Deck 13: Information and Decision-Making

Question 1

Information technology assists us in acquiring,storing,and processing information.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Information competency is the ability to use technology to locate,retrieve,evaluate,organize,and analyze information for decision making.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Management Information systems use technology that processes,organizes,analyzes,and distributes data.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The management process of planning,organizing,leading,and controlling is ultimately driven by information.

Question 5

As a result of the growth of management information systems,more managers are needed to coordinate the flow,sharing and processing of information.

Question 6

A management information system is designed to use information technology to meet the specific information needs of managers as they make a variety of decisions on a day-to-day basis.

Question 7

Information that is complete is accurate,reliable,and can be used with confidence.

Question 8

At the organization's boundaries,information in the external environment is accessed and managers use this intelligence information to deal effectively with competitors and key stakeholders.

Question 9

Organizations send public information to stakeholders and the external environment for the purpose of image building,financial reporting,and product advertising.

Question 10

Self-confidence means being willing to act with the conviction needed to succeed in the situations we face.

Question 11

Neither supply chain management nor customer relationship management can be improved with information technology IT)connections.

Question 12

Information is data made useful and meaningful for decision-making.

Question 13

Information systems use the latest in information technology to collect,organize,and distribute data in such a way that they become meaningful as information.

Question 14

Information that is understandable is clear and easily understood by the user and is free from unnecessary detail.

Question 15

As a result of the increasing use of information technology,individuals and teams can communicate more easily and share information,and coordination and control among decision makers can be increased

Question 16

Computer competency is the ability to utilize computers and information technology to locate,retrieve,evaluate,organize,and analyze information for decision making.

Question 17

Data are raw facts and observations.

Question 18

Timeliness,quality,completeness,relevance,and understandability are characteristics of useful information.

Question 19

Information technology is changing organizations by breaking down traditional barriers that prevent people and departments from communicating and sharing information.

Question 20

In management,IT has planning,organizing,leading,and controlling advantages.

Question 21

A performance deficiency occurs when an actual situation turns out either better than anticipated or offers the potential to be better than anticipated.

Question 22

Problem avoiders ignore information that would otherwise signal the presence of a problem;problem seekers try to solve problems as they arise;and problem solvers actively process information and look for problems to solve or opportunities to explore.

Question 23

Cognitive styles are the various ways individuals deal with information while making decisions.

Question 24

Managers should use systematic thinking in high uncertainty situations where limited facts and few decision precedents exist.

Question 25

Problem solvers are managers who try to solve problems but only when forced to by the situation.

Question 26

Intuitive thinkers will broadly and quickly evaluate a problem situation,explore and abandon alternatives very quickly,and consider a number of alternatives and options simultaneously.

Question 27

Problem seekers actively process information and constantly look for problems to solve or opportunities to explore.

Question 28

Problem solving is the process of choosing among alternative courses of action for dealing with a problem.

Question 29

Managers who ignore information that would otherwise signal the presence of a problem are problem deniers.

Question 30

Problem solving is the process of identifying a discrepancy between actual and desired states,and then taking appropriate corrective action.

Question 31

A problem refers to any difference between an actual situation and a desired situation.

Question 32

A person who approaches problems in a rational,step-by-step,and analytical fashion is engaging in systematic thinking.

Question 33

Intuitive thinkers approach problems in a flexible and spontaneous fashion.

Question 34

Strategic opportunism is the ability to remain focused on long-term objectives while being flexible in dealing with short-term problems and opportunities in a timely manner.

Question 35

A performance opportunity occurs when actual performance is less than desired performance.

Question 36

Systematic thinkers are likely to deal with many aspects of a problem simultaneously,consider hunches,and jump quickly from one issue to another.

Question 37

Problem solving and decision making are dependent on quality information being available to the right people at the right time.

Question 38

A decision is a choice among alternative possible courses of action.

Question 39

Multidimensional thinking is the capacity to view many problems at once,in relationship to one another,and across long and short time horizons.

Question 40

Systematic thinkers are likely to break a complex problem into smaller components,make a plan before taking action,and search for information to facilitate problem solving in a step-by-step fashion.

Question 41

A programmed decision is made when students are placed on academic probation for not maintaining a minimum grade point average.

Question 42

A crisis may be made worse if critical decisions are made with poor or inadequate information and from a limited perspective.

Question 43

Unstructured problems are full of ambiguities and information deficiencies,and require nonprogrammed decisions that craft novel solutions to meet the demands of a unique situation.

Question 44

An appropriate guideline for crisis management is to take the time to understand what is going on with the crisis situation and the conditions under which the crisis must be resolved.

Question 45

A programmed decision is made when a new and unfamiliar problem arises and a novel solution is crafted to meet the demands of the unique situation at hand.

Question 46

When decision makers lack complete information on action alternatives and their consequences but have some knowledge of the probabilities associated with the various outcomes,they are operating in an environment of uncertainty.

Question 47

The first step in the decision-making process involves gathering information,processing information,and deliberating.

Question 48

A key aspect of problem identification and definition involves clarifying goals by determining exactly what a decision should accomplish.

Question 49

Unstructured problems are ones that are familiar,straightforward,and clear with respect to the information needs.

Question 50

The four cognitive styles are sensation thinkers,intuitive thinkers,intuitive feelers,and systematic feelers.

Question 51

Most managers react to crisis situations by readily involving others in solving the problem.

Question 52

Proactive managers try to identify those situations that are likely to be susceptible to a crisis,and then develop basic contingency plans for crisis management.

Question 53

An appropriate rule for crisis management is to never back off of a crisis because there will never be a better opportunity than the present time to resolve a crisis situation.

Question 54

A crisis is an unexpected problem that can lead to disaster if not resolved quickly and appropriately.

Question 55

An appropriate guideline for crisis management is to never "fight fire with fire" by starting another crisis to get people's attention.

Question 56

The decision-making process involves a set of activities and events that begins with identification of a problem,includes making a decision,and ends with the evaluation of results.

Question 57

Most problem situations encountered by higher-level managers can be classified as routine and structured.

Question 58

Programmed decisions use solutions already available from past experience to solve structured problems.

Question 59

A certain environment is the decision environment in which complete information is available about possible alternative courses of action and their outcomes.

Question 60

Uncertainty is the most difficult decision environment for any manager.

Question 61

According to classical decision theory,managers choose the satisfactory alternative.

Question 62

According to the behavioural decision model,competent managers — even with cognitive limitations — can make perfectly rational decisions in highly ambiguous situations.

Question 63

Generation and evaluation of alternative course of action is the decision making stage at which people assemble the facts and information that will be helpful for problem solving.

Question 64

The third step of the decision-making process involves selecting a preferred course of action.

Question 65

The second step of the decision-making process will be effective when the search for alternatives is completed rapidly.

Question 66

A manager who chooses the alternative giving the absolute best solution to a problem is making an optimizing decision.

Question 67

The satisficing error refers to the failure to adequately involve those persons whose support is necessary to ensure a decision's implementation.

Question 68

Implementation is the decision making stage at which problem-solving actions are initiated.

Question 69

A cost/benefit analysis compares the costs of implementing an alternative with its expected benefits.

Question 70

Typical criteria for evaluating alternative solutions include benefits,costs,timeliness,acceptability,and ethical soundness.

Question 71

The second step of the decision-making process will be effective when alternatives meet ethical standards that are acceptable to the organization's various stakeholders.

Question 72

According to the behavioural decision model,managerial decisions are rational only within the boundaries defined by available information.

Question 73

Making decisions within the constraints of limited information and alternatives is known as bounded rationality.

Question 74

The failure to adequately involve the people whose support is necessary to ensure a plan's implementation is a major reason for difficulties in the implementation stage of decision making.

Question 75

When a manager chooses the first satisfactory alternative that comes to his or her attention during the decision-making process,satisficing occurs.

Question 76

Common mistakes in defining problems include: focusing on symptoms instead of causes,choosing the wrong problem to address,and defining the problem too broadly or too narrowly.

Question 77

The behavioural decision model describes decision making where people are assumed to act only in terms of what they perceive about a given situation.

Question 78

The behavioural decision model describes decision making with complete information,where the manager faces a clearly defined problem and knows all possible action alternatives as well as their consequences.

Question 79

According to classical decision theory,managers make rational choices in a certain world because they have complete information regarding all possible alternatives and their consequences.

Question 80

The final stage of the decision-making process is evaluating results.