Deck 5: Moores Law and More: Fast, Cheap Computing and What This Means for the Manager

Question 1

Hard drive storage is considered to be solid state.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Sony, a firm once synonymous with portable music, has ceded its market dominance to Apple because:

A) it did not provide tracks from Sony Music artists to the Apple iTunes store.
B) its technology offerings were too futuristic and out of sync with the waves of computing to appeal to customers.
C) it failed to take advantage of opportunities presented by Moore's Law.
D) its music players contradicted the price/performance phenomenon predicted by Moore's Law.
E) it attempted to straddle the twin markets of online music retail and electronic music players, and could not capitalize on either.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

1 petabyte = 1 _____ bytes

A) million
B) billion
C) trillion
D) quadrillion
E) sextillion

Answer 3

D

Question 4

1 _____ = 1 billion bytes

A) terabyte
B) gigabyte
C) megabyte
D) petabyte
E) zettabyte

Question 5

The third wave of computing was characterized by the introduction of _____.

A) personal computers
B) mainframe computers
C) minicomputers
D) Internet computing
E) laptops

Question 6

_____ is a nonvolatile, chip-based storage, often used in mobile phones, cameras, and MP3 players.

A) Random-access memory
B) Cache memory
C) Optical storage memory
D) Holographic memory
E) Flash memory

Question 7

The _____ is the part of a computer that executes the instructions of a computer program.

A) software
B) flash memory
C) DWDM
D) random-access memory or RAM
E) microprocessor

Question 8

Moore's Law applies to all types of technology components including hard drives and fiber optic cable transmission speeds.

Question 9

Moore's Law has impacted the camera industry such that the firms that sell the most cameras aren't camera companies, but phone manufacturers.

Question 10

Price elasticity refers to the:

A) change in the demand for a good in response to a change in income.
B) rate at which product prices vary in response to changes in customer demand.
C) range of production costs that change as a direct function of the availability of raw materials.
D) rate at which demand for a product or service fluctuates with price change.
E) numerical measure of the responsiveness of the supply of a product to a change in its production cost.

Question 11

Flash memory is slower (meaning it transfers data at a slower rate) than conventional disk-based hard drives.

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of volatile memory?

A) Random-access memory
B) Flash memory
C) Optical disk drive
D) Nanodrive
E) Read-only memory

Question 13

_____ are substances that are capable of enabling as well as inhibiting the flow of electricity.

A) Insulators
B) Semiconductors
C) Resistors
D) Inductors
E) Thermostats

Question 14

One of the implications of price elasticity of technology products is that:

A) the cost of a semiconductor chip fabrication plant doubles every four years.
B) the magnetic disk areal storage density doubles annually.
C) customers not only buy more products as they become cheaper, but whole new markets employing new technology open up.
D) the value of chips in semiconductor-based devices appreciates every six months.
E) firms stock up on tech products and sell them once their prices increase.

Question 15

The managerial definition of Moore's Law suggests that computing costs related to chips (microprocessors and silicon-based storage) double every eighteen months.

Question 16

Storage that is wiped clean when power is cut off from a device is known as _____.

A) flash memory
B) read-only memory
C) holographic memory
D) volatile memory
E) non-volatile memory

Question 17

Zara's use of RFID tags can be considered an example of

A) Kryder's law
B) the IoT
C) volatile memory
D) Carver Meade's Corollary

Question 18

Random-access memory is an example of nonvolatile memory.

Question 19

Moore's Law states that:

A) magnetic disk storage density doubles annually.
B) the cost per unit of useful light emitted by an LED falls by a factor of 10 every decade.
C) the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system.
D) chip performance per dollar doubles every eighteen months.
E) the cost of a semiconductor chip fabrication plant is cut in half every four years.

Question 20

Solid state components are less likely to fail because they:

A) are driven by precise sets of software instructions.
B) have the capability to both enable and inhibit the flow of electricity.
C) have no moving parts.
D) are composed of germanium instead of silicon.
E) contain storage that retains data even when powered down.

Question 21

The shrinking of the pathways inside silicon chips that enables Moore's Law, is an indefinite process.

Question 22

Semiconductor-based devices are also known as _____.

Question 23

A(n) _____ is a high-speed glass or plastic-lined networking cable used in telecommunications.

Question 24

Vitality Corporation's GlowCaps showed how the Internet of Things can potentially impact health care. Briefly describe the effort and the benefit to individuals and firms.

Question 25

_____ refer to the multibillion dollar factories used to manufacture semiconductors.

A) Grids
B) Platforms
C) Lecterns
D) Fabs
E) Kilns

Question 26

Why is Moore's Law seen as having a 'special kind of price elasticity'?

Question 27

Multicore processors can run older software written for single-brain chips.

Question 28

Which of the following factors is responsible for enabling the advance of Moore's Law?

A) The distance between pathways inside silicon chips gets smaller with each successive generation.
B) Silicon is commonly available in the form of sand or silicon dioxide, which helps keep the costs of chip production low.
C) Constant interaction among three forces-size, heat, and power-makes Moore's Law practical and ensures that it will endure for decades to come.
D) The availability of better cooling technologies ensures chips can continue growing smaller and more power efficient.
E) With the exponential growth in information technology-enabled businesses, the demand for computers makes Moore's Law possible.

Question 29

Multicore processors are formed by:

A) connecting identical processors in a parallel combination and drawing power from the same source.
B) putting two or more lower power processor cores on a single chip.
C) connecting a series of high powered processors through a single power source.
D) slicing a flat chip into pieces and reconnecting the pieces vertically.
E) connecting a combination of parallel and series-connected processors to a single larger processor to supplement its functioning.

Question 30

What is M-Pesa and what advantages does this bring to Kenya's population?

Question 31

Moore's Law is possible because the distance between the pathways inside silicon chips gets smaller with each successive generation.

Question 32

What problem is faced by multicore processors running older software written for single-brain chips?

A) Multicore processors usually run older software by using only one core at a time.
B) Multicore processors draw more power than single-brain processors to solve the same problem.
C) Multicore processors require greater cooling to run the same software as single-brain processors.
D) Individual cores in multicore processors have smaller memories than single-brain chips and are consequently slower.
E) Multicore processors still have some fair distance to go before going mainstream.

Question 33

Which of the following statements is a valid reason for chip manufacturers to carry minimal inventory?

A) Rising transportation costs greatly increase the costs of manufacturing and make moving inventory between locations highly expensive.
B) Chip manufacturers maintain low inventories to hedge the move of semiconductor technology away from silicon-based chips.
C) The potential physical and electronic damage to silicon chips if left unused for extended periods of time deters manufacturers from maintaining higher inventories.
D) Chip manufacturers leverage the higher costs of chip-based products to their advantage by keeping supply low compared to demand.
E) Products with a significant chip-based component rapidly fall in value and can cause huge losses when overproduced.

Question 34

Devices without moving parts are often described as ___________.

Question 35

A(n) _____ is referred to as the calculating brain of the computer that executes the instructions of a computer program.

Question 36

Which of the following sets of interrelated forces threatens to slow down the progression of Moore's Law?

A) Weight, speed, and capacity
B) Density, clock speed, and wafer thickness
C) Size, heat, and power
D) Silicon availability, efficiency, and energy
E) Memory, cache size, and speed

Question 37

Storage that retains data even when powered down is known as _____ memory.

Question 38

The Medtronic _____., which comes with up to two cameras that, once swallowed, can relay images of your innards, has been approved for being used to diagnose intestinal and colon problems.

Question 39

What is Moore's Law? How has it impacted the electronics industry? What economic trends has it inspired?

Question 40

What are the two main advantages of using solid state storage vs. a conventional hard disk?

Question 41

_____ are the super tiny on-off switches in a chip that work collectively to calculate or store things in memory.

Question 42

The term _____ refers to computers that are among the fastest of any in the world at the time of their introduction.

A) mainframes
B) quantum computers
C) supermini computers
D) minisuper computers
E) supercomputers

Question 43

Replacing computing resources-either an organization's or individual's hardware or software-with services provided over the Internet is known as _____.

Question 44

E-waste management is extraordinarily difficult to monitor and track, and loopholes are rampant.

Question 45

Modern supercomputing is typically done via a technique called massively parallel processing.

Question 46

Give a brief description of each of the factors that is impeding the continued validity of Moore's Law.

Question 47

The multiple-brain approach is best suited for problems of a linear nature.

Question 48

A thin, circular slice of material used to create semiconductor devices is known as a(n) _____.

Question 49

_____ is a form of cloud computing where a firm subscribes to a third-party software and receives a service that is delivered online.

Question 50

Grid computing, though faster and more efficient, is an expensive alternative to supercomputers.

Question 51

The process of separating out the densely packed materials inside tech products so that the value in e-waste can be effectively harvested is extremely skill intensive.

Question 52

_____ are the supertiny on-off switches in a chip that work collectively to calculate or store things in memory.

A) Transistors
B) Multicore processors
C) Single-core processors
D) Conductors
E) Inductors

Question 53

Describe massively parallel computing and grid computing and discuss how they transform the economics of supercomputing.

Question 54

Grid computing is a type of computing in which:

A) special software is installed on several computers enabling them to work together on a common problem.
B) computers are designed with many microprocessors that work together, simultaneously, to solve problems.
C) quantum properties, such as superposition and entanglement, are used to represent data and perform operations on these data.
D) microprocessors with two or more (typically lower power) calculating processor cores are fabricated on the same piece of silicon to solve multiple problems.
E) computer software seeks to reproduce or mimic human thought, decision making, or brain functions.

Question 55

_____ is a technique in which computers are designed with many microprocessors that work together, simultaneously, to solve problems.

A) Nanocomputing
B) Quantum computing
C) Grid computing
D) Massively parallel processing
E) Cloud computing

Question 56

A(n) _____ refers to a massive network of computer servers running software to coordinate their collective use and to provide a common set of services.

Question 57

Which of the following problems is least likely to be solved through grid computing?

A) Financial risk modeling
B) Gene analysis
C) Linear problems
D) Parallel problems
E) Manufacturing simulation

Question 58

Electronic waste is expected to decrease with the rise of living standards worldwide.

Question 59

Electronic waste is valuable because it contains small bits of metals such as silver, platinum, and gold.

Question 60

China has banned the importing of e-waste within its borders since 2000.

Question 61

Which of the following statements regarding the current electronic waste scenario is true?

A) Electronic waste increases with the rise of living standards worldwide.
B) The content of gold in a pound of electronic waste is lesser than that in a pound of mined ore.
C) The process of separating densely packed materials inside tech products to effectively harvest the value in e-waste is skill intensive.
D) Sending e-waste abroad can be much more expensive than dealing with it at home.
E) E-waste trade is mostly transparent, and stringent guidelines ensure that all e-waste is accounted for.

Question 62

Which of the following is not true about the development of MyMagic+?

A) The firm had the backing of executive leadership who also provided resources to support the complex and expensive project
B) Many disparate teams were impacted by the project, presenting political challenges in a project so large
C) It is estimated that Disney spent over $1 billion on these systems
D) Contrary to what one would expect from Moore's Law, the cost of the MagicBands themselves actually rose past original per-unit estimates

Question 63

What are the implications of e-waste management from an organizational and managerial perspective?

Question 64

Based on the author's take on e-waste management, a manager would do well to learn that:

A) dealing with e-waste at home can be ten times cheaper than sending it abroad.
B) disposal and recycling partners must be audited with the same vigor as suppliers and other partners.
C) environmentalists target only the big firms as they can afford to compensate for any environmental damage wrought by their practices.
D) it is simple enough for firms to monitor and track e-waste management through international agencies such as Fair Factories Clearinghouse.
E) appointing environmentalists like Al Gore to the firm's board of directors helps avoid legal action and brand tarnishing due to bad e-waste management practices.

Question 65

Managers looking for advice on properly dealing with obsolete technology hardware can:

Question 66

Describe some of the benefits customers receive from using MagicBands.

Question 67

E-waste is particularly difficult to address because of:

A) multiple international agencies like the Fair Factories Clearinghouse.
B) morals and ethics that dictate firms to put principles above profits.
C) environmental advocates being appointed to influential positions on company boards.
D) the complexity of the modern value chain.
E) the increased longevity of electronic products.

Question 68

Studying MyMagic+ helps one understand the costs associated with information systems deployment at scale. According to your reading, one major expense was that 70,000 "cast members" (Disney's name for its employees) received MyMagic+ _______________.

A) bands
B) readers
C) training
D) iPod Touch PDAs

Question 69

What is electronic waste? What are the factors that aggravate this problem?

Question 70

How does Disney manage privacy and payment concerns with the possibility of lost or stolen bands?

Question 71

Describe some of the physical hardware and infrastructure improvements that were necessary throughout the DisneyWorld resort in order to make MagicBand and MyMagic+ work.