Question 1

In joint application design, systems analysts interview or directly observe potential users of the new system individually to understand each user's needs.

Accepted Answer

In joint application design, systems analysts facilitate a group of users to come together and participate in discussions and activities in order to jointly understand their needs for the new system.

Question 2

Which of the following statements about the buy option for acquiring IS applications is true?

Accepted Answer

All of the options are true regarding the buy option for acquiring IS applications. There are many off-the-shelf software options available for purchase, the company can often try out the software before making a final decision, and purchasing software can save significant amounts of time compared to building from scratch.

Question 3

The main advantage of rapid application development is the active involvement of users in the development process.

Accepted Answer

Rapid application development emphasizes on involving users in the development process to ensure that the final product meets their needs and requirements. This approach allows for continuous feedback and improves the chances of delivering a successful product.

Question 4

Leasing can be attractive to small- and medium-sized organizations that cannot afford major investments in software.

Accepted Answer

Leasing allows organizations to access and pay for software on a regular basis, rather than making a large upfront investment. This can be particularly appealing to smaller organizations with limited budgets.

Question 5

Legacy systems were expensive to build, because they required on-premise hardware, software, and networking technologies.

Accepted Answer

Legacy systems were typically built using on-premise hardware, software, and networking technologies, which could be expensive to acquire, install, and maintain. This was due to the complex nature of these systems, as well as the need for specialized skills to manage and maintain them over time.

Question 6

Which of the following is a reason why evaluating the benefits of IT projects is more complex than evaluating their costs?

Accepted Answer

Evaluating the benefits of IT projects is more complex than evaluating their costs because benefits are often intangible and harder to quantify, IT can be used for several different purposes, and the probability of obtaining a return from an IT investment is based on the probability of implementation success.

Question 7

In the case of _____, organizations obtain a license to implement a version of the software product and are then able to further customize it to suit their needs.

Accepted Answer

The scenario described is characteristic of open-source software, where the source code is publicly available for use and modification, and users can obtain licenses to customize and implement it.

Question 8

The IT planning process begins with an analysis of the organization's IT infrastructure.

Accepted Answer

The IT planning process typically begins with an understanding of the organization's strategic goals and objectives, not directly with an analysis of the IT infrastructure. This ensures that the IT strategy aligns with and supports the overall direction of the organization.

Question 9

Which of the following is the most difficult and crucial task in evaluating a vendor and a software package?

Accepted Answer

Determining the evaluation criteria is crucial because it sets the foundation for how vendors and software packages will be assessed, ensuring that the selection aligns with the organization's needs and goals.

Question 10

The _____ approach to systems development uses specialized tools to automate many of the tasks in the systems development life cycle.

Accepted Answer

The integrated computer-assisted software engineering (CASE) approach is characterized by the use of specialized tools to automate many of the tasks in the systems development life cycle, such as requirements gathering, analysis, design, coding, testing, and maintenance. CASE tools can help to reduce development time, costs, and errors while increasing productivity, quality, and consistency. Joint application design (B) is a collaborative approach that involves end-users and developers working together to define and design a system. Rapid application development (C) and prototyping (D) are iterative approaches that emphasize speed, flexibility, and user involvement, but may not rely on CASE tools.

Question 11

The feasibility study addresses which of the following issues?

Accepted Answer

The feasibility study addresses all three issues: economic feasibility, technical feasibility, and behavioral feasibility. These factors must be considered to determine the viability of a project or business venture.

Question 12

_____ feasibility determines if the hardware, software, and communications components can be developed and/or acquired to solve the business problem.

Accepted Answer

Technical feasibility assesses whether the hardware, software, and communication components required for a proposed solution are available or can be developed to solve the business problem. Economic feasibility evaluates whether the proposed solution is cost-effective and whether the company can afford to implement it. Organizational and behavioral feasibility assesses how the proposed solution will impact the company's structure, culture, and employees.

Question 13

Which of the following systems acquisition methods may eventually require maintenance assistance from the IT department, produce inadequate documentation, and result in a system with inadequate interfaces to existing systems?

Accepted Answer

End-user development may eventually require maintenance assistance from the IT department, produce inadequate documentation, and result in a system with inadequate interfaces to existing systems due to the lack of professional training and expertise of the end-users.

Question 14

Which of the following is a disadvantage of prototyping?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is a disadvantage...

Question 15

_____ are employees from all functional areas and levels of the organization who interact with the system, either directly or indirectly.

Accepted Answer

Users are the employees from all functional areas and levels of the organization who interact with the system, either directly or indirectly. Systems stakeholders may include users but also include other parties such as management, customers, and suppliers. Programmers and systems analysts are specific job roles involved in developing and maintaining the system.

Question 16

The goals of the _____ are to link corporate strategy and IT strategy, approve the allocation of resources for the MIS function, and establish performance measures for the MIS function and see that they are met.

Accepted Answer

The goals described in the question align with those of an IT steering committee. The CEO and Board of Directors have broader organizational goals and responsibilities, while the IT operational committee focuses on day-to-day IT operations.

Question 17

The _____ is a set of long-range goals that describe the IT infrastructure and identify the major IT initiatives needed to achieve the goals of the organization.

Accepted Answer

The IT strategic plan outlines the future direction of the organization's IT infrastructure and identifies the major IT initiatives needed to achieve the overall goals of the organization. It is a long-term plan that sets goals and objectives for the IT department to support the organization's overall mission and vision. The other options are either too narrow in focus (A, B) or not specific enough to describe the long-range goals of the IT department (D).

Question 18

An application service provider is a vendor who assembles the software needed by an enterprise and packages the software with outsourced development, operations, maintenance, and other services.

Accepted Answer

An application service provider (ASP) is a vendor who provides software, related support services and hosting to customers over the internet or a private network. The ASP model is based on the concept of outsourcing and can include a range of services such as software development, deployment, maintenance, updates, security, and technical support.

Question 19

A request for proposal is a document that companies send to potential vendors inviting them to submit a proposal that describes their software package and how it would meet the company's needs.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. A request for proposal (RFP) is a document that companies use to solicit proposals from potential vendors to provide goods or services. In the case of software, the RFP would outline the company's needs and ask vendors to submit proposals that describe their software package and how it would meet those needs.

Question 20

The _____ approach to systems development defines an initial list of user requirements, then develops the system in an iterative fashion.

Accepted Answer

Prototyping is an iterative approach to systems development that involves developing a series of prototypes, each of which is a working model of the system. The prototypes are used to gather feedback from users, which is then used to refine the requirements and design of the system.

Quiz 14: Acquiring Information Systems and Applications