Deck 11: Information Systems Management

Question 1

The responsibilities of a tech support engineer include ________.

A)helping users solve problems and providing training
B)managing and protecting databases
C)writing program documentation
D)advising the chief information officer on emerging technologies

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Jamie's company manufactures 3D printers, and his job is to prepare user manuals for the products. Jamie also prepares training material for the workers who are involved in the manufacturing process. With reference to his job profile, Jamie is a ________.

A)system analyst
B)consultant
C)programmer
D)technical writer

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Developing, operating, and maintaining an organization's computing infrastructure is a major function of the ________ department.

A)human resources
B)information systems
C)marketing
D)manufacturing

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The purpose of a ________ group is to protect data and information assets by establishing data standards and data management practices and policies.

A)data administration
B)data warehousing
C)data mining
D)data communication

Question 5

Which of the following is a responsibility of a chief information officer (CIO)?

A)serving as the principal manager of the IS department
B)heading the technology group
C)evaluating new technologies that are relevant to the organization
D)developing processes and information systems (IS)that implement business strategy

Question 6

In all companies, the chief information officer (CIO)reports directly to the chief financial officer.

Question 7

One of the major functions of the information systems (IS)department is to develop, operate, and maintain applications.

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true about the maintenance group of information systems (IS)?

A)It is undertaken by the business analysts.
B)It is overseen by the chief technology officer.
C)It involves adapting existing systems to support new features.
D)It comprises developing test plans and designing automated test scripts.

Question 9

The structure of the information systems (IS)department remains constant across organizations.

Question 10

The responsibilities of a ________ include advising the chief information officer, executive group, and project managers on emerging technologies.

A)technical writer
B)chief financial officer
C)system analyst
D)chief technology officer

Question 11

In an information systems (IS)department, the ________ group manages computing infrastructure, including individual computers, in-house server farms, networks, and communications media.

A)operations
B)technology
C)development
D)maintenance

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true of the operations group in an organization's information system (IS)department?

A)It establishes data standards and data management practices and policies.
B)It monitors the user experience and responds to their problems.
C)It manages all computing infrastructure except in-house server farms and communications media.
D)It includes technical writers if the programs are developed in-house.

Question 13

In the information system (IS)department, the ________ group manages the process of creating new information systems as well as maintaining existing information systems.

A)operations
B)technology
C)development
D)outsourcing relations

Question 14

A ________ works with users to determine system requirements, designs and develops job descriptions and procedures, and helps determine test plans.

A)system analyst
B)business analyst
C)user support representative
D)network administrator

Question 15

Which of the following statements is true of the information systems (IS)department?

A)If the IS primarily support accounting and finance activities, the chief financial officer (CFO)is appointed as the chief information officer (CIO).
B)Programs used in all information systems are developed in-house by the maintenance group.
C)The operations group monitors user experience and responds to user problems.
D)Data administration is performed exclusively by the outsourcing relations group.

Question 16

If an organization does not develop programs in-house, then the development group of the information system (IS)department will be staffed primarily by ________ who work with users, operations, and vendors to acquire and install licensed software and to set up the system components around that software.

A)programmers and development personnel
B)PQA test engineers
C)business and systems analysts
D)technical writers

Question 17

Which of the following statements is true about a data administration staff function?

A)The chief technology officer (CTO)heads the data administration staff function.
B)The group establishes standards to protect information assets.
C)This group includes system and network administrators exclusively.
D)This group manages the process of creating new information systems.

Question 18

Thompson is the chief information officer at a processed food manufacturing company. The information systems used in the company are manufacturing oriented and provide little support to accounting. In this case, Thompson will most likely report to the ________ of the company.

A)chief financial officer
B)chief executive officer
C)director of information services
D)chief technology officer

Question 19

The chief technology officer (CTO)evaluates new technologies and identifies those that are most relevant to the organization.

Question 20

Which of the following is a function of the technology office in an organization's information systems (IS)department?

A)managing computing infrastructure
B)creating new information systems
C)investigating new information systems
D)maintaining existing information systems

Question 21

To work in the information systems (IS)industry, a network administrator should have in-depth knowledge of one or more programming languages.

Question 22

Describe the chief information officers, or CIO's typical reporting relationships.

Question 23

To work in the information systems (IS)industry, a consultant should have an entrepreneurial attitude and communications and people skills.

Question 24

Describe the typical responsibilities of a chief technology officer (CTO).

Question 25

The purpose of the data administration group is to protect data and information assets by establishing data standards and data management practices and policies.

Question 26

Which of the following is a function of the steering committee for the information systems (IS)department?

A)writing program code
B)imparting training
C)adapting software
D)setting IS priorities

Question 27

If an organization does not develop programs in-house, then the development group of the information systems (IS)department will include programmers, test engineers, and technical writers.

Question 28

List the major functions of the information systems (IS)department.

Question 29

Which of the following is a limitation of aligning information systems (IS)with organizational strategy?

A)Adapting the IS to new versions of business processes is complex and time-consuming.
B)Aligning the IS direction with the organizational strategy occurs only when organizations merge.
C)Aligning the IS direction with the organizational strategy occurs only when the divisions are sold.
D)The steering committee provides a forum for the IS department to voice its complaints about the users.

Question 30

In the information systems (IS)industry, a business analyst works with business leaders to develop systems that implement business strategy and goals.

Question 31

With the exception of system analysts, all the major job positions in the information systems (IS)industry require business knowledge.

Question 32

Information technology (IT)must be placed into the structure of information systems (IS)before an organization can use it.

Question 33

Which of the following statements is true about the steering committee of the information systems (IS)department?

A)The steering committee is comprised of employees from the IS department in an organization.
B)The steering committee's membership is determined by the IS department.
C)The steering committee's schedule and agenda are typically set by the chief executive officer (CEO)and other members of the executive staff.
D)The steering committee's meetings are conducted by the IS department.

Question 34

Which of the following statements is true about information systems (IS)planning functions?

A)The chief operating officer (COO)is the sole representative for IS and IT issues within the executive staff.
B)The steering committee represents the IS department exclusively in high-level discussions.
C)The information systems (IS)department's priorities are developed by the chief executive officer (CEO).
D)The chief executive officer (CEO)and other executive staff decide the membership of the steering committee.

Question 35

Name the four groups found in typical information systems (IS)department, and explain the major responsibilities of each.

Question 36

The terms "information systems" and "information technology" can be used interchangeably.

Question 37

The ________ is the representative for information systems (IS)and information technology (IT)issues within the executive staff who provides the IS perspective during discussions of problem solutions, proposals, and new initiatives.

A)chief operating officer
B)chief technology officer
C)chief information officer
D)chief executive officer

Question 38

A(n)________ is a group of senior managers from the major business functions that works with the chief information officer (CIO)to set the information systems (IS)priorities and decide among major IS projects and alternatives.

A)steering committee
B)discussion forum
C)IS department
D)directors committee

Question 39

Maintaining alignment between information systems direction with organizational strategy is a one-time process.

Question 40

In the information systems (IS)industry, a technical writer develops test plans, and designs and writes automated test scripts.

Question 41

Which of the following statements is true of outsourcing?

A)Management should have expertise on a subject before it can decide to outsource.
B)An outsource vendor transfers the responsibility of risk management to the development group.
C)To achieve quality, it is easier to hire another vendor than it is to fire and rehire internal staff.
D)Outsourcing leads to increased financial risk.

Question 42

The chief executive officer (CEO)and other members of the executive staff usually set up the steering committee's schedule and agenda.

Question 43

Describe a steering committee and explain the role of the chief information officer (CIO)in the steering committee.

Question 44

Outsourcing is done to ________.

A)diversify the business portfolio
B)increase costs for outsourcing vendors
C)cap an organization's financial exposure
D)enhance management's focus on nonessential functions

Question 45

KPL Inc. is an outsource vendor. It handles the recruiting process for Numero Uno Computers. KPL recently changed its business strategy to a more profit-oriented one. This modification would require the company to charge more for its services. This change will be a ________ risk for Numero Uno Computers.

A)de facto sole source
B)benefits outweighed by long-term costs
C)no easy exit
D)loss of control

Question 46

The steering committee serves an important communication function between the executive group and the users of the information systems (IS).

Question 47

The chief information officer (CIO)provides the information systems (IS)perspective during discussions of problem solutions, proposals, and new initiatives.

Question 48

Information systems (IS)must evolve as the organization merges with other organizations or as divisions are sold.

Question 49

The chief information officer (CIO)is the representative for information systems (IS)and information technology (IT)issues within the executive staff.

Question 50

Which of the following statements is true about outsourcing?

A)It increases budgetary instability due to the level of risk involved.
B)It saves both direct and indirect management time.
C)It invariably leads to diseconomies of scale.
D)It guarantees a higher level of quality than that provided in-house.

Question 51

The information systems (IS)department determines the membership of a steering committee.

Question 52

Linela Insurance needs to hire twenty accountants immediately to support its accounts receivable process. The hiring and training of the accountants requires a significant investment of funds and time, which the company cannot afford. Linela decides to hire another accounting firm to manage its accounts receivable process and thereby save time and money. This process is known as ________.

A)merging
B)outsourcing
C)headhunting
D)diversifying

Question 53

It is the chief information officer's responsibility to establish and communicate the information systems (IS)priorities to the executive group.

Question 54

Which of the following is an outsourcing alternative in which hardware and both operating system and application software are leased?

A)licensed software
B)Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)cloud hosting
C)Software as a Service (SaaS)
D)virtualization

Question 55

Which of the following is a form of outsourcing hardware infrastructure?

A)acquiring licensed products
B)Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)cloud hosting
C)Software as a Service (SaaS)
D)business function

Question 56

A steering committee is a group of senior managers from the major business functions that works with the chief information officer (CIO)to set the information systems (IS)priorities.

Question 57

The steering committee provides a forum for users to express their needs, frustrations, and other issues they have with the information systems (IS)department.

Question 58

Explain the major information systems (IS)planning functions.

Question 59

Which of the following is a form of outsourcing?

A)ANP Infotech buying off-the-shelf software from a vendor
B)ANP Infotech customizing its information systems
C)ANP Infotech acquiring licensed manufacturing software from a vendor
D)ANP Infotech updating its data standards to protect its information assets

Question 60

Adapting information systems (IS)to new versions of business processes is a quick process.

Question 61

The process of hiring another organization to perform a service is known as outsourcing.

Question 62

How does outsourcing help reduce costs?

Question 63

Which of the following is a risk of outsourcing information systems (IS)/information technology (IT)functions?

A)It is easier to end an agreement between a vendor and an organization that hired the vendor.
B)It provides the hiring organization with too many choices.
C)It involves the potential loss of intellectual capital.
D)It invariably results in diseconomies of scale.

Question 64

There is seldom any concern about the loss of intellectual capital with outsourcing.

Question 65

In 2005, Marrion International chose a human resources consulting agency to handle its human resource needs for the next 7 years. This is an example of ________ outsourcing.

A)network
B)software
C)business function
D)application

Question 66

Freeing up management time is a reason that some companies choose to outsource.

Question 67

Outsourcing neither saves time for direct management, nor for indirect management.

Question 68

Outsourcing does not present any risks related to ending an agreement.

Question 69

If the outsource vendor's employees have gained significant knowledge of the company, ending the agreement is a major risk.

Question 70

What is outsourcing? Explain the management advantages of outsourcing.

Question 71

Acquiring licensed software is a form of outsourcing.

Question 72

Which of the following is an example of outsourcing an entire business function?

A)acquiring licensed security software instead of developing it in-house
B)making customizations to licensed software
C)paying another organization to arrange for employee travel
D)acquiring virtualization technologies

Question 73

Replacing an outsource vendor, who is integrated into the business, can be done without a lot of expenditure or duplication of effort.

Question 74

An organization reduces implementation risk by outsourcing information systems (IS).

Question 75

Atlanta Technologies outsourced its information technology (IT)support department to a vendor in China. The vendor company, however, faced repeated instances of software failure and now needs to make some changes to the information systems. Who among the following has control over prioritizing issues related to such changes?

A)the chief technology officer at Atlanta (CTO)
B)the vendor
C)a third party technician
D)the chief information officer at Atlanta (CIO)

Question 76

The acquisition and operation of hardware infrastructure cannot be outsourced.

Question 77

How does outsourcing facilitate risk reduction?

Question 78

Describe the different outsourcing alternatives for hardware, software, data, and procedures.

Question 79

In the context of outsourcing, once a company has chosen a vendor, further risk management is up to that vendor.

Question 80

It is impossible to cap financial risk by outsourcing.