Deck 2: Information Systems in Organizations

Question 1

Few organizations believe it necessary to align IS goals and organizational goals to achieve a competitive advantage.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Reengineering and continuous improvement mean the same thing.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

While information systems were once used primarily to automate manual processes, they have transformed the nature of work and the shape of organizations themselves.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Disruptive change often results in new, successful companies and offers consumers the potential of new products and services at reduced costs and superior performance.

Question 5

If an organization has a high level of both diffusion and infusion, with computers throughout the organization, information systems are being used to their full potential.

Question 6

The degree to which an organization supports its use is not an important factor that can lead to better attitudes about an information system.

Question 7

Improved productivity can result in faster customer response, lower costs, and increased customer satisfaction.

Question 8

Studies have shown that user satisfaction and technology acceptance are not particularly significant in healthcare as professional in this industry are quick to learn and accept new technology.

Question 9

Just-in-time inventory is likely to lead to increased inventory costs and lower customer satisfaction.

Question 10

An organization's structure is independent of its goals and approach to management.

Question 11

The contemporary view of the role of information systems is that they are so intimately involved that they are part of the process itself.

Question 12

Sustaining change almost always harms an organization while disruptive change almost always help an organization.

Question 13

Today, companies are shifting from strategic management to performance-based management of their information systems and carefully consider both strategic advantage and costs.

Question 14

Organizational culture consists of the major understandings and assumptions for a business or other organization.

Question 15

An organization can have a high level of infusion in one part of its operations and a low level of diffusion overall.

Question 16

When the threat of new market entrants is high, the desire to seek and maintain competitive advantage to dissuade new entrants is also usually high.

Question 17

One organization can spend less than another on information systems but still get better value.

Question 18

According to Porter's five-forces model, the more these forces combine in any instance, the less likely firms will seek competitive advantage and the less dramatic the results of such an advantage will be.

Question 19

The idea of a value chain is not significant to organizations that do not manufacture products.

Question 20

An organization is a system, which means that it has inputs, processing, outputs, and feedback.

Question 21

Because of the difficulty in determining all the costs, total cost of ownership is seldom used to plan for and maximize the value of IS investments.

Question 22

Information systems can help bring new products and services in less time thus reducing time to market.

Question 23

The idea of ________ is to constantly seek ways to improve business processes and add value to products and services.

A) reengineering
B) process redesign
C) disruptive change
D) continuous improvement

Question 24

ROI calculations can be complex, including investment returns over multiple years and the impact of the time value of money.

Question 25

Deep Check
Customer relationship management programs help companies manage _____
A) programs to retain loyal customers

A) and
B) finished product inventory
C)
C) marketing and advertising

Question 26

_____ is a measure of how widely technology is spread throughout an organization.

A) Technology infusion
B) Technology acceptance
C) Technology diffusion
D) Technology adoption

Question 27

A small business that generates an additional profit of $25,000 for the year as a result of an investment of $100,000 in information systems would have a return on investment of 4 to 1.

Question 28

The IS support organization is a multi-faceted group providing user assistance in hardware and software acquisition and use, data administration, user training and assistance, and software development.

Question 29

________ change is a form of change that can completely transform an industry or create new ones, which can harm an organization's performance or even put it out of business.

A) culture
B) organizational
C) disruptive
D) sustaining

Question 30

The extent to which technology permeates an area or department is called _____

A) technology deployment
B) technology diffusion
C) technology adoption
D) technology infusion

Question 31

_____ helps determine what supplies are required for the value chain, what quantities are needed to meet customer demand, how the supplies should be manufactured into finished goods and services, and how the shipment of supplies and products to customers should be scheduled, monitored, and controlled.

A) customer relationship management
B) inventory management
C) demand planning
D) supply chain management

Question 32

The value chain of an organization does NOT include this activity _____

A) inbound logistics
B) finance and accounting
C) marketing and sales
D) customer service

Question 33

A specialized support group often sets guidelines and standards for the rest of the organization to follow in making IS purchases.

Question 34

The systems development organization focuses solely on the development of new information systems and seldom becomes involved in maintenance and review of information systems.

Question 35

_____ involves reducing the number of employees to cut costs.

A) Outsourcing
B) Offshoring
C) On demand computing
D) Downsizing

Question 36

User satisfaction with a computer system and the information it generates often depend on the _____

A) cost of the system
B) quality of the system
C) whether it was outsourced or not
D) the hardware that comes with it

Question 37

Opportunities in information systems are available to people from foreign countries, including Russia and India.

Question 38

Non-technical skills such as communications skills and knowledge of the organization are not important to IS personnel.

Question 39

The ability of an organization to achieve its goals is often a function of the organization's _____

A) overall structure
B) culture
C) ability to change
D) all of the above

Question 40

The role of a systems analyst is narrowly defined and seldom involves communications with others.

Question 41

Delivering products and services to customers is the end of most organization's ________.

Question 42

In the initial phase in their use of information systems, organizations focused on _____

A) using information systems to reduce costs and improve productivity
B) gaining competitive advantage
C) both reducing costs and gaining competitive advantage
D) using the most current technology available

Question 43

The ________ organizational structure empowers employees at lower levels to make decisions and solve problems without needing permission from midlevel managers.

A) virtual
B) traditional
C) flat
D) project management team

Question 44

A(n) _____ is a formal collection of people and other resources established to accomplish a set of goals.

Question 45

Combining a value chain with _____ inventory means companies can deliver materials or parts when they are needed.

Question 46

A strength of the use of ________ teams is that it helps ensure the participation of the best available people to solve important organizational problems.

Question 47

_____ are responsible for scheduling, hardware maintenance, and preparing input and output.

A) Data-entry operators
B) System operators
C) Web operators
D) Local area network operators

Question 48

Porsche is an example of a company with a _____ strategy for gaining competitive advantage, producing only high-performance sports cars and SUVs.

A) differentiation
B) niche
C) cost leadership
D) altering the industry

Question 49

Total cost of ownership includes these costs

A) cost to acquire an item
B) technical support costs
C) end-user costs
D) all of the above

Question 50

Data entry personnel would be found primarily in the _____ organization of the IS group.

A) systems development
B) operations
C) support
D) information center

Question 51

Which one the following was NOT one of five forces identified in Michael Porter's competitive forces model _____

A) the rivalry among existing competitors
B) the threat of new entrants
C) the threat of substitute products and services
D) the threat of new information systems

Question 52

If an industry has low entry and exit costs and the technology needed to start and maintain a business is commonly available, this creates ________.

A) a threat of new entrants
B) a threat of substitute products and services
C) increased bargaining power of customers and suppliers
D) all of the above

Question 53

_____ is a set of major understandings and assumptions shared by a group, such as within an ethic group or country.

Question 54

_____ investigates the additional profits or benefits that are generated as a percentage of the investment in IS technology.

A) Net present value
B) Return on investment
C) Earnings growth
D) Market share

Question 55

Introducing new products and services frequently is part of a(n) _____ competitive advantage strategy

A) differentiation
B) creating new products and services
C) altering the industry
D) improving existing product lines and services

Question 56

_____ is a competitive advantage strategy that Walmart and other retailers have followed for years and focuses on becoming more efficient and reducing costs.

A) Differentiation
B) Niche strategy
C) Creating new products and services
D) Cost leadership

Question 57

A visa program that enables skilled employees from foreign lands into the United States.

A) L-1B
B) H-1B
C) 4F
D) all of the above

Question 58

In the restaurant industry, competition is fierce primarily because _____

A) entry costs are low
B) the bargaining power of buyers
C) the bargaining power of suppliers
D) the rapid deployment of IS solutions

Question 59

Which of the following statements is true about the characteristics of a highly competitive industry _____

A) they have low fixed costs for entering or leaving the industry
B) there are high degrees of product differentiation
C) there are few competitors
D) there tend to be more firms seeking competitive advantage

Question 60

Which of these is NOT a measure of performance used to evaluate the contribution of information systems to the business?

A) return on investment
B) productivity
C) net present value
D) none of the above

Question 61

Organizational _____ deals with how organizations plan for, implement, and handle change.

Question 62

The _____ strategy for competitive advantage involves producing a variety of products, giving customers more choices, or delivering higher quality products and services.

Question 63

In the transformation mechanism of organizational system, subsystems contain ________ that help turn inputs into goods or services of increased value.

Question 64

Through adding ________ or worth, organizations attempt to increase performance and achieve their goals.

Question 65

________ means the ability of a product or a service to meet or exceed customer expectations.

Question 66

A(n) _____ administrator focuses on the planning, policies, and procedures regarding the use of corporate data and information.

Question 67

Because IS hardware and software are costly, a specialized _____ group manages computer hardware and software acquisitions.

Question 68

The _____ visa program is often used for intracompany transfers for multinational companies.

Question 69

_____ is the sum of all costs over the life of the information system.

Question 70

The _____ service unit is basically a miniature IS department attached and directly reporting to a functional area in a large organization.

Question 71

_____ = (output / input) x 100%

Question 72

The IS organization has three primary responsibilities including operations, systems development, and _____

Question 73

The _____ component of the IS organization typically operates the information center.

Question 74

A(n) _____, also called a strategic partnership, is an agreement between two or more companies that involves the joint production and distribution of goods and services.

Question 75

To be competitive, an organization must also _____ its IS strategy with general business strategies and objectives.

Question 76

A(n) _____ is a significant and (ideally) long-term benefit to a company over its competition.

Question 77

This balanced approach in the use of information systems that attempts to reduce costs and increase revenues is called ________ management of information systems.

Question 78

The design department of an architectural firm that uses computers in all aspects of its design work would be said to have a high level of _____.

Question 79

The _____ model specifies the factors that can lead to better attitudes about the information system, along with higher acceptance and usage of the system in an organization.

Question 80

Porter's _____ model is a widely accepted model that identifies the key factors that can lead to attainment of competitive advantage.