Question 66

________ decisions are those that support broad-scope, organizational issues.

A) Operational
B) Strategic
C) Mid-level
D) Managerial

Question 67

Project leaders have to take decisions on the allocation and utilization of materials and labor. Such decisions are called ________ decisions.

A) operational
B) top-level
C) managerial
D) strategic

Question 68

Using a standardized procedure to calculate the incentives of employees is an example of a(n) ________.

A) autocratic participative decision-making style
B) structured decision
C) robust decision
D) consensus participative decision-making style

Question 69

Kyra, an inventory manager, orders 500 units of Type-2 steel beams for the current month from the company's usual vendor. In doing so, she has made a(n) ________ decision.

A) managerial
B) tactical
C) strategic
D) operational

Question 70

According to J. Richard Hackman, which of the following is a primary criterion for judging team success?

A) growth in team capability
B) experience in collaborating
C) ability to be dynamic
D) availability of external help

Question 71

Which of the following questions is best answered through unstructured decision making?

A) How many overtime hours should be used to fill this order?
B) Should we continue to outsource our bookkeeping processes?
C) What is the acceptable defect ratio for this product?
D) When should the next batch be scheduled to reduce idle time?

Question 72

A decision is called an operational decision if it ________.

A) is made by an individual rather than a group
B) is made by managers
C) involves allocation of resources
D) concerns day-to-day activities

Question 73

Managerial decisions in an organization concern ________.

A) the utilization of resources
B) broad organizational issues
C) the day-to-day activities
D) strategic decision making

Question 74

The need for collaboration is greatest for ________ decisions.

A) operational
B) procedural
C) strategic
D) managerial

Question 75

An organization uses a formula to compute the reorder quantity of an item in inventory. This is an example of a(n) ________ decision process.

A) structured
B) autocratic
C) corporate
D) strategic

Question 76

Which of the following observations about the relationship between decision type and decision process is true?

A) Managerial decisions tend to be highly structured, whereas operational decisions are unstructured.
B) The higher levels of decision making tend to be associated with unstructured decision processes.
C) Higher-level organizational decisions should be highly structured.
D) Need for collaboration is highly significant for lower-level, structured decisions.

Question 77

Which of the following is an example of a strategic decision?

A) deciding to increase the salaries of a group of employees
B) deciding to open a centralized distribution system
C) deciding to increase the reorder quantity of raw materials
D) deciding to give an employee certain tasks and responsibilities

Question 78

Departmental heads should determine the computer hardware and programs that are needed for their department. This is an example of a(n) ________ decision.

A) operational
B) strategic
C) procedural
D) managerial

Question 79

Which of the following is a key difference between strategic decisions and managerial decisions?

A) Strategic decisions deal with the utilization of resources, whereas managerial decisions deal with day-to-day activities.
B) Managerial decisions concern organizational issues, whereas strategic decisions concern external issues.
C) Managerial decisions concern allocation and utilization of resources, whereas strategic decisions concern broad organizational issues.
D) Strategic decisions involve financial issues, whereas managerial decisions do not involve financial issues.

Question 80

Which of the following is a primary purpose of collaboration?

A) eliminating individual tasks
B) being informed
C) evaluating coworkers
D) performing routine tasks