TEST BANK management information systems 0108

Conceived in 1996 as a pilot project for testing the efficacy of computerizing the land registration process, CARD was later implemented across the state.. The processes in the registrat

Question Paper Management Information Systems (MC261 ): January 2008

Section A : Basic Concepts (30 Marks)

number 1 - 30

Minutes

processing, disseminating, and using these data is called a (an)

(a) Network

(b) Intranet

(c) Formal system

(d) Extranet

(a) Information architecture

(b) Electronic commerce

(c) Management information system

(d) Computer-based information systems

defines as

(a) Mobile commerce

(b) The Internet

(c) Digital markets

(d) The world wide web

as:

5. The conversion, manipulation, and analysis of raw input into a form that is more meaningful to humans is known

as

synchronizing the organizations activities is

i.ex e

7. Every DSS development tool contains

8. Projections and responses to queries are information output characteristics associated with a (an)

9. Summary transaction data, high-volume data, and simple models are information inputs characteristics of a (an)

10. Using advanced graphics and communications to address unstructured decision making is an example of an

information system at

11. Which of the following is a network of facilities for procuring materials, transforming raw materials into

intermediate and finished products, and distributing the finished products to customers?

13. Deciding how to carry out specific tasks specified by strategic and middle management and establishing criteria

for completion and resource allocation best describes as

14. A model of decision making stating that organizations are not rational and that decisions are solutions that become

attached to problems for accidental reasons best describes the

(a) Irrational model of decision making

15. A (An) is the senior manager in charge of the information systems function in the firm

(a) Chief information officer

(b) Project manager

(c) System analyst

(d) Information systems manager

16. Which of the following is the type of electronic commerce that involves consumers selling directly to consumers?

(d) Virtual storefront

18. Word processing, desktop publishing, and electronic calendars are examples of

19. The stored learning from an organization's history that can be used for decision-making and other purposes best

describes as

20. The most successful solutions or problem-solving methods that have been developed by a specific organization or

industry best describes as

21. Expertise and experience of organizational members that has not been formally documented is known as

25. A process of determining the goals and objectives and evolving strategies are

making

is related to which type of information?

an enterprise is

END OF SECTION A

Section B : Caselets (50 Marks)

Caselet 1 Read the caselet carefully and answer the following questions:

government of AP go about implementing the CARD project? Briefly explain the implementation

process of CARD and its key components What lessons can we learn about e-government project

<Answer>

2. Prior to the launch of CARD, the citizens of AP found the land registrations process cumbersome How

did the CARD project benefit the citizens and government of AP?

<Answer>

One of the earliest E-Government initiatives taken by the government of Andhra Pradesh was Computer

Aided Administration of Registration Department (CARD) Conceived in 1996 as a pilot project for

testing the efficacy of computerizing the land registration process, CARD was later implemented across

the state The quality and turnaround time for all registration services have dramatically improved This

highly visible project has tremendous replication potential all over India

Prior to the implementation of the CARD project, the process of registering land deeds was done

manually The processes in the registration department included the valuation of property, to complete

the complicated registration process, citizens had to visit various government offices and private

agencies The various private agencies involved in the registration process included stamp vendors,

document writers and registration agents

The registration process itself created many problems .The process was highly procedure-bound,

complicated and rigid and could not be easily understood by the citizens One of the most important

steps in the registration process was the valuation of property The basic guidelines framed for

calculating the stamp duty, transfer duty, registration fee and miscellaneous fee weren’t normally

accessible to the public Further the guidelines could not be easily comprehended by even the literate

citizens of the state As a result, there was a lack of transparency in the valuation of property

Problems could arise even after registration had taken place Registers into which details of land

documents were copied could decay due to age, poor maintenance or repeated handling Apart from

these problems, registering 12 million property transactions manually every year was an extremely

difficult task

The primary objective of the CARD project was to utilize IT to reduce the time required for the

registration of land and property deeds such as sales deeds, mortgage deeds and gift deeds in AP

Implementation of CARD

In order to test the utility of computerizing the registration process, the government of AP decided to

launch a pilot project in which 2 Sub Registrar Offices (SROs) were computerized The government of

AP faced the mammoth task of computerizing about 387 SROs that registered 12 million documents

every year It was planned to implement the project in different phases In the first phase, 214 SROs

were computerized

The initial step of the project involved the installation of the basic infrastructure- hardware and

software In order to effectively implement CARD the government of AP trained employees in the

required IT skills Another important task was the installation of CARD application software in the

SROs

Benefits

The CARD was well received by the citizens because it helped them to save time The simplicity of the

CARD process also contributed to its popularity The quality and turnaround time for all registration

services have dramatically improved This highly visible project has tremendous replication potential

all over India

END OF CASELET 1 Caselet 2 Read the caselet carefully and answer the following questions:

<Answer>

( 10 marks)

<Answer>

ABACUS International is Asia-Pacific’s largest Global Distribution System(GDS) and Computer

Reservations System (CRS) Based in Singapore, ABACUS provides travel information and

reservations, specially tailored for the Asia-Pacific region The ABACUS system allows travel

agents to book and gain access to information on hundreds of airlines, hotels and car rental

companies worldwide

ABACUS International chose SITA Link Emulator1 as the platform for developing the system and

chose SITA’s Passenger and Travel Solutions2, to build the application providing the online

connection to the CRS HOST and to their central database The system is aimed at medium and

large-scale companies who value the benefits of automating the travel booking process for their

employees who travel frequently

SITA is the world’s leading service provider of IT business solutions and communications services

to the air transport industry SITA manages complex communication solutions for its air transport,

government and GDS customers over the world’s most extensive communication network,

complemented by consultancy in the design, deployment and integration of communication

services Its extensive range of airline and airport applications and services includes airport

operations and integrated baggage services, common-use and desktop services, flight operations

and air-to-ground communications and end-to-end airline distribution and fares services

SITA has two main subsidiaries: On Air, which is leading the race to bring in-flight mobile telephony to

the market, and CHAMP Cargo systems, the world’s only IT company solely dedicated to air cargo

SITA also operates two joint ventures providing services to the air transport community: Aviareto for

aircraft asset management and CertiPath for secure electronic identity management and they sponsor

the Internet’s top level domain reserved exclusively for aviation – aero SITA covers 220 countries and

territories and the head office is in Geneva, Switzerland SITA had aggregated revenues of US$ 1.554

billion in 2005 (€1.295 billion)

END OF CASELET 2

END OF SECTION B Section C : Applied Theory (20 Marks)

END OF SECTION C END OF QUESTION PAPER Suggested Answers Management Information Systems (MC261): January 2008

Section A : Basic Concepts

1. C Formal System is the system that rests on accepted and fixed definitions of data and procedures for

collecting, storing, processing, disseminating, and using these data

< TOP >

2. C The study of information systems focusing on their use in business and management best describes a

Management Information system

< TOP >

3. C A marketplace that is created by computer and communications technologies that link many buyers and

sellers defines adigital markets.

< TOP >

and knowledge

< TOP >

5. A The conversion, manipulation, and analysis of raw input into a form that is more meaningful to humans is

known as processing

< TOP >

that helps in synchronizing the organizations activities

< TOP >

8. B Projections and responses to queries are information output characteristics associated with anESS < TOP >

9. B Summary transaction data, high-volume data, and simple models are information inputs characteristics of an

MIS

< TOP >

to address unstructured decision making

< TOP >

and finished products, and distributing the finished products to customers

< TOP >

and establishing criteria for completion and resource allocation.

< TOP >

14. E A model of decision making stating that organizations are not rational and that decisions are solutions that

become attached to problems for accidental reasons best describes the garbage can model of decision

making

< TOP >

15. A chief information officer is the senior manager in charge of the information systems function in the firm < TOP >

16. C C2C is the type of electronic commerce that involves consumers selling directly to consumers < TOP >

Prototype

< TOP >

18. D Word processing, desktop publishing, and electronic calendars are examples of office systems < TOP >

19. B The stored learning from an organization's history that can be used for decision-making and other purposes

best describes a organizational memory

< TOP >

20. A The most successful solutions or problem-solving methods that have been developed by a specific

organization or industry best describes best practices

< TOP >

21. A Expertise and experience of organizational members that has not been formally documented is known as

tacit knowledge

< TOP >

23. A Internet-based supply chain management applications provide more responsive customer service < TOP >

on previous experience, insight and careful evaluation

< TOP >

example is related to Problem finding information

< TOP >

< TOP >

reaches a target value

< TOP >

solve?

< TOP >

Section B : Problems

In order to test the utility of computerizing the registration process, the government of AP decided to launch a pilot

project in which 2 Sub Registrar Offices(SROs) were computerized The government of AP faced the mammoth task

of computerizing about 387 SROs that registered 12 million documents every year It was planned to implement the

project in different phases In the first phase , 214 SROs were computerized

The initial step of the project involved the installation of the basic infrastructure- hardware and software In order to

effectively implement CARD the government of AP

trained employees in the required IT skills Another important task was the installation of CARD application

software in the SROs

Benefits

The CARD was well received by the citizens because it helped them to save time.The simplicity of the CARD

process also contributed to its popularity.The quality and turnaround time for all registration services have

dramatically improved This highly visible project has tremendous replication potential all over India

< TOP >

processes in the registration department included the valuation of property, to complete the complicated registration

process, citizens had to visit various government offices and private agencies The various private agencies involved

in the registration process included stamp vendors, document writers and registration agents

The registration process itself created many problems The process was highly procedure-bound , complicated and

rigid and could not be easily understood by the citizens One of the most important steps in the registration process

was the valuation of property The basic guidelines framed for calculating the stamp duty, transfer duty , registration

fee and miscellaneous fee weren’t normally accessible to the public Further the guidelines could not be easily

comprehended by even the literate citizens of the state As a result, there was a lack of transparency in the valuation

of property

Problems could arise even after registration had taken place Registers into which details of land documents were

copied could decay due to age, poor maintenance or repeated handling Apart from these problems , registering 12

million property transactions manually every year was an extremely difficult task

In order to effectively implement CARD the government of AP trained employees in the required IT skills Another

important task was the installation of CARD application software in the SROs

The CARD was well received by the citizens because it helped them to save time.The simplicity of the CARD

process also contributed to its popularity.The quality and turnaround time for all registration services have

dramatically improved This highly visible project has tremendous replication potential all over India

< TOP >

Corporate booker module:

Allows the user to view availability and to request or book segments of their trip The corporate user can use the

system at different levels to:

Request a trip with no online connection

Connect online in order to view availability of air, car and hotel segments, and to make requests from these

availability views

Connect online in order to view availability and to book segments

Used by a manager to authorize trips

Travel agent booker module

Allows the travel agent to follow up on the booking made by their client The agent can verify or book

segments, price the trip and issue the tickets

System manager

Used by a system manager to set up relevant details about the company

Policy manager

Used by a manager within a company to define the company policy details This includes traveller

information, route deals for specific routes and Management Information System (MIS) details

Report manager

Used to add, delete and edit reports These reports may then be viewed in the other modules

The results

The advance system resulted in Abacus achieving the following successes:

< TOP >

It is a more efficient and convenient way of making travel bookings than by using the

telephone or by employing labour-intensive travel agency implants

Corporate clients can book their own trips according to their preferences while adhering to

corporate travel policies

Junior personnel are restricted by company policy while more senior personnel are allowed

greater flexibility

Companies can use the system to control and monitor travel within the company The system

provides an automated and appropriate channel for getting the various approvals needed for travel

Its built-in MIS features can capture relevant travel information so that corporate clients may

customize and generate relevant reports Travel Agents can minimize the number of implants in their clients ’ offices,

freeing up valuable resources to provide more efficient customer service to their corporate clients

allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people

The outcome is normally a strategic plan which is used as guidance to define functional and divisional plans,

including Technology, Marketing, etc

Strategic Planning is the formal consideration of an organization's future course All strategic planning deals with at

least one of three key questions:

In business strategic planning, the third question is better phrased "How can we beat or avoid competition?"

In many organizations, this is viewed as a process for determining where an organization is going over the next year

or more -typically 3 to 5 years, although some extend their vision to 20 years

In order to determine where it is going, the organization needs to know exactly where it stands, then determines

where it wants to go and how it will get there The resulting document is called the "strategic plan"

Vision, mission and values

Vision: Defines where the organization wants to be in the future It reflects the optimistic view of the organization's

future Mission: Defines where the organization is going now, basically describing the purpose, why this organization

exists Values: Main values protected by the organization during the progression, reflecting the organization's culture

and priorities

Methodologies:

There are many approaches to strategic planning but typically a three-step process may be used:

Target - define goals and/or objectives (sometimes called ideal state)

Path - map a possible route to the goals/objectives

In other terms strategic planning can be as follows:

SWOT - According to the desired goals conduct analysis

Formulate - Formulate actions and processes to be taken to attain these goals

Implement - Implementation of the agreed upon processes

Control - Monitor and get feedback from implemented processes to fully control the operation

Situational analysis

When developing strategies, analysis of the organization and its environment as it is at the moment and how it may

develop in the future, is important The analysis has to be executed at an internal level as well as an external level to

identify all opportunities and threats of the new strategy

There are several factors to assess in the external situation analysis:

1 Markets (customers)

2 Competition

< TOP >

3 Technology

4 Supplier markets

5 Labor markets

6 The economy

7 The regulatory environment

It is rare to find all seven of these factors having critical importance It is also uncommon to find that the first two

-markets and competition - are not of critical importance

Analysis of the external environment normally focuses on the customer Management should be visionary in

formulating customer strategy, and should do so by thinking about market environment shifts, how these could impact

customer sets, and whether those customer sets are the ones the company wishes to serve

Analysis of the competitive environment is also performed, many times based on the framework suggested by

Michael Porter

Importance of Strategic Planning:

Strategic planning is a very important business activity It is also important in the public sector areas such as

education It is practiced widely informally and formally Strategic planning and decision processes should end with

objectives and a roadmap of ways to achieve those objectives

Section C: Applied Theory

effectively in an organization that helps them to reach their goals and objectives on time MIS needs to furnish the

information to the managers to fine-tune and expand their knowledge so that they can know about the adverse

trends in business and any failures in the management process and it should be supported by a good decision

support system to help the managers to take up effective and timely decisions Modern business management

requires the traditional controls to be shifted managerial control and hence it requires the managers to handle the

tasks efficiently, which they are responsible for If a good MIS supports the manager in his specific task of

business management, he will be able to face any business risks and uncertainties that may arise Moreover the

managers have to keep themselves abreast on the information of how the latest and forthcoming technologies can

affect their business prospects and hence they require an effective MIS to support their activities

< TOP >

of a design, illustrate ideas or features and gather early user feedback Prototyping is often treated as an integral

part of the system design process, where it is believed to reduce project risk and cost Often one or more prototypes

are made in a process of incremental development where each prototype is influenced by the performance of

previous designs, in this way problems or deficiencies in design can be corrected When the prototype is

sufficiently refined and meets the functionality, robustness, manufacturability and other design goals, the product is

ready for production

Advantages of prototyping

Early visibility of the prototype gives users an idea of what the final system looks like

Encourages active participation among users and producer

Enables a higher output for user

Cost effective (Development costs reduced)

Increases system development speed

Assists to identify any problems with the efficacy of earlier design, requirements analysis and

coding activities

Helps to refine the potential risks associated with the delivery of the system being developed

Disadvantages of prototyping

Possibility of causing systems to be left unfinished.

< TOP >