Deck 13: Understanding Software: a Primer for Managers

Question 1

Managers who understand software are better equipped to harness the possibilities and impact of technology.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Firmware refers to:

A) computer hardware elements visible to the human eye.
B) control software stored on removable discs.
C) control software stored on hard drives.
D) control software stored on nonvolatile memory chips.
E) computer hardware elements invisible to the human eye.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Software (often on firmware) designed to make physical products and devices "smarter" by doing things like sharing usage information, helping diagnose problems, indicating maintenance schedules, providing alerts, or enabling devices to take orders from other systems is referred to as ___________.

A) Desktop software programs
B) Enterprise Resource Planning systems
C) Embedded systems
D) Multi-threaded
E) Application servers

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Specialty devices like iPods, video game consoles, and television set-top boxes typically do not need an operating system.

Question 5

Desktop applications are typically designed for a single user.

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of computer hardware?

A) Malware
B) Operating system
C) Application
D) Platform
E) A video game console

Question 7

When referring to the 'software layer cake' model, Android, Windows, and iOS are all _____.

Question 8

_____ refers to a precise set of instructions that tell the computer hardware what to do.

A) A mnemonic
B) An input device
C) An output device
D) Software
E) Desktop

Question 9

What is an operating system? Describe its significance for computing devices.

Question 10

Android is a software product developed by Google that allows cell phone manufacturers to control hardware and establishes standards for developing and executing applications on its platform. Android is thus an example of a(n) _____.

A) operating system
B) programming language
C) user interface
D) distributed system
E) database management system

Question 11

Computer hardware refers to:

A) a precise set of instructions that orchestrate the functioning of the computer.
B) the physical components of information technology.
C) the mechanism through which users interact with a computer.
D) a program that fulfills the requests of a client.
E) handheld computing devices meant largely for mobile use outside an office setting.

Question 12

Control programs stored on chips (often used in embedded systems) are sometimes referred to as _____________.

Question 13

Microsoft's Xbox operating system provides Xbox programmers with a set of common standards to use to access controllers, the Kinect motion sensor, play sounds, draw graphics, save files, and more. Without this, games would:

A) be more reliable.
B) be a lot easier to write.
C) cost more.
D) look same.
E) not be restricted to just Microsoft's platforms.

Question 14

If a computer system can be equated to a layered cake, which of the following combinations represents the computer system in the bottom-to-top order?

A) Hardware, operating system, application, user
B) User, application, hardware, operating system
C) User, operating system, hardware, application
D) Application, operating system, hardware, user
E) Operating system, hardware, user, application

Question 15

Which of the following is an operating system?

A) Linux
B) USB 2.0
C) Microsoft Access
D) Notepad
E) Wi-Fi

Question 16

Scroll bars and menus displayed on the hardware of the computer display are examples of a graphical _____.

Question 17

When referring to the 'software layer cake' model, Microsoft Office, Angry Birds, and MySQL are all _____.

Question 18

The more application software that is available for a platform, the less valuable it potentially becomes.

Question 19

The varied and heterogeneous look, feel, and functionality that operating systems enforce across various programs help make it easier for users to learn new software.

Question 20

What are the managerial implications with respect to information systems?

Question 21

_____ perform the work that users and firms are directly interested in accomplishing and can be thought of as places where a user's real work is done.

A) Emulators
B) Applications
C) Platforms
D) Embedded systems
E) Operating systems

Question 22

Which of the following functions is likely to be performed by enterprise software?

A) Word processing
B) Spreadsheet accounting
C) Making PowerPoint presentations
D) Inventory tracking
E) Internet browsing

Question 23

A firm's information systems can influence the likelihood of partnering with other firms and its attractiveness as a merger or acquisition target.

Question 24

Which of the following is true of the difference between operating systems and application software?

A) Operating systems control the hardware, while application software performs the work that users and firms are directly interested in accomplishing.
B) Operating systems support tasks performed by a single user, while application software support tasks performed by multiple users.
C) Operating systems control the hardware elements visible to the human eye, while application software controls the hardware elements invisible to the human eye.
D) Operating systems are software packages that integrate the many functions of a business, while application software works with a minimal degree of overlap.
E) Operating systems are software packages offered by a third party, while application software contains programs that are designed in-house.

Question 25

_____ refers to applications that address the needs of multiple users throughout an organization or work group.

Question 26

Standardizing business processes in software that others can buy means that those functions are difficult for competitors to match.

Question 27

A PC, laptop, or any other small computer can be set up to run server software.

Question 28

ERP systems and enterprise software programs should be ideally configured to use different database systems to avoid the possibility of data redundancy.

Question 29

_____ refers to a software package that integrates the many functions of a business, such as accounting, finance, inventory management, and human resources.

A) Supply chain management
B) Desktop software
C) Customer relationship management
D) Database management system
E) Enterprise resource planning

Question 30

A company does not have to install all of the modules of an ERP suite, but it might add functions over time.

Question 31

What are the implications for firms that do not have common database systems with consistent formats across their enterprise?

A) They can save infrastructural and operational costs.
B) They can expect to leverage economies of scale by serving more customers.
C) They can hedge against the risk of data redundancy.
D) They struggle to manage their value chain efficiently.
E) They profit from the aggregation of diverse data sets and enhance their repositories.

Question 32

What is application software? What are the categories of application software that are available? Provide brief descriptions for each category with the aid of examples.

Question 33

_____ refers to applications installed on a personal computer, typically to support tasks performed by a single user.

A) Enterprise software
B) Server program
C) Desktop software
D) Software as a service
E) Database management program

Question 34

Some firms write their own enterprise software from scratch as it can save time and reduce development costs.

Question 35

Enterprise Resource Planning software has proven popular in part because the standardization these products impose makes them exceptionally easy to deploy.

Question 36

A firm can mix and match components, linking software the firm has written with modules purchased from different enterprise software vendors.

Question 37

Which of the following is an example of application software?

A) MS Word
B) Mac OS
C) Linux
D) MS Windows
E) Android

Question 38

_____ systems help a firm manage aspects of its value chain, from the flow of raw materials into the firm, through delivery of finished products and services at the point-of-consumption.

Question 39

Systems that use data created by other systems to provide reporting and analysis for organizational decision making are called _____ systems.

A) application server
B) supply chain management
C) enterprise resource management
D) business intelligence
E) customer relationship management

Question 40

Expedia used APIs to increase the distribution of travel products that it sells, relying on partners to plug into its technology and inventory.

Question 41

Organizations that have created a robust set of Web services and APIs around their processes and procedures are often said to have a service-independent architecture.

Question 42

_____ provide the standards, syntax, statements, and instructions for writing computer software.

A) Operating systems
B) Application servers
C) Database management systems
D) Platforms
E) Programming languages

Question 43

Java is not preferred for programming fast-executing, native desktop applications.

Question 44

The rise of the Internet and distributed computing has led to an explosion in security losses by organizations worldwide.

Question 45

_____ are software systems designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network.

A) Scripting languages
B) Client-servers
C) Web services
D) Caches
E) Business intelligence systems

Question 46

Firms that invite other organizations to integrate with their systems via web services and APIs are often thought of as turning their products into _________.

Question 47

Which of the following technologies is(are) being used to replace the older EDI for specifying data standards?

A) JavaScript object notation
B) Hypertext transfer protocol
C) Extensible markup language
D) Both (a) and (b)
E) Both (a) and (c)

Question 48

Which of the following characteristics is said to be Java's biggest selling point?

A) Open source nature
B) Interpretability
C) Platform independence
D) Service-oriented architecture
E) Data portability

Question 49

_____ are programming hooks or guidelines, published by organizations tell how other programs can get a service to perform a task, such as send or receive data.

Question 50

What is distributed computing? Briefly explain the various concepts used in conjunction with distributed computing.

Question 51

Communication between people results in time saving, cost reductions, and fewer errors than communication between computers.

Question 52

A(n) _____ is a software program that makes requests of a server program.

Question 53

Which of the following is not true about potential benefits to firms that create platforms?

A) the potential to make their products and services more useful
B) they can widen the reach of firms and products
C) they can create switching costs
D) they can enhance network effects
E) all of the above are true

Question 54

A(n) _____ is an application that includes an editor, a debugger, and a compiler, among other tools.

A) programming language
B) integrated development environment
C) operating system
D) extensible markup language
E) enterprise resource planning system

Question 55

Most messages sent between Web services are coded in XML.

Question 56

_____ is a set of standards for exchanging messages containing formatted data between computer applications.

A) EDI
B) DBMS
C) CPM
D) SCM
E) ERP

Question 57

What is the most common function performed by electronic data interchanges?

A) Housing and serving business logic for use and reuse by multiple electronic applications
B) App store downloads and the serving of other types of rich media.
C) Providing electronic reporting and analysis for organizational decision making
D) Integrating various electronic functions of a business, such as accounting, finance, inventory management, and human resources
E) Sending electronic equivalents of structured documents between different organizations

Question 58

Scripting languages are interpreted within their applications, thereby making them faster than the development efforts found in most commercial software.

Question 59

Java programmers write code with specific commands for different operating systems, such as Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Question 60

This process of converting a code into machine-readable form is known as:

A) integrating.
B) assimilating.
C) debugging.
D) sequencing.
E) compiling.

Question 61

Java is not optimized to take advantage of interface elements specific to the Mac or Windows operating systems. As a result:

A) Java is not platform independent.
B) Java lacks a structured programming style.
C) Java is unsuitable for desktop applications.
D) Java code that is compiled for the native OS and processor is slower than code running through a JVM interpreter.
E) Java code has to be compiled and then interpreted, before being executed by the processor.

Question 62

Most firms spend 70 to 80 percent of their information systems (IS) budgets just to keep their systems running.

Question 63

Some programming languages are extended by _______________. These are libraries, templates, and extensions that simplify and standardize common tasks, speeding software development, reducing errors, and prompting reuse. Examples of popular frameworks used to develop websites include Rails (for Ruby), Django (for Python), AngularJS (for JavaScript), and ASP.NET (pronounced "ay-ess-pee dot net").

Question 64

Achieving success in a project rarely lies in the strength of technology alone.

Question 65

_____ refers to the practice of ensuring that an organization's systems operate within required legal constraints, and organizational obligations.

A) Security
B) Compliance
C) Integration
D) Parallelism
E) Immunity

Question 66

What is Java programming language? What are the advantages and disadvantages associated with using Java?

Question 67

The care and feeding of information systems is usually simple and inexpensive.

Question 68

What activities should a firm undertake to create and support its information systems? What does total cost of ownership refer to? What is its significance in a managerial context?

Question 69

Information systems development projects fail at a startlingly high rate.

Question 70

Which of the following statements is true about information systems?

A) Most firms spend a huge portion of their information technology budgets on training and system security.
B) New programs should be thoroughly tested across the range of a firm's hardware after deployment.
C) Purchase, configuration, and licensing costs for packaged software account for most information technology expenses of a firm.
D) Firms need to vigilantly manage the moving target of computer security issues.
E) Total cost of ownership of information systems is often a redundant concept while making technology investment decisions.

Question 71

What are some of the reasons for the high rate of failure of technology projects? What are the measures that are taken to counter project failure?

Question 72

Which of the following is one of the reasons for the failure of technology projects?

A) Inadequate testing of systems before deployment
B) Insufficient expenditure on information systems
C) Use of matured technology
D) Prolonged project periods
E) Disallowing "feature creep" during development

Question 73

_____ is a process-improvement approach that assists in assessing the maturity, quality, and development of certain organizational business processes, and suggests steps for their improvement.

Question 74

Programming tools that execute within an application are called _____.

Question 75

Which of the following is true of scripting languages?

A) They are often designed to be interpreted within their applications.
B) They are compiled to run directly by a microprocessor.
C) They typically execute outside an application.
D) They are faster than the development efforts found in most commercial software.
E) Most of these languages are complicated with respect to user friendliness.