Review 4 Chapters 8, 9, 10
CHAPTER 8
What are the three levels of management activity? Operational Tactical Strategic
Operational management level? Composed of supervisory managers that develop short-range plans such as weekly production schedules.
Tactical management level? Composed of middle managers that develop short- and medium-range plans
Strategic management level? Composed of a board of directors and an executive committee of the CEO who develop overall organizational goals, strategies, policies as a part of a strategic planning process.
What is a Structured decision? Repetitive and routine problems for which standard solution exist. The procedures to follow can be specified in advance.
What is a Semi-structured decision? Some decision procedures can be pre-specified, but not enough to lead to a definite recommended decision.
What is an Unstructured Decision? The procedures cannot be specified in advance. Unstructured problems are novel and non-routine, complex. Ex: new business planning
Decisions made at the operational management level tend to be more Structured
Decisions made at the tactical management level tend to be more Semi-structured
Decisions made at the strategic management level tend to be more Unstructured
What are the management support systems? Management Information systems Decision support systems Executive information systems
What is an exception report? Exception reports, highlighting only exceptional conditions, such as when a customer exceeds their credit limit, a manager would probably get an exception report.
What are the characteristics of the Decision Support Systems? Interactive Supports semi-structured and unstructured decisions
What is a What-if analysis? What-if analysis attempts to check the impact of a change in the assumptions on the proposed solution. What if we cut advertising by 10 percent?
What is a Sensitivity Analysis? When the value of one variable is changed repeatedly and the resulting changes in other variables are observed.
What is a goal-seeking model? Attempts to find the value of the inputs necessary to achieve a desired level of outputs.
What is Data Visualization? Data visualization refers to presentation of data in graphical form instead of traditional form of text and table.
What is Geographical Information System (GIS)? A GIS is a data visualization technology that captures, stores, checks, integrates, manipulates, and displays data using digitized maps.
What are the characteristics of Executive Information Systems (EIS)? Provide management with immediate and easy access to information about the firm’s critical success factors. Are most useful to managers at the strategic level of management. Support unstructured decision-making process.
What is drill down? provides details behind any given information.
What is Data mining? organizing valuable business information in a large database
What is Artificial Intelligence? AI is the effort to develop computer based systems that behave as humans.
What are the major areas of AI? Cognitive science Robotics Natural interfaces
What are the major areas of Cognitive science? intelligent agents, neural networks, fuzzy logic.
What is an Intelligent agent? It is a software surrogate for end user or process that fulfills a stated need or activity.
Systems that use massively parallel processors whose architecture is based on the human brain’s neuron structure are called Artificial Neural Networks
What is a Fuzzy Logic system? system that can process ambiguous data and quickly provides approximate, but acceptable solutions to problems.
What are the characteristics of an Expert system? They are designed to replicate and then to replace a human advisor. They transfer expertise from an expert and documented sources to a computer and then to the user.
CHAPTER 9
What are the major components involved in IT Planning process? Strategy development Resource management Technology architecture
What are the ways for minimizing end-user resistance? Proper end user training Improved communications with IS personnel End user involvement in the development and implementation of new systems
What is the major focus of organizational change management? People
CHAPTER 10
What are the steps in the SDLC? systems analysis, systems design, programming, testing, implementation (conversion), and production & maintenance.
What is the function of systems analysis stage? ANALYSIS OF PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED
What is feasibility study? Determining whether the proposed system is feasible financially, economically, technically, and operationally.
What is SYSTEMS DESIGN? describes how the system will accomplish the task.
What are the major forms of CONVERSION? Parallel Phased Direct Pilot
What is parallel conversion? The conversion process in which both the old and new system are operated for a time.
What are the alternative system-building approaches? Prototyping Application software packages End-user development Outsourcing
What is Prototyping? Using prototype which is a working version of an information system or part of the system for discovering how a system should operate.
What is outsourcing? Purchase of product or service from another company.