Deck 10: Information and Decision Support Systems

Question 1

During what stage in the problem-solving process does one identify and define potential problems or opportunities?

A)the design stage
B)the choice stage
C)the intelligence stage
D)the monitoring stage

Answer 1

C

Question 2

During what stage of the problem-solving process does one develop alternative solutions to the problem and evaluate their feasibility?

A)the intelligence stage
B)the implementation stage
C)the choice stage
D)the design stage

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Russ is the manager of a retail company.He is having problems in managing and controlling the stock level required for items that are selling well as compared to items that are not selling well.What control mechanism could Russ implement to address this problem?

A)economic order quantity
B)reorder point
C)material requirements planning
D)just-in-time inventory

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following department uses MIS subsystems and outputs to monitor and control the flow of materials, products, and services through the organization?

A)financial
B)manufacturing
C)human resource
D)marketing

Question 5

Which of the following allows manufacturing facilities to rapidly and efficiently change from making one product to making another?

A)a just-in-time approach
B)computer-integrated manufacturing
C)a flexible manufacturing system
D)a streamlined process

Question 6

The performance of decision support systems is typically a function of two factors.One of the factors is decision quality.What is the other?

A)problem complexity
B)cost
C)hardware
D)software

Question 7

Fraud was suspected in the IT department of Company ABC.The CEO called on the VP of Finance to do a complete review of the IT department financial processes.What is the name for this review activity?

A)internal controllership
B)external controllership
C)internal auditing
D)external auditing

Question 8

A company is preparing for its semi-annual sales and quite a number of items will go on sale.Grace works in the Inventory department and she is monitoring the inventory levels of the targeted sales items.She creates a set of conditions so reports will be produced when the targeted sales items are low in inventory.What is the name given to her report?

A)a scheduled report
B)an on-demand report
C)a key-indicator report
D)an exception report

Question 9

What are the most significant internal data sources for an organization's MIS?

A)its various DSS and GSS systems and users
B)its internal websites
C)its various TPS and ERP systems and related databases
D)its data from customers, suppliers, competitors, and stockholders

Question 10

What two phases of problem solving were added by George Huber to Herbert Simon's original three-stage model of decision making?

A)intelligence and design
B)design and choice
C)choice and implementation
D)implementation and monitoring

Question 11

What organizational unit within an enterprise does NOT directly generate revenue?

A)the cost centre
B)the responsibility centre
C)the nonprofit centre
D)the non-cash centre

Question 12

What set of reports provides particular information upon request?

A)exception reports
B)drill-down reports
C)scheduled reports
D)demand reports

Question 13

Which of the following is a target group to receive financial MIS?

A)executives only
B)accountants only
C)executives and a broader set of people
D)accountants and a broader set of people

Question 14

Which of the following is a characteristic of an MIS system?

A)It provides reports with variable and mixed formats.
B)It allows users to use standard reports.
C)It uses internal and external data stored in various computer systems.
D)It produces hard-copy and soft-copy reports.

Question 15

Mohamed prepared a monthly report that provides key information about various aspects of the department.To whom will he be delivering this report?

A)his colleague
B)his manager
C)his director
D)the CEO

Question 16

What report summarizes the previous day's critical activities and is typically available at the start of each workday?

A)the demand report
B)the drill-down report
C)the exception report
D)the key-indicator report

Question 17

What type of MIS supports managerial activities in product development, distribution, pricing, promotions, and sales forecasting?

A)a manufacturing MIS
B)a marketing MIS
C)a financial MIS
D)a human resource MIS

Question 18

Muco works for a retail company and every morning he prepares a report that summarizes how well the company did the previous day in terms of sales by reviewing the inventory.What is the name for this report?

A)a status report
B)a schedule report
C)a key-indicator report
D)an on-demand report

Question 19

Alex works for a multinational company with over 100 offices in over 10 countries.He recently prepared a sales forecast report for the upcoming year by country.He aggregated the data and presented a bar chart by country.What would be a typical audience that would use his report for decision making?

A)the senior management group
B)the middle management group
C)frontline managers
D)financial managers

Question 20

Kate was given a problem to analyze.After few hours of work, she was considering the different courses of action for the problem at hand by evaluating each one.What stage of the problem-solving process was Kate in?

A)intelligence
B)design
C)choice
D)implementation

Question 21

Heuristics, also known as "rules of thumb," are commonly accepted guidelines or procedures that usually find a good solution.

Question 22

Which of the following is a common characteristic of an executive support system?

A)It is tailored for use by the senior management group.
B)It provides specialized capabilities for data cleanup.
C)It can be used only in situations with a high degree of certainty.
D)It has an inbuilt user interface to load a large amount of data for permanent storage.

Question 23

Jenny has been asked to analyze a large amount of student data from multiple universities and present a flexible report to the Minister of Education.The report must have detailed information about groups of students based on selected criteria.What would be the best system for the job?

A)a management information system
B)an executive information system
C)a human resources system
D)a decision support systems

Question 24

A typical DSS includes many components.Which one allows decision makers to easily access and manipulate the DSS and use common business terms and phrases?

A)a model base
B)a dialogue manager
C)a database
D)a user access panel

Question 25

A well-known model developed by Herbert Simon divides the decision-making phase of the problem-solving process into three stages: design, implementation, and monitoring.

Question 26

Which of the following is included in subsystems for the marketing MIS?

A)product development
B)inventory control
C)use and management of funds
D)market research

Question 27

Which of the following systems (a) provides for the gathering of anonymous input, (b) allows for the exchange of information and expertise among people without direct, face-to-face interaction, and (c) supports many different decision-making approaches?

A)a DSS
B)a GSS
C)a GIS
D)an MIS

Question 28

Which of the following are aspects of DSS?

A)hardware and software
B)people and procedures
C)rules and regulations
D)devices and networks protocols

Question 29

What system's key components include a database, a model base, a dialogue manager, and access to networks and other computer-based systems?

A)a DSS
B)an MIS
C)a GIS
D)an EIS

Question 30

What is the decision-making focus of a DSS when faced with unstructured or semi-structured business problems?

A)accuracy
B)efficiency
C)effectiveness
D)timeliness

Question 31

Which of the following is typical of an executive support system?

A)It is hard to use.
B)It is very similar to a TPS targeted for managers.
C)It is linked with value-added business processes.
D)It can be helpful in situations that have a high degree of certainty.

Question 32

Which of the following is normally used with structured problems?

A)a DSS
B)a GSS
C)an MIS
D)a GIS

Question 33

In general, computerized decision support systems can be used to optimize a solution for the organization.

Question 34

Programmed decisions are made using a rule, procedure, or quantitative method.

Question 35

What type of system could be used to address activities relates to managing and monitoring employee attendance in a company?

A)supply chain
B)enterprise resource planning
C)outplacement
D)value chain

Question 36

Which of the following is characteristic of a highly structured problem?

A)It is straightforward, requiring known facts and relationships.
B)It has a clear definition.
C)It requires lot of time to solve.
D)It is complex.

Question 37

The ultimate goal of management information and decision support systems is to help managers at the highest level of an organization make automated decisions with little or no effort.

Question 38

Amy has been asked to implement SharePoint by Microsoft.SharePoint allows users to collaborate with each other in a unified environment.What term would best describe Sharepoint?

A)a group support system
B)a model management software
C)a social networking
D)a office systems

Question 39

Which of the following is a component of the typical DSS?

A)an inference engine
B)a user access panel
C)a model base
D)a configuration box

Question 40

When functioning effectively, what type of MIS enables an organization to minimize personnel costs while serving the required business processes needed to achieve corporate goals?

A)a financial MIS
B)a manufacturing MIS
C)a human resource MIS
D)a sales MIS

Question 41

The overall purpose of the human resource planning subsystem is to aid in recruiting and selecting personnel.

Question 42

Decision support systems are used by the top levels of management.

Question 43

A decision support system includes people, procedures, software, databases, and devices to help assemble, store, manipulate, and display geographic information.

Question 44

Internal auditing involves analyzing the internal financial condition of the firm.

Question 45

A flexible manufacturing system uses computers to link the components of the production process into an effective system.

Question 46

An MIS can be divided along functional lines to produce reports tailored to individual functions.

Question 47

Traditionally, executives simply added a profit margin to total costs to set prices and guarantee a decent profit.

Question 48

Drill-down reports are automatically produced when a situation is unusual or requires management action.

Question 49

The use of computerized systems is emphasized at all levels of manufacturing, from the shop floor to the executive suite.

Question 50

Most financial MISs integrate financial and operational information from multiple sources, including the Internet, into multiple systems.

Question 51

A marketing MIS supports managerial activities in product development, distribution, pricing, promotions, and sales.

Question 52

Since an MIS helps make decisions about internal problems, only internal data should be entered to the MIS.

Question 53

The economic order quantity is calculated to minimize the number of times an inventory item must be reordered.

Question 54

Product development data yields valuable information for the development and marketing of new products.

Question 55

Demand reports are produced on a regular schedule at the same time each day, week, or month.

Question 56

An MIS provides managers and decision makers with information to help achieve organizational goals.

Question 57

Computerized sales analysis is important to identify products, sales personnel, and customers that contribute to profits and those that do not.

Question 58

A key-indicator report summarizes the previous day's critical activities and is typically available at the beginning of each workday.

Question 59

Cost centres are units within the company that do not directly generate income.

Question 60

CAD is used in the development and design of complex structures and products.

Question 61

____________________ is an approach that maintains inventory at the lowest levels without sacrificing the availability of finished products.

Question 62

The database management system of a DSS can also connect to external databases to give decision makers even more information and decision support beyond that available through just corporate databases.

Question 63

The output of most MIS systems is a collection of ____________________ that are distributed to managers.

Question 64

A limit on the number of available work hours in a manufacturing facility is an example of a problem ____________________.

Question 65

Corporate marketing departments use ____________________ sites, such as Second Life, to advertise their products and perform market research.

Question 66

In general, computerized decision support systems can either optimize or ____________________.

Question 67

An ad hoc DSS is concerned with situations or decisions that come up frequently during the life of the organization.

Question 68

____________________ are commonly accepted guidelines or procedures that usually find a good solution.

Question 69

The Delphi approach is a group decision-making approach that encourages diversity among group members and fosters creativity and original thinking in decision making.

Question 70

A(n) ____________________ is any organizational unit that focuses on generating a profit for the firm.

Question 71

____________________ reports are produced periodically, such as daily, weekly, or monthly.

Question 72

An executive support system would typically be used by members of middle management.

Question 73

____________________ is used when modelling the problem properly to get an optimal decision would be too difficult, complex, or costly.

Question 74

A manufacturing or architectural firm uses ____________________ software to develop a digital blueprint of its products prior to building them.

Question 75

An MIS provides managers with ____________________ that supports effective decision making and provides feedback on daily operations.

Question 76

____________________ reports are reports that are automatically produced when a situation is unusual or requires management action.

Question 77

An organization might hire an outside accounting firm to perform a(n) ____________________ to assess the financial condition of the firm and determine whether financial statements and reports produced by its financial MIS are accurate.

Question 78

The purpose of ____________________ is to conduct a formal study of the market and customer preferences.

Question 79

A(n) ____________________ MIS provides financial information not only for executives, but also for a broader set of people who need to make better decisions on a daily basis.

Question 80

DSS and MIS systems are actually quite similar in numerous ways, including the types of problems solved, the support given to users, and the decision emphasis and approach.