Quiz 2: The Origins of Software

Hardware manufacturers are one source of software.

The first administrative information system was General Electric's payroll system.

Internal corporate information systems departments now spend a smaller portion of their time and effort on developing systems from scratch.

Third-party sourcing is the practice of turning over responsibility of some to all of an organization's information systems applications and operations to an outside firm.

Outsourcing is an alternative analysts need to be aware of.

An organization may move to outsourcing for political reasons.

Reducing time to market is one reason for outsourcing.

Hiring a company to run your applications on your own computers is an example of outsourcing.

A company may consider outsourcing if it feels that its core mission does not involve managing an information systems unit and that it might achieve more effective computing by turning over all of its operations to a more experienced,computer-oriented company.

Based on 2007 total revenues,the number one global software company is Microsoft.

Based on 2007 total revenues,the number one global software company is IBM.

Hardware manufacturers,packaged software producers,custom software producers,enterprisewide solutions,application server providers,and in-house developers are sources of software.

Sun and Hitachi are well known for their enterprisewide solutions.

SAP AG,PeopleSoft,and Oracle are vendors of enterprise solution software.

Software companies will test their systems in actual organizations to determine whether there are any problems or if any improvements can be made,and until this testing is complete,the system is not offered for sale to the general public.

In many instances,off-the-shelf software can meet an organization's needs over 80 percent of the time.

In general,custom software producers do not use the same methodologies,techniques,and tools that companies use to develop systems in house.

All off-the-shelf software systems can be modified to meet the specific,individual needs of a particular organization.

Properly designed turnkey systems will perfectly match the way an organization does business.

A reasonable estimate is that off-the-shelf software can at best meet 70 percent of an organization's needs.

A turnkey system integrates individual,traditional business functions into a series of modules so that a single transaction occurs seamlessly within a single information system rather than several separate systems.

Referencing enterprise solutions,the difference between the modules and traditional approaches is that the modules are integrated to focus on the business functional areas,rather than on business processes.

Using enterprise software solutions,a firm can integrate all parts of a business process in a unified information system.

One of the primary benefits of using an enterprise software solution is the short time period required for implementation.

Lack of in-house expertise is a disadvantage associated with enterprise solutions software.

The benefits of the enterprise solutions approach include a single repository of data for all aspects of a business process and the flexibility of the separate systems.

Another method for organizations to obtain applications is to rent them or license them from third-party providers who run the applications at remote sites.

IBM captured a large share of the ERP market through its own financial systems and through the acquisition of other ERP vendors.

Cloud computing refers to the provision of applications over the Internet.

A disadvantage of cloud computing is the increased need for internal information technology staff.

Advantages to cloud computing include gaining access to applications faster than via internal development,and achieving lower-cost access to corporate-quality applications.

The choice to acquire software from outside sources is made at the end of the systems design phase.

When choosing off-the-shelf software,cost,functionality,response time,and ease of installation are some of the common criteria that should be considered.

When choosing off-the-shelf software,the two most important criteria are functionality and ease of installation.

Functionality refers to the tasks the software can perform and the mandatory,essential,and desired system features.

Purchasing application software is a substitute for conducting the systems analysis phase.

Hybrid solutions involving some purchased and some in-house software components are not very common.

Open source software is different because it is freely available,not just the final product but the source code itself.

Purchasing software is part of one design strategy for acquiring the system identified during analysis.

Functionality refers to how easy it is for you,or the vendor,to customize the software.

Flexibility refers to how long it takes the software package to respond to the user's requests in an interactive session.

One way to get all of the information you want about a software package is to collect it from the vendor.

One method for validating purchased software information is to contact current users of the software.

A request for proposal is a document provided to vendors that asks them to propose hardware and system software that will meet the requirements of a new system.

Baan is a software testing and abstracting service that periodically evaluates software and collects user opinions.

Reuse refers to the use of previously written software resources,especially objects and components,in new applications.

According to a study cited in the textbook,most organizations cannot compete economically with established commercial organizations that focus on selling components as their main line of business.

Sources of software include: A)information technology services firm B)packaged software providers C)application service providers D)all of the above

The first administrative information system was: A)General Motor's order tracking system B)Ford Motor Company's order tracking system C)General Electric's payroll system D)Coca-Cola's payroll system

Which of the following is a true statement regarding in-house development? A)In-house development of information systems has increased by a factor of 3 in the last three years. B)In-house development of information systems has increased by 42 percent in the last three years. C)In-house development of information systems has progressively become a smaller piece of all the systems development work that takes place in and for organizations. D)When developing administrative systems,in-house development of information systems is still the best choice.

Reasons for outsourcing include: A)freeing up internal resources B)increasing processing efficiencies C)reducing time to market D)all of the above

The practice of turning over responsibility of some to all of an organization's information systems applications and operations to an outside firm is referred to as: A)realignment B)downsizing C)outsourcing D)time sharing

Hiring a company to run your applications at your site on your computers is an example of: A)a turnkey system B)outsourcing C)downsizing D)realignment

Which of the following companies are ranked in the 2007 top global software companies? A)IBM B)Microsoft C)Capgemmi D)all of the above

Based on 2007 total revenues,which of the following top global software companies had the highest revenues? A)Accenture B)IBM C)Microsoft D)NTT Data Corporation

Based on total revenues for 2007,which of the following global software companies ranks fourth? A)Microsoft B)IBM C)Accenture D)EDS

Off-the-shelf software systems that cannot be modified to meet the specific needs of a particular organization are sometimes called: A)custom software systems B)in-house developed systems C)turnkey systems D)standard systems

Based on 2007 services revenue,which of the following companies is the top global software company? A)Compaq B)Microsoft C)Accenture D)IBM

A system that integrates individual traditional business functions into a series of modules so that a single transaction occurs seamlessly within a single information system rather than several separate systems best describes: A)enterprise resource planning B)application service C)storage area network D)packaged software

SAP AG is a(n): A)hardware manufacturer B)application service provider C)enterprise solution software provider D)custom software producer

Benefits of enterprise solutions do not include: A)the flexibility of modules B)ease of implementation and less implementation time C)being an inexpensive alternative to custom development D)not requiring the company to change how it does business

A major vendor that provides enterprise solution software is: A)Microsoft B)SAP AG C)Macromedia D)Adobe

One of the top three reasons for choosing to go with cloud computing is: A)having internal IT staff run the application B)hosting the application internally C)having IT staff install and upgrade D)freeing internal IT staff

Some of the most well-known and popular open source software names are: A)Linux B)mySQL C)Firefox D)all of the above

Displays and reports may be easily redesigned if the modules are written in: A)fourth-generation language B)third-generation language C)object-oriented language D)English language

The choice to acquire software from outside sources should be made: A)at the beginning of the analysis phase B)at the middle of the analysis phase C)at the end of the analysis phase D)at the end of the design phase

Which of the following describes the internal staffing requirements when software components are acquired from packaged software producers? A)Some internal staff are necessary,but mostly consultants are needed. B)Some IS and user staff to define requirements and evaluate packages are needed. C)Internal staff may be needed,depending on the application. D)Internal staffing requirements vary.

Which of the following describes the internal staffing requirements when software components are acquired from enterprise wide solutions providers? A)Some internal staff are necessary,but mostly consultants are needed. B)Some IS and user staff to define requirements and evaluate packages are needed. C)Internal staff may be needed,depending on the application. D)Internal staffing requirements vary.

According to a study cited in the textbook,which of the following development methods can lead to a larger maintenance burden? A)in-house development B)packaged software C)outsourcing D)enterprisewide solutions

Which of the following software producers is generally not a source of application software? A)custom software producers B)enterprise solution producers C)packaged software producers D)in-house developers

When purchasing off-the-shelf software,you should consider: A)flexibility B)response time C)vendor viability D)all of the above

When choosing off-the-shelf software,which of the following are the two most important criteria? A)vendor viability and vendor support B)cost and functionality C)documentation and response time D)flexibility and functionality

Which of the following software criteria refers to the tasks the software can perform and the mandatory,essential,and desired system features? A)cost B)vendor viability C)functionality D)flexibility

Which of the following software criteria determines whether the software package can perform all or just some of the software tasks your users need? A)cost B)vendor viability C)functionality D)flexibility

Vendor support can take the form of: A)providing assistance to install software B)training users and system staff on the software C)providing help as problems arise after installation D)all of the above

Which of the following software evaluation criteria refers to the ease with which you or the vendor can customize the software? A)cost B)vendor viability C)functionality D)flexibility

Which of the software evaluation criteria refers to how long it takes the software package to respond to the user's requests in an interactive session? A)functionality B)return rate C)response time D)flexibility

Which of the following software evaluation criteria measures the difficulty of loading the software and making it operational? A)ease of installation B)installation viability C)functionality D)flexibility

Which of the following are ways of validating purchased software information? A)reviewing software documentation and technical marketing literature B)sending prospective vendors a questionnaire asking specific questions about their packages C)using the software yourself and running it through a series of tests based on the criteria for selecting software D)all of the above

The document sent to vendors asking them to propose hardware and software that will meet the requirements of your new system is called a: A)requirements statement B)request for proposal C)baseline project plan D)business case

Which of the following is a true statement about reusing software? A)Reuse should increase programmer productivity. B)Reuse should decrease development time. C)Reuse should result in higher-quality software. D)All of the above.

The reuse of object libraries can result in: A)reduced rework B)reduced defect density C)increased productivity D)all of the above

When considering reuse,which of the following issues should be addressed? A)the current lack of a methodology for creating and clearly defining and labeling reusable components for placement in a library B)the lack of commitment to reuse C)lack of proper training and rewards needed to promote reuse D)all of the above

Which of the following is the software reuse step that involves the design of a reusable piece of software,starting from existing software assets or from scratch? A)storage B)abstraction C)recontextualization D)conceptualization

Which of the following is the software reuse step that involves making software assets available for others to use? A)storage B)abstraction C)recontextualization D)conceptualization

Which of the following is the software reuse step that involves making the reusable asset understandable to developers who want to use it in their systems? A)storage B)abstraction C)recontextualization D)conceptualization

Which of the following is not an approach that an organization can take to software reuse? A)flexible reuse B)facilitated reuse C)ad hoc reuse D)managed reuse

The software reuse approach that allows individuals to find or develop reusable assets on their own,and has few,if any,organizational rewards for reusing assets best describes: A)flexible reuse B)facilitated reuse C)ad hoc reuse D)managed reuse

The software reuse approach where developers are not required to practice reuse,but are encouraged to do so best describes: A)flexible reuse B)facilitated reuse C)ad hoc reuse D)managed reuse

Which of the following is a software reuse approach that mandates the development,sharing,and adoption of reusable assets? A)flexible reuse B)facilitated reuse C)ad hoc reuse D)managed reuse

The most expensive and extensive reuse approach is: A)designed reuse B)facilitated reuse C)ad hoc reuse D)managed reuse

__________ is the practice of turning over responsibility of some to all of an organization's information systems applications and operations to an outside firm.

__________ are off-the-shelf software systems that cannot be modified to meet the specific,individual needs of a particular organization.

__________ integrate individual traditional business functions into a series of modules so that a single transaction occurs seamlessly within a single information system rather than several separate systems.

__________ enable a firm to integrate all parts of a business process into a unified information system.

A __________ is an organization that hosts and runs computer applications for other companies,typically on a per use or license basis.

When choosing off-the-shelf software,the eight most common criteria are __________,__________,__________,__________,__________,__________,__________,and __________.

When considering off-the-shelf software,the two most important criteria are __________ and __________.

When resources and staff are available and the system must be built from scratch,a company should consider __________.

Together,SAP and Oracle control about 60 percent of the __________ market.

When a supported task is generic,a company should consider acquiring its software from a __________.

__________ is ranked in the 2007 top 10 global software companies and is in the operating systems software business sector.

__________ refers to the tasks the software can perform and the mandatory,essential,and desired system features.

__________ includes assistance to install the software,train user and systems staff on the software,and provide help as problems arise after installation.

__________ refers to how easy it is for you,or the vendor,to customize the software.

__________ refers to how long it takes the software package to respond to the user's request in an interactive session.

__________ is a measure of the difficulty of loading the software and making it operational.

__________ periodically evaluate software and collect user opinions,thus providing a range of opinions about possible software packages.

__________ refers to the use of previously written software resources,especially objects and components,in new applications.

The three basic software reuse steps are __________,__________,and __________.

__________ is the software reuse step that involves the design of a reusable piece of software,starting from existing software assets or from scratch.

__________ is the software reuse step that involves making software assets available for others to use.

__________ is the software reuse step that involves making the reusable asset understandable to developers who want to use it in their systems.

__________ is the software reuse approach where developers are not required to practice reuse,but are encouraged to do so.

__________ is the software reuse approach that mandates reuse and measures its effectiveness,as well as mandates that assets be designed for reuse as they are being designed for specific applications.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding definition. a.cloud computing b.reuse c.enterprise resource planning systems d.outsourcing e.request for proposal -A document provided to vendors to ask them to propose hardware and system software that will meet the requirements of your new system.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding definition. a.cloud computing b.reuse c.enterprise resource planning systems d.outsourcing e.request for proposal -The practice of turning over responsibility of some to all of an organization's information systems applications and operations to an outside firm.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding definition. a.cloud computing b.reuse c.enterprise resource planning systems d.outsourcing e.request for proposal -A system that integrates individual traditional business functions into a series of modules so that a single transaction occurs seamlessly within a single information system rather than several separate systems.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding definition. a.cloud computing b.reuse c.enterprise resource planning systems d.outsourcing e.request for proposal -The provision of computing resources over the Internet so that customers do not need to invest in the infrastructure to run and maintain an application.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding definition. a.cloud computing b.reuse c.enterprise resource planning systems d.outsourcing e.request for proposal -The use of previously written software resources,especially objects and components,in new applications.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding definition. a.turnkey system b.outsourcing c.packaged software producer d.vendor support e.enterprise resource planning system -Off-the-shelf software systems that cannot be modified to meet the specific,individual needs of a particular organization.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding definition. a.turnkey system b.outsourcing c.packaged software producer d.vendor support e.enterprise resource planning system -The practice of turning over responsibility of some to all of an organization's information systems applications and operations to an outside firm.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding definition. a.turnkey system b.outsourcing c.packaged software producer d.vendor support e.enterprise resource planning system -A system that integrates individual traditional business functions into a series of modules so that a single transaction occurs seamlessly within a single information system rather than several separate systems.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding definition. a.turnkey system b.outsourcing c.packaged software producer d.vendor support e.enterprise resource planning system -Software companies that develop prepackaged or off-the-shelf systems.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding definition. a.turnkey system b.outsourcing c.packaged software producer d.vendor support e.enterprise resource planning system -This occurs in the form of assistance to install the software,to train user and systems staff on the software,and provide help as problems arise after installation.

Match each of the following sources of software components with its internal staffing requirements. a.packaged software producers b.IT service firms c.in-house developers d.hardware manufacturers e.enterprise-wide solutions f.cloud computing -Ideally,none.

Match each of the following sources of software components with its internal staffing requirements. a.packaged software producers b.IT service firms c.in-house developers d.hardware manufacturers e.enterprise-wide solutions f.cloud computing -Some IS and user staff to define requirements and evaluate packages.

Match each of the following sources of software components with its internal staffing requirements. a.packaged software producers b.IT service firms c.in-house developers d.hardware manufacturers e.enterprise-wide solutions f.cloud computing -Internal staff may be needed,depending on the application.

Match each of the following sources of software components with its internal staffing requirements. a.packaged software producers b.IT service firms c.in-house developers d.hardware manufacturers e.enterprise-wide solutions f.cloud computing -It varies.

Match each of the following sources of software components with its internal staffing requirements. a.packaged software producers b.IT service firms c.in-house developers d.hardware manufacturers e.enterprise-wide solutions f.cloud computing -Internal staff is necessary,though staff size may vary.

Match each of the following sources of software components with its internal staffing requirements. a.packaged software producers b.IT service firms c.in-house developers d.hardware manufacturers e.enterprise-wide solutions f.cloud computing -Some internal staff is necessary,but mostly need consultants.

Indicate when software should be acquired from each of the following types of software producers. a.packaged software producers b.IT services firms c.in-house developers d.hardware manufacturers e.enterprise-wide solutions -When resources and staff are available and the system must be built from scratch.

Indicate when software should be acquired from each of the following types of software producers. a.packaged software producers b.IT services firms c.in-house developers d.hardware manufacturers e.enterprise-wide solutions -When the task requires custom support and the system cannot be built internally.

Indicate when software should be acquired from each of the following types of software producers. a.packaged software producers b.IT services firms c.in-house developers d.hardware manufacturers e.enterprise-wide solutions -For system software and utilities.

Indicate when software should be acquired from each of the following types of software producers. a.packaged software producers b.IT services firms c.in-house developers d.hardware manufacturers e.enterprise-wide solutions -When the supported task is generic.

Indicate when software should be acquired from each of the following types of software producers. a.packaged software producers b.IT services firms c.in-house developers d.hardware manufacturers e.enterprise-wide solutions -For complete systems that cross functional boundaries.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding description. a.reuse b.ad hoc reuse c.designed reuse d.managed reuse e.facilitated reuse -Individuals find assets on their own,sharing with colleagues as they choose.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding description. a.reuse b.ad hoc reuse c.designed reuse d.managed reuse e.facilitated reuse -The use of previously written software resources,especially objects and components,in new applications.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding description. a.reuse b.ad hoc reuse c.designed reuse d.managed reuse e.facilitated reuse -The organization encourages and supports reuse with limited resources,infrastructure,and policies to make reuse easier.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding description. a.reuse b.ad hoc reuse c.designed reuse d.managed reuse e.facilitated reuse -The organization invests in carefully designing assets for reuse,choosing assets for domain or product line.

Match each of the following terms with its corresponding description. a.reuse b.ad hoc reuse c.designed reuse d.managed reuse e.facilitated reuse -The organization enforces reuse practices through policies,resources,tools,and people.

Briefly identify six sources of software.

Identify the most common criteria for choosing off-the-shelf software.Which two criteria would be among the most important?

What are enterprise resource planning systems? How do they differ from traditional approaches? Identify three enterprise resource planning system vendors.

What is cloud computing? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a cloud?

What is outsourcing? Identify two outsourcing arrangements.Identify two reasons for outsourcing.

What is software reuse? Briefly describe four approaches to software reuse.

Identify six sources of software.Briefly describe the internal staffing requirements.

How can a company validate purchased software information?

For each reuse approach,briefly describe its process and policies.