Solutions – Chapter 1
Information Systems @ Work
With ERP Access, Small Companies Are Reaching for the Skies
Discussion Questions
1. ERP offerings include:
ERP Cloud for Midsize Companies from Oracle
Microsoft Dynamics – ERP Solution for Midsize Companies
o Allows companies of all sizes to manage their entire business
organizations, including supply chain, procurement, human resources,
financials, and projects.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/erp.aspx
2. SAP’s ERP system offered CIBS a single shared database to store its
information and coordinate its operations, automated processes, and real-
time reporting.
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Problems:
CIBS could not grow.
Data was scattered across spreadsheets and paper files.
Invoices were prepared and sent invoices only once per month.
Invoices were based on paper records often had errors.
Management was not aware of cost overruns until it was too late to
correct them.
2. Small businesses can take advantage of an ERP’s ability to provide a
centralized database, automated processes, and real-time reporting.
Ethical & Societal Issues
Facebook Has User Privacy Problems
,Discussion Questions
1. Student responses may vary. One could argue that both Facebook and its
users should be held responsible for issues regarding privacy.
2. Student responses will vary. Facebook users should be careful about what
they reveal about themselves on the site and should be reminded that it is a
public forum and that information posted can show up elsewhere on the
Web.
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Student responses may vary. Personal profiles that are no longer private may
cause some people to stop using the site.
2. Student responses will vary. The privacy policy should clearly state how
student information will be used, disclosed, and managed.
Review Questions
1. Six attributes that describe the quality of information:
Characteristics Definitions
Accessible Information should be easily accessible by
authorized users so they can obtain it in the right
format and at the right time to meet their needs.
Accurate Accurate information is error free. In some cases,
inaccurate information is generated because
inaccurate data is fed into the transformation
, process. This is commonly called garbage in,
garbage out (GIGO).
Complete Complete information contains all the important
facts. For example, an investment report that does
not include all important costs is not complete.
Economical Information should also be relatively economical
to produce. Decision makers must always balance
the value of information with the cost of producing
it.
Flexible Flexible information can be used for a variety of
purposes. For example, information on how much
inventory is on hand for a particular part can be
used by a sales representative in closing a sale, by
a production manager to determine whether more
inventory is needed, and by a financial executive
to determine the total value the company has
invested in inventory.
Relevant Relevant information is important to the decision
maker. Information showing that lumber prices
might drop might not be relevant to a computer
chip manufacturer.
2. Data is the raw material from which information is composed. Information
includes a context for the data. Knowledge is an awareness of how to apply
the information.
3. Knowledge management is a strategy by which an organization determinedly
and systematically gathers, organizes, stores, analyzes, and shares its
collective knowledge and experience. The goal is to deal with issues and
problems in an effective manner by unleashing the collective value of the
organization’s best thinking.
4. The components of computer-based information system (CBIS)
include hardware, software, telecommunications, people, and
procedures.
, 5. A decision support system (DSS) is an organized collection of
people, procedures, software, databases, and devices that
support problem-specific decision making. The focus of a DSS is
on making effective decisions. Expert systems give the computer
the ability to make suggestions and function like an expert in a
particular field, helping enhance the performance of the novice
user. The unique value of expert systems is that they allow
organizations to capture and use the wisdom of experts and
specialists. Therefore, years of experience and specific skills are
not completely lost when a human expert dies, retires, or leaves
for another job.
6. An intranet is an internal network based on Web technologies
that allows people within an organization to exchange
information and work on projects. An extranet is a network based
on Web technologies that allows selected outsiders, such as
business partners and customers, to access authorized resources
of a company’s intranet.
7. Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is the use of mobile, wireless devices to
place orders and conduct business. M-commerce relies on wireless
communications that managers and corporations use to place orders and
conduct business with handheld computers, portable cell phones, laptop
computers connected to a network, and other mobile devices.
8. The five steps of systems development and related goals are: 1) systems
investigation – understand the problem to be solved; 2) systems analysis –
define problems and opportunities of system; 3) systems design –
determining how a new system is to work; 4 systems implementation –
create a system and put it into operation; and 5) systems maintenance and
review – check and modify the system to keep up with changing business
needs.
9. Global challenges associated with information systems include:
Information Systems @ Work
With ERP Access, Small Companies Are Reaching for the Skies
Discussion Questions
1. ERP offerings include:
ERP Cloud for Midsize Companies from Oracle
Microsoft Dynamics – ERP Solution for Midsize Companies
o Allows companies of all sizes to manage their entire business
organizations, including supply chain, procurement, human resources,
financials, and projects.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/erp.aspx
2. SAP’s ERP system offered CIBS a single shared database to store its
information and coordinate its operations, automated processes, and real-
time reporting.
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Problems:
CIBS could not grow.
Data was scattered across spreadsheets and paper files.
Invoices were prepared and sent invoices only once per month.
Invoices were based on paper records often had errors.
Management was not aware of cost overruns until it was too late to
correct them.
2. Small businesses can take advantage of an ERP’s ability to provide a
centralized database, automated processes, and real-time reporting.
Ethical & Societal Issues
Facebook Has User Privacy Problems
,Discussion Questions
1. Student responses may vary. One could argue that both Facebook and its
users should be held responsible for issues regarding privacy.
2. Student responses will vary. Facebook users should be careful about what
they reveal about themselves on the site and should be reminded that it is a
public forum and that information posted can show up elsewhere on the
Web.
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Student responses may vary. Personal profiles that are no longer private may
cause some people to stop using the site.
2. Student responses will vary. The privacy policy should clearly state how
student information will be used, disclosed, and managed.
Review Questions
1. Six attributes that describe the quality of information:
Characteristics Definitions
Accessible Information should be easily accessible by
authorized users so they can obtain it in the right
format and at the right time to meet their needs.
Accurate Accurate information is error free. In some cases,
inaccurate information is generated because
inaccurate data is fed into the transformation
, process. This is commonly called garbage in,
garbage out (GIGO).
Complete Complete information contains all the important
facts. For example, an investment report that does
not include all important costs is not complete.
Economical Information should also be relatively economical
to produce. Decision makers must always balance
the value of information with the cost of producing
it.
Flexible Flexible information can be used for a variety of
purposes. For example, information on how much
inventory is on hand for a particular part can be
used by a sales representative in closing a sale, by
a production manager to determine whether more
inventory is needed, and by a financial executive
to determine the total value the company has
invested in inventory.
Relevant Relevant information is important to the decision
maker. Information showing that lumber prices
might drop might not be relevant to a computer
chip manufacturer.
2. Data is the raw material from which information is composed. Information
includes a context for the data. Knowledge is an awareness of how to apply
the information.
3. Knowledge management is a strategy by which an organization determinedly
and systematically gathers, organizes, stores, analyzes, and shares its
collective knowledge and experience. The goal is to deal with issues and
problems in an effective manner by unleashing the collective value of the
organization’s best thinking.
4. The components of computer-based information system (CBIS)
include hardware, software, telecommunications, people, and
procedures.
, 5. A decision support system (DSS) is an organized collection of
people, procedures, software, databases, and devices that
support problem-specific decision making. The focus of a DSS is
on making effective decisions. Expert systems give the computer
the ability to make suggestions and function like an expert in a
particular field, helping enhance the performance of the novice
user. The unique value of expert systems is that they allow
organizations to capture and use the wisdom of experts and
specialists. Therefore, years of experience and specific skills are
not completely lost when a human expert dies, retires, or leaves
for another job.
6. An intranet is an internal network based on Web technologies
that allows people within an organization to exchange
information and work on projects. An extranet is a network based
on Web technologies that allows selected outsiders, such as
business partners and customers, to access authorized resources
of a company’s intranet.
7. Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is the use of mobile, wireless devices to
place orders and conduct business. M-commerce relies on wireless
communications that managers and corporations use to place orders and
conduct business with handheld computers, portable cell phones, laptop
computers connected to a network, and other mobile devices.
8. The five steps of systems development and related goals are: 1) systems
investigation – understand the problem to be solved; 2) systems analysis –
define problems and opportunities of system; 3) systems design –
determining how a new system is to work; 4 systems implementation –
create a system and put it into operation; and 5) systems maintenance and
review – check and modify the system to keep up with changing business
needs.
9. Global challenges associated with information systems include:
