Question 1

Adaptive maintenance adjusts applications to reflect changing business needs and environmental challenges.

Accepted Answer

Adaptive maintenance involves making changes to existing software or applications to keep them relevant and functional in light of changing business requirements or environmental challenges. This can involve adjusting features, improving performance or usability, tweaking interfaces or upgrading underlying technology. It is an important part of ongoing software maintenance and helps businesses to stay competitive and responsive to changing needs.

Question 2

Which development phase has the purpose of developing specifications for the new or revised system?

Accepted Answer

The analysis phase involves gathering and analyzing requirements to develop specifications for the new or revised system.

Question 3

In which role might the accountant be the person who initiates the AIS acquisition cycle, and is in a prime position to recognize deficiencies and incompatibilities related to the existing AIS?

Accepted Answer

The accountant, as a user of the Accounting Information System (AIS), is often the first to notice deficiencies and incompatibilities in the existing system due to their direct interaction with it in their daily tasks. This positions them well to initiate the acquisition cycle for a new or updated AIS.

Question 4

Which of the following hosts, manages, and provides access to software and hardware over the Internet to multiple customers?

Accepted Answer

An application service provider (ASP) hosts, manages, and provides access to software and hardware over the internet to multiple customers. Outsourcing refers to contracting out a business process to a third-party vendor, insourcing means bringing a business process in-house, and benchmarking is the process of comparing one's business processes to those of industry peers or best-in-class practices.

Question 5

Outputs of the systems analysis phase of development typically would include all of the following except:

Accepted Answer

Requests for Proposal (RFPs) for software/hardware acquisition are typically outputs of the system selection phase, not the systems analysis phase. The systems analysis phase focuses on understanding and documenting the business requirements and the logical and physical specifications of the system, not on selecting vendors or products.

Question 6

The system development step that immediately precedes the structured system design step is:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The system development step that immediately precedes...

Question 7

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act prohibits CPA firms from serving as system consultants.

Accepted Answer

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act does not prohibit CPA firms from serving as system consultants. However, it does require them to maintain independence and avoid conflicts of interest when providing such services to their audit clients.

Question 8

Which of the following functions cannot be outsourced?

Accepted Answer

All of these functions (Accounting, Legal, IT) can be outsourced. Many companies choose to outsource these functions for various reasons, including cost savings, access to specialized expertise, and operational flexibility.

Question 9

Which development phase has the task of post-implementation review?

Accepted Answer

The post-implementation review is typically performed during the operation phase of software development, after the software has been implemented and is in use by customers or end-users. This review helps identify any issues or areas for improvement in the software, as well as inform future development efforts.

Question 10

Which role in the AIS Development/Acquisition process requires the accountant to be equally adept at dealing with people, accounting, and technology?

Accepted Answer

The implementer role in the AIS development/acquisition process requires the accountant to be equally adept at dealing with people, accounting, and technology. This role is responsible for actually implementing and integrating the AIS into the organization's operations, which requires both technical and interpersonal skills. The user role involves primarily utilizing the AIS once it has been implemented, while the analyst role is focused on analyzing and designing the AIS. Finally, the purchaser role is responsible for selecting and obtaining the AIS from vendors, but does not necessarily require equal proficiency in all three areas.

Question 11

Which of the accountant roles involves contributing to systems survey and needs analysis?

Accepted Answer

The role of an analyst involves contributing to systems survey and needs analysis. Programmers are responsible for coding and developing software, purchasers procure goods and services for the organization, and implementers are responsible for putting the new system into operation. None of these roles specifically involve systems survey and needs analysis.

Question 12

In which role might the accountant help meet the organization's AIS needs by selecting the final system for purchase?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In which role might the accountant help...

Question 13

Which of the following has the task of evaluating alternative AIS solutions?

Accepted Answer

AIS selection involves evaluating different AIS (Accounting Information Systems) solutions to determine which system best meets the organization's needs. This step comes after the analysis phase, where the requirements are determined, and before the implementation phase, where the chosen solution is put into use.

Question 14

Which of the following is a deliverable from the structured systems analysis step of systems development?

Accepted Answer

The logical specification is a deliverable from the structured systems analysis step of systems development, which involves creating a detailed description of the system's functional requirements without specifying the technical details of how the system will be implemented. The other options are deliverables from different stages of systems development - selected hardware and software is chosen in the systems design stage, approved configuration is completed during the implementation stage, and the project completion report is a deliverable from the project closure stage.

Question 15

Perfective maintenance is performed to fix errors.

Accepted Answer

Perfective maintenance is performed to improve the performance, efficiency, or maintainability of a software system, not to fix errors. Corrective maintenance is performed to fix errors.

Question 16

The post-implementation review is an examination of a working system, conducted soon after the system's implementation.

Accepted Answer

A post-implementation review is indeed an examination of a working system that takes place soon after the system has been implemented. It is a process used by organizations to evaluate how well a new system is meeting its intended goals and objectives, and to identify any issues or improvements that need to be made.

Question 17

Which of the following is the assignment of an internal function to an outside vendor?

Accepted Answer

Outsourcing is the assignment of an internal function to an outside vendor.

Question 18

Corrective maintenance is conducted to improve the performance of an application.

Accepted Answer

Corrective maintenance is conducted to fix defects or errors in an application, not necessarily to improve its performance.

Question 19

Systems maintenance is the modification of existing applications.

Accepted Answer

Systems maintenance involves updating or modifying existing applications to improve functionality, fix bugs, or meet changing business requirements.

Question 20

Which of the following includes activities for the successful switch from the old to the new AIS?

Accepted Answer

Implementation includes all the activities necessary to switch from the old to the new AIS, such as data conversion, employee training, and system testing. Analysis pertains to researching the business needs and understanding the requirements for the new system, design concerns the creation of the new system and its functions, and operation deals with the maintenance of the system once it is in place.

Quiz 17: Acquiring and Implementing Accounting Information Systems