Chapter 1 1. Briefly describe how outsourcing and strategic alliances have impacted IS organizations. Page Ref: 9 2. Describe the key differences between procedure-based information work and knowledge-based information work. Page Ref: 18 Procedure-based information work consists of high volume, low cost (per transaction), and well-understood activities.
The focus is on efficiency of data handling. Knowledge-based information work consists of low volume, high cost (per transaction), and ill-structured activities. The focus is on results achieved by handling concepts rather than data 3.Why is it important for the IS organization to recognize the distinction between procedure-based activities and knowledge-based types of information work? Page Ref: 19 Most IS departments have focused their efforts toward support of procedure-based information work. Since these activities are well-structured and well understood, they have been a natural place to apply computerization. The wave of the future, however, is applying IT to knowledge-based work.
This will require IS to define a support environment that provides a variety of mechanisms to empower workers to handle ill-defined knowledge-based activities. . Briefly describe how the Web has changed the term data. Page Ref: 14 5. Describe two major data issues facing CIOs today. Page Ref: 14 There are three major challenges facing CIO.
First one is security(protecting data from those who should not see it) and privacy(safeguarding the personal data of employees and customers). Moreover, regulation, such as the 2002 Sarbanas-Oxley Act in the United States) now require company officers to verify their financial data. 6. Due to the growth and pervasiveness of IT, organizations are operating in a much different business environment.
Describe three business issues that dramatically affect IT. Page Ref: 2 There are three important business issues that dramatically affect IT. They are Globalization, the world seems to be getting smaller or flatter. Events in a faraway land can impact others in another part of the globe.
E-enablament, Doing business electronically has been fundamental since the 1950s,but now the internet has transformed the way people conduct business. Business Intelligence Through Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Management. The third major theme is how to deal with all the world`s knowledge.One aspect of this is the transfer of knowledge between people(sharing), because the most important asset in enterprises is the people and knowledge they possess.
7. Discuss how the emergence of the Internet economy has affected the global market place. Page Ref: 7 The entire world has become a conglomeration of electronic marketplace. To succeed, large companies believe they need to be global, meaning huge and everywhere. Moreover, the Internet enables companies to work globally-with three main operating arenas, Asia/Pacific, The Americas, Europe and Middle East and Africa.The Internet also allows small firms to have a global reach.
(ebay, amazon) 8. List four principle elements that represents the process of applying IT to accomplish useful work. 1. A set of technologies that represent the IT infrastructure installed and managed by the IS department.
2. A set of users who need to use IT to improve their job performance. 3. A delivery mechanism for developing, delivering, and installing applications 4. Executive leadership to manage the entire process of applying the technology to achieve organizational objectives and goals. Chapter 2 1.
Briefly describe the five IT waves of innovation. Page Ref: 51 The Waves of Innovation model describes five stages an organization will experience in the business exploitation of IT (3 marks) : (1) Reducing costs; (2) Leveraging investments; (3) Enhancing products and services; (4) Enhancing executive decision making; (5) Reaching the consumer. (5 marks) The world wide ubiquity of the Internet and the Web has helped most organizations jump to Wave 5 (2 marks) and is breeding new waves of innovations such as: using the Internet and the Web to work across the organization and form business ecosystems. 2 marks) 2. Briefly describe Cox's four functions of IS.
Page Ref: 54-55 3. Distinguish between the roles of the CIO in the mainframe, distributed, and Web Eras. Page Ref: 63-64 4. List five approaches a CIO could use to increase their understanding of the business and environment.
Page Ref: 65 5. Why has IT governance become a prominent issue? Page Ref: 75 6. Why should a CIO develop a strategic vision? Page Ref: 68-69 7. How can the risk of technological change be managed? Page Ref: 88 8. Briefly describe the Enterprise wide Information Management Model.
Page Ref: 63 9. List three traditional responsibilities of IS and describe how these responsibilities can be “nibbled” away IS departments. Page Ref: 52 10. List and briefly describe three decision domains from the Broadbent and Weill IT governance arrangements matrix.
Page Ref: 74 Chapter 3 1. Distinguish between three types of strategic uses of IT in business. Page Ref: 100 2. According to Porter, how can the Internet be used to sustain a competitive advantage? Page Ref: 104 3. Distinguish between e-enablement, e-business, and e-commerce.
Page Ref: 105 4. Briefly describe the three lessons that the past has taught about how to use IT strategically, according to Brown and Hagel. Page Ref: 106 5. What is an Intranet? Identify several key benefits of intranets. Page Ref: 108 6.
Distinguish between loose, close and tight integration of B2B e-business. Page Ref: 125 7. List the advantages of B2B e-business. Page Ref: 118 8. List and describe three key components provided by the Internet that has allowed companies to accelerate online business activity.
Page Ref: 104 9.How do companies use the technology of the internet for competitive advantage? Page Ref: 100 10. According to Carr, long term successful IT management hinges on defense, not offense. Carr further indicates that the Management of IT should focus on which three areas? Page Ref: 105 Chapter 4 1.
List five reasons why system planning is so difficult. Page Ref: 135-136 2. Describe the traditional strategy-making process. Page Ref: 137 3.
Describe the four stages of Growth model. Page Ref: 146 4. Identify the Competitive Forces model and three appropriate strategies.Page Ref: 148-149 5. Discuss the contribution that the Value Chain model makes to systems planning.
Page Ref: 152 6. Discuss the contribution that the e-business value matrix makes to systems planning. age Ref: 155 7. Describe scenario planning.
Page Ref: 163 8. List and describe the dominant technology in each of the three eras of the Nolan and Gibson information technology learning curve. What is technological discontinuity? Page Ref: 146 9. According to Porter, in the new economy, technology has become the most important driver of change.
List and describe three emerging forces that will affect technology as described by Porter. Page Ref: 152 10. What are the five primary activities of the Porter value chain? Page Ref: 152 Chapter 5 1. Distinguish between an IT architecture and an IT infrastructure.
Page Ref: 174 2. Which four issues determine the degree to which a system is distributed? Page Ref: 175 3. List three issues that impact an organization's ability to distribute IT functions and responsibilities. Page Ref: 178 4.
Briefly describe remote data management client-server systems.Page Ref: 183-184 5. Briefly describe XML, UDDI, SOAP and WSDL. Page Ref: 193 6. Describe three views that firms can take of their IT infrastructure. Page Ref: 221-222 7.
What are the benefits of client-server computing? Page Ref: 188 9. What are the benefits of peer-to-peer computing? Page Ref: 191 10. Define and describe SOA. Page Ref: 201 Chapter 6 1.
Describe three attributes that make the Internet important to corporations. Page Ref: 219 2. Describe Voice over IP. age Ref: 224 3. Briefly describe the seven layers of the OSI reference model.
Page Ref: 228 4. Briefly describe four wireless network technologies. Page Ref: 232 5. Briefly describe 1G and 2G cellular technology. Page Ref: 235-236 6. Describe the challenges facing the introduction of 3G Cellular technology.
Page Ref: 235 7. Discuss the roles of the IS department in the management of telecommunications within an organization. Page Ref: 245 8. Briefly describe DSL. Page Ref: 217 9.
Why is the OIS model called a Reference Model? Page Ref: 227 10. What is a wireless mesh network? Why are they important? Page Ref: 237
