Deck 9: Developing and Acquiring Information Systems

Question 1

Business case arguments based on ________ focus on beliefs about organizational strategy,competitive advantage,industry forces,customer perceptions,market share,and so on.

A) faith
B) fear
C) facts
D) fiction
E) fallacy

Answer 1

A

Question 2

________ refers to the process of identifying,quantifying,and presenting the value provided by a system.

A) Making a business case
B) Testing a process
C) Making a prototype
D) Deploying software product
E) Refining a prototype

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of recurring costs associated with an information system?

A) installation charges
B) cost of hosting Web servers
C) employee salaries
D) technology purchases
E) cost of system acquisition

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A company is conducting a cost-benefit analysis for its information system (IS)department.In this,the salary of an employee is an example of a(n)________ cost.

A) intangible and tangible
B) tangible and recurring
C) intangible and recurring
D) tangible and non-recurring
E) recurring and non-recurring

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of an intangible cost for a system?

A) cost of losing customers
B) employee salaries
C) cost of installation and maintenance
D) cost of employee recruitment and retention
E) customer support costs

Question 6

"Increased customer reach of the new Web-based system will result in at least a modest increase in sales." This statement represents a(n)________ for the company.

A) recurring cost
B) intangible cost
C) tangible benefit
D) non-recurring cost
E) intangible benefit

Question 7

Which of the following statements best describes the productivity paradox of technology investment?

A) The productivity of any technology is directly proportional to the investment in that technology.
B) While it is easy to quantify the costs associated with developing an information system, it is often difficult to quantify tangible productivity gains from its use.
C) As investment in technology increases, productivity decreases steadily.
D) While it is easy to identify and quantify the intangible benefits of an information system, it is not easy to quantify the tangible benefits.
E) The productivity of an information system is in no way related to the investment in the technology.

Question 8

A break-even analysis ________.

A) identifies the point where tangible benefits equal tangible costs
B) analyzes the relevant cash flow streams associated with the system at the organization's discount rate
C) refers to the discounted sum, or present value, of a stream of costs associated with a project or proposal
D) attempts to summarize the overall value of money for a project or proposal
E) is the rate of return used by an organization to compute the present value of future cash flows

Question 9

________ costs are ongoing costs that occur throughout the life of the system.

A) Smart
B) Sector
C) Fixed
D) Recurring
E) Non-recurring

Question 10

Which of the following scenarios demonstrates system efficiency?

A) A company's new information system allowed the company to reach its monthly targets.
B) A company was able to easily reach its sales goals through the use of its information system.
C) A company's new information system allowed the company to set achievable targets.
D) A company's new information system helped employees achieve their individual goals alongside the company's goals.
E) A company's new information system helped employees work faster, with less effort.

Question 11

System efficiency is the extent to which a system ________.

A) allows firms to reach their operational targets
B) allows people to plan tasks that are achievable
C) enables people to accomplish goals or tasks well
D) enables people to do things faster or at lower cost
E) allows employees to reduce the risks associated with tasks

Question 12

A company implemented a new information system two months ago,but it has not resulted in concrete increases in productivity.A similar system has been in place at the company headquarters for the past two years,and this system has resulted in significant,quantifiable benefits.Which of the following reasons is the most likely explanation for the lack of results?

A) The benefits of the new information system are difficult to pinpoint because the firm is considering the wrong indicators.
B) The new system is being used to redistribute market share rather than make the whole market bigger.
C) It can take years from the first implementation of this new system before the magnitude of benefits is felt by the organization.
D) The benefits of the new information system are difficult to pinpoint because the firm is not familiar with the working of the system.
E) The new system may be beneficial for individual firms, but not for a particular industry or the economy as a whole.

Question 13

Business case arguments based on data,quantitative analysis,and/or indisputable factors are known as arguments based on ________.

A) fads
B) faith
C) facts
D) fear
E) fiction

Question 14

Which of the following is true of system effectiveness?

A) It is the extent to which a system enables the firm to accomplish goals well.
B) It is the extent to which a system allows a firm to plan its tasks.
C) It is the extent to which a system enables the firm to do things faster, at lower cost.
D) It is the extent to which a system allows a firm to cut operational costs.
E) It is the extent to which a system enables people to accomplish tasks with relatively little time and effort.

Question 15

Which of the following is true for tangible costs?

A) They are recurring costs.
B) They are always non-recurring costs.
C) They are relatively easy to quantify.
D) They are the same as intangible benefits.
E) They are always fixed costs.

Question 16

A method for deciding among different information system (IS)investments or when considering alternative designs for a given system is ________ analysis.

A) transactional
B) weighted multicriteria
C) finite element
D) independent component
E) link quality

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of an intangible benefit for a firm?

A) lower transport and operational costs
B) a significant increase in sales
C) a reduction in operational errors
D) cost reductions as compared to previous data
E) improved customer perceptions of the firm

Question 18

Business case arguments based on fear are dependent on ________.

A) the belief that implementing the new information system can have significant positive consequences for the firm
B) beliefs about organizational strategy, competitive advantage, industry forces, customer perceptions, market share, and so on
C) data, quantitative analysis, and/or indisputable factors
D) the notion that if the system is not implemented, the firm will lose out to the competition or go out of business
E) the results of a qualitative analysis of employee responses to the new information system

Question 19

Which of the following statements is an example of a business case argument based on fear?

A) If we do not implement this system, our competitors could gain a significant advantage over us.
B) This system has the potential to reduce required effort by 40 percent.
C) Using this system will help our employees serve customers more efficiently.
D) The system can help us meet both individual as well as organizational goals.
E) The new system is user-friendly and can be implemented almost immediately.

Question 20

A company implements a new information system and observes a 5 percent increase in its monthly sales.This is a(n)________ of the system.

A) intangible benefit
B) tangible cost
C) tangible benefit
D) recurring cost
E) non-recurring cost

Question 21

A net-present-value analysis is an analysis of the relevant cash flow streams associated with the system at the organization's discount rate.

Question 22

________ is a group meeting-based process for requirements collection.

A) Joint application design
B) Computer-aided design
C) Human-computer interface
D) Reverse engineering
E) Total ownership

Question 23

Proxy variables cannot be used to measure changes in terms of their perceived value to the organization.

Question 24

What is the productivity paradox for technology investments? Explain the possible reasons for the productivity paradox.

Question 25

Which of the following is the correct order of phases in the systems development life cycle (SDLC)?

A) analysis, planning, design, implementation
B) analysis, design, planning, implementation
C) planning, analysis, design, implementation
D) design, analysis, planning, implementation
E) design, planning, analysis, implementation

Question 26

When making the case for an information systems (IS)investment,it is undesirable to translate all potential benefits into monetary terms.

Question 27

Requirements collection takes place during the systems ________ phase of the systems development life cycle (SDLC).

A) design
B) implementation
C) analysis
D) maintenance
E) operation

Question 28

________ is the process of gathering and organizing information from users,managers,customers,business processes,and documents to understand how a proposed information system should function.

A) Data modeling
B) Requirements collection
C) Beta testing
D) End-user development
E) External acquisition

Question 29

The first phase of the systems development life cycle (SDLC)is systems ________.

A) design
B) implementation
C) analysis
D) planning and selection
E) operation

Question 30

Salaries paid to employees are non-recurring costs.

Question 31

________ are alternative measures of outcomes that help clarify the impact a change will have on the firm.

A) Proxy variables
B) Pseudocodes
C) Constants
D) Prototypes
E) Protocols

Question 32

The total cost of ownership is focused on understanding not only the total cost of acquisition,but also all costs associated with ongoing use and maintenance of a system.

Question 33

Explain the three types of arguments commonly made in the business case for an information system.Give an example for each.

Question 34

The biggest increases in productivity results from increased system efficiency rather than system effectiveness.

Question 35

Which of the following is the main advantage of customizable software over off-the-shelf software?

A) cost effectiveness
B) ease of procurement
C) problem specificity
D) lower risks
E) user-friendliness

Question 36

The term systems development life cycle (SDLC)describes the life of an information system from conception to ________.

A) estimation
B) implementation
C) verification
D) retirement
E) development

Question 37

Business case arguments based on faith require hard data based on system costs.

Question 38

A break-even analysis is a type of cost-benefit analysis to identify at what point tangible benefits equal tangible costs.

Question 39

Explain how a cost-benefit analysis could be used to build a fact-based business case.

Question 40

A steering committee identifies and assesses all possible systems development projects that the organization could undertake.

Question 41

Data ________ represent(s)the movement of data through an organization or within an information system.

A) entities
B) flux
C) attributes
D) flows
E) modeling

Question 42

The processing and logic operations of an information system refer(s)to the ________.

A) procedures for entering data into a system
B) transfer of data across system components
C) procedures that transform raw data inputs into new or modified information
D) multiple points of contact between a system and its users
E) process of transforming the system design into a working computer system

Question 43

________ testing focuses on testing the correctness of individual modules and the integration of multiple modules.

A) Developmental
B) Alpha
C) Beta
D) Destructive
E) Security

Question 44

Which of the following is true of patch management?

A) It helps in testing the correctness of individual modules and the integration of multiple modules of a system.
B) It helps in the process of transforming the system design into a working computer system.
C) It helps in performing corrective or preventive maintenance for a system.
D) It helps in decommissioning the current system and installing the new system in the organization.
E) It helps to develop system documentation that details the inner workings of the system to ease future maintenance.

Question 45

A ________ is a business document containing some predefined data,often including some areas where additional data can be filled in.

A) form
B) script
C) sheet
D) report
E) module

Question 46

________ is the process of decommissioning the current way of doing things and installing the new system in the organization.

A) Reverse engineering
B) System programming
C) Adaptive maintenance
D) Patch management
E) System conversion

Question 47

The final phase of the systems development life cycle is systems ________.

A) design
B) implementation
C) analysis
D) maintenance
E) operation

Question 48

________ testing is performed by actual users of the system.

A) Developmental
B) Beta
C) Evolutionary
D) Alpha
E) Comparative

Question 49

________ represents the way in which data are transformed.

A) Data parallelism
B) Processing logic
C) Data streaming
D) Process control
E) Transaction processing

Question 50

In an information system,a ________ is the point of contact between a system and users.

A) biointerface
B) network interface
C) point-to-point link
D) human computer interface
E) data link

Question 51

Which of the following can be considered beta testing?

A) A programmer at Linus Systems checks the integration of multiple modules of an information system.
B) Software testers compare the finished system against user requirements to see if it satisfies all necessary criteria.
C) Taro Inc. checks the correctness of the modules in its new information system.
D) System users at URP feed data into a new information system to test its capability.
E) MNP Inc. checks the system to ensure that it meets all the necessary design requirements.

Question 52

Processing logic is often expressed in ________,which is independent of the actual programming language being used.

A) semantics encoding
B) prefix code
C) source code
D) semiotics
E) pseudocode

Question 53

________ testing is testing of the overall system to see whether it meets design requirements.

A) Developmental
B) Beta
C) Evolutionary
D) Alpha
E) Comparative

Question 54

A ________ is a business document containing only predefined data for online viewing or printing.

A) form
B) script
C) sheet
D) report
E) module

Question 55

________ testing involves testing of the capabilities of the system in the user environment with actual data.

A) Developmental
B) Beta
C) Evolutionary
D) Alpha
E) Comparative

Question 56

Programming is the process of ________.

A) transforming the system design into a working computer system
B) testing the correctness of individual modules of a system
C) testing the integration of multiple modules of a system
D) transforming raw data inputs into new or modified information
E) gathering and organizing information from users and managers

Question 57

Jason has just made some changes to the information system at a company and wants to check if the system is working correctly.What should Jason do to conduct a beta test of the system?

A) He should ask other programmers to check the modules he changed.
B) He should check to see if the changed components are integrated well into the system.
C) He should ask users of the system to test it using actual data.
D) He should ask the software tester to test if the changed system meets design requirements.
E) He should test the changed modules for correctness.

Question 58

Software programming and testing takes place during the systems ________ stage of the systems development process.

A) planning
B) analysis
C) maintenance
D) implementation
E) design

Question 59

________ use the Internet to check the software vendor's Web site for available fixes to problems.The application downloads and installs these in order to fix software flaws.

A) Alpha testing systems
B) Proxy variables
C) Benchmarking systems
D) Patch management systems
E) Workarounds

Question 60

Developmental testing of an information system is performed by ________.

A) software testers
B) actual users
C) programmers
D) systems analysts
E) project managers

Question 61

Traditionally,the most common option for packaged software was commercial off-the-shelf software.

Question 62

Which of the following is true of prototyping?

A) It is part of the fourth stage of the systems development life cycle.
B) It is synonymous with the adaptive maintenance of a system.
C) It does not consider user requirements for the system.
D) It uses a trial-and-error approach for discovering how a system should operate.
E) It is also known as end-user development.

Question 63

List and explain the main steps in the systems development life cycle (SDLC).

Question 64

Requirements collection is the process of gathering and organizing information to understand how a proposed information system should function.

Question 65

Processing logic represents the way in which data are transformed.

Question 66

In an entity-relationship diagram,each data entity can have only one attribute that describes it.

Question 67

Describe some methods of requirements collection during systems analysis.

Question 68

Corrective maintenance involves making changes to an information system to evolve its functionality,to accommodate changing business needs,or to migrate it to a different operating environment.

Question 69

Preventive maintenance of a system involves ________.

A) making changes to an information system to repair flaws in the design
B) making enhancements to improve processing performance or interface usability
C) making changes to a system to reduce the chance of future system failure
D) adding desired, but not necessarily required system features
E) making changes to an information system to accommodate changing business needs

Question 70

The process of making changes to an information system to evolve its functionality,to accommodate changing business needs,or to migrate it to a different operating environment is known as ________ maintenance.

A) adaptive
B) perfective
C) preventive
D) corrective
E) predictive

Question 71

________ maintenance involves making enhancements to improve processing performance or interface usability or adding desired (but not necessarily required)system features (in other words,"bells and whistles").

A) Adaptive
B) Perfective
C) Preventive
D) Corrective
E) Predictive

Question 72

A company has a five-member team in charge of development and maintenance of its information systems.An information system is in place,and the team performs routine maintenance to keep it running smoothly.Which of the following scenarios is an example of adaptive maintenance?

A) Jason notices a faulty component in the system and modifies the component.
B) Justin works on the system to make the user interface more user-friendly.
C) Sara knows that the company is migrating to a new operating environment next month, and makes the appropriate changes to the system.
D) Dylan predicts that the company's old system may fail under new demands, and takes steps to avert it.
E) Kiera detects a fault in the coding, which is hampering system performance, and rectifies it.

Question 73

The process of making changes to an information system to repair flaws in design,coding,or implementation is known as ________ maintenance.

A) adaptive
B) perfective
C) preventive
D) corrective
E) predictive

Question 74

Analysts interview people informed about the operation and issues of the current or proposed system.

Question 75

A company has a five-member team in charge of the development and maintenance of its information systems.An information system is in place,and the team performs routine maintenance to keep it running smoothly.Which of the following scenarios is an example of perfective maintenance?

A) Jason notices a faulty component in the system and modifies the component.
B) Justin works on the system to make the user interface more user-friendly.
C) Sara knows that the company is migrating to a different operating environment next month, and makes changes to the system.
D) Dylan predicts that the company's old system may fail under new demands, and takes steps to avert it.
E) Kiera detects a fault in the coding, which is hampering system performance, and rectifies it.

Question 76

The first phase of the systems development lifecycle is systems design.

Question 77

What are the different types of software maintenance?

Question 78

Describe the elements that must be considered during the systems design phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

Question 79

Data flows represent the movement of data through an organization or within an information system.

Question 80

System conversion is the process of commissioning the current way of doing things and reinstalling the old system in the organization.