Midterm MIS300 Winter2007 Section 11369

Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____	1.	A key advantage of the database approach is ____.
a.	increasing data redundancy	
b.	controlling data redundancy	
c.	increasing hardware dependence	
d.	being able to use the benefits hierarchical databases offer	

____	2.	Characteristics of computers that make them ideal office assistants include _____
a.	Low relative cost, availability, networking	c.	Programmability, use of binary code, total reliability	
b.	Hardware, software, people, procedures, data	d.	Programmability, never getting bored, speed, memory	

____	3.	Data is valuable in the decision making process because _____
a.	Data is converted into information by the information system, hence information becomes available	c.	Without data, decisions cannot be made at all, hence no choice can be made	
b.	Data represents knowledge, hence the decision making is designed well	d.	Data provide a description of current or past events, hence data means intelligence	

____	4.	Which attribute would make the best primary key for a person?
a.	Age	c.	Last name	
b.	First name	d.	Social security number	

____	5.	As data, noise is ____
a.	Unintelligible	c.	Unwanted	
b.	Unusable	d.	Indecipherable	

____	6.	The various networks that are linked to form the Internet pass data around in chunks called ____.
a.	packets	c.	Bots	
b.	cells	d.	URLs	

____	7.	The Internet is a “platform” for the World Wide Web because ___
a.	E-commerce is built on the technical foundation of TCP/IP	c.	The WWW could not function without the Internet	
b.	The WWW uses the Internet as a basis for communication	d.	The goal of the World Wide Web is to make any document anywhere in the world instantly accessible	

____	8.	Which of the following has the lowest “weight” as a business transaction? 
a.	Purchasing a new car	c.	Search term lookup service	
b.	Check clearing	d.	Contracting with the lowest cost accounting service provider	

____	9.	In the client/server architecture, a ____ is any computer that sends messages requesting services from the servers on the network.
a.	“dumb” terminal	c.	Client	
b.	host	d.	Terminal	

____	10.	A business platform enables ____
a.	A structured, configurable set of services and facilities	c.	Access to computer facilities	
b.	Businesses to contact customers	d.	Customers and businesses to conduct business	

____	11.	The stored program concept is useful because _____
a.	We can compare programs and find the ones that are the best fit to our needs and resources	c.	We can make computers do different things just by changing the contents of their memories	
b.	We can change programs easily using the capabilities of the hardware	d.	We can keep programs around for as long as we want them without fear they will spoil	

____	12.	Which of the following enable E-commerce to provide a business platform?
a.	Web browsers	c.	Memory, low cost, telecommunication	
b.	Speed, reliability, programmability	d.	All of the above	

____	13.	The “design” phase of decision making ____
a.	Refers to accessing knowledge and theories about the domain of interest	c.	Is optional if the decision is relatively routine	
b.	Requires understanding the rules of decision making and how decision making is designed into organizational goals	d.	Refers to designing computer systems that make decision making easier	

____	14.	A ____ creates a unique, hypermedia-based menu on your computer screen that provides a graphical interface to the Web.
a.	search engine	c.	Web browser	
b.	VPN	d.	Web service	

____	15.	The overriding, major reason for having information systems is to ____
a.	Make business decisions faster	c.	Increase managers’ confidence in their activities	
b.	Make information more accessible to managers	d.	Process information faster and more accurately	

____	16.	The driver of the process through which customers make purchases is _____
a.	The salesperson	c.	The information system	
b.	The customer	d.	The database	

____	17.	A good indicator of information's value to an organization is ____.
a.	how long it is kept	
b.	how it helps decision makers in achieving organizational goals	
c.	whether it can be sold to customers	
d.	how rapidly data can be transformed into this information	

____	18.	The goal of having TCP/IP is to ___
a.	Provide access to the World Wide Web from anywhere in the world.	c.	Make interpersonal communication quicker and more free from error and delay	
b.	Free Internet users from the responsibility to know how to send messages through the Internet	d.	Make information systems more secure and less open to intrusion	

____	19.	Bill’s Tool and Die is able to reconfigure its relationships with its suppliers and buyers pretty much at will and at very low cost.  Bill’s Tool and Die has achieved economies of _____
a.	Speed	c.	Scope	
b.	Style	d.	Scale	

____	20.	The concept of multiprogramming is achievable because _____
a.	Computers are very reliable and hence can be trusted to perform many tasks simultaneously and fix up errors.	c.	Computers can do many, many things at the same time	
b.	A general purpose computer is not limited to doing, say, one thing only	d.	Computers are very fast and can switch among a multitude of tasks they have stored information about	

____	21.	The Bourbon Construction Company enters orders directly into their computer system and they are processed immediately using ____.
a.	batch processing	c.	DSS	
b.	OLTP	d.	SAP R/3	

____	22.	Bill's Auto Service contracted with Alvin's Accounting, Inc. to handle their payroll processing needs. This is an example of ____.
a.	rightsizing	c.	Downsizing	
b.	outsourcing	d.	Empowerment	

____	23.	A ____ processing strategy is being used when data processing activities are conducted at various remote locations without communication between the locations.
a.	Decentralized	c.	WAN-based	
b.	Centralized	d.	Distributed	

____	24.	____ is the standard page description language for Web pages.
a.	XML	c.	SQL	
b.	Java	d.	HTML	

____	25.	Cranberry Farms, Inc. in Wisconsin has data spread across several smaller databases that are connected via the Internet. They use a ____.
a.	data file approach	c.	distributed database	
b.	replicated database	d.	flat file approach	

____	26.	____ refers to the degree to which data in any one file is accurate. 
a.	Data integrity	c.	Data scalability	
b.	Data volume	d.	Data redundancy	

____	27.	Programs that help users solve particular computing problems are called ____.
a.	documentation	c.	computer hardware	
b.	systems software	d.	application software	

____	28.	The “hidden” cost of disintermediation is ____
a.	The need for almost universal computer literacy and access	c.	The need for increasingly powerful computers	
b.	The need for website design and hosting	d.	The need for advertising	

____	29.	The operating system performs a(n) ____ function to ensure that files in secondary storage are available when needed.
a.	virtual memory	c.	file management	
b.	multitasking	d.	linking and embedding	

____	30.	Why would any business desire disintermediation such as provided by e-commerce?
a.	It increases the sales of computers, value of ISP rentals and ultimately value of computer stock shares	c.	Disintermediation offloads some of the costs of doing business to the customer	
b.	It increases competition and makes businesses keener competitors	d.	Disintermediation effectively reduces cost of doing business to zero	

____	31.	Traffic can be routed from one network to another using ____.
a.	IP	c.	HTML	
b.	Telnet	d.	HTTP	

____	32.	The power of transaction data is unleashed through _____
a.	Database managers such as Access and Oracle that provide access to the transaction data	c.	Development of customer loyalty schemes such as Frequent Flyer Programs	
b.	Analysis of patterns in transactions, leading to understanding of what is really happening	d.	Creation of models that embody the knowledge of the business over time.	

____	33.	Data is ____
a.	Information in the hands of users	c.	Just another form of information	
b.	Machine experience	d.	The raw material of computers	

____	34.	Software functions to ___
a.	Manage all the resources of a computer system	c.	Turn a general-purpose computer into a specialized purpose computer	
b.	Direct programmers what to do when they need direction	d.	Make a computer more reliable and less subject to outside attacks	

____	35.	eBay is an example of a ____ e-commerce site.
a.	B2C	c.	B2B	
b.	C2C	d.	transaction processing	

____  36.	    Blanche thinks that a customer’s outstanding balance is created from the past balance plus new
purchases minus payments, but the figures produced are consistently wrong.  This is an example 
		of a violation of the law of ____
a.	Conservation of information	c.	Utilization of information 	
b.	Logical data flow	d.	Data integrity	

____	37.	Database administration functions _____
a.	Are expensive overhead that database systems are designed to eliminate or reduce	c.	Are specialized activities that make it possible for users to access “clean” and “useful” organizational data	
b.	Include accessing, reporting and updating	d.	Are important for users to master in order to become good users of organizational data	

____	38.	The “intelligence” phase of decision making refers to
a.	Gathering data from the environment, pertinent to the desired action	c.	Acting intelligently by thinking about all the possible scenarios	
b.	Performing secret activities that the competition is not capable of intercepting or understanding	d.	Building models about what is happening	

____	39.	____ technologies are used by organizations to confirm the identity of a user requesting access to information or assets.
a.	Catalog management	c.	Business continuity	
b.	Authentication	d.	Configuration	

____	40.	Business requires a unique kind of platform because ____
a.	It involves money and risk	c.	It involves many people and resources	
b.	It is heavily influenced by culture	d.	It is regulated by governments	

____	41.	Information is to data as a recipe is to ___
a.	Messing around in the kitchen	c.	The temperature of the stove	
b.	Buying the ingredients in a grocery store	d.	The ingredients	

____	42.	A database ____ is a highly skilled systems professional who directs or performs all activities necessary to maintain a successful database environment.
a.	monitor	c.	programmer	
b.	administrator	d.	analyst	

____	43.	A(n) ____ is a network based on Web technologies that allows selected outsiders, such as business partners and customers, to access the authorized resources of the company.
a.	expert system	c.	intranet	
b.	extranet	d.	information service unit	

____   44.   Xavier is the sales manager and has noticed that on the sales slip, there’s a place for customer 
		phone number, but his department doesn’t use that for anything.  This is an example of a 
		violation of the law of ____
a.	Conservation of information	c.	Utilization of information	
b.	Logical data flow	d.	Data integrity	

____	45.	An example of using an information system for a strategic purpose is ____.
a.	using an automated payroll system	
b.	using colored graphics on internal reports	
c.	creating a large central data repository to create a merchandising database	
d.	the use of e-mail	

____	46.	____ applications are ideal for storing, manipulating, and retrieving data.
a.	Online information	c.	Database	
b.	Spreadsheet	d.	Word processing	

____	47.	A(n) ____ is a set of integrated programs capable of managing a company's vital business operations for an entire multisite, global organization.
a.	decision support system	c.	workflow system	
b.	transaction processing system	d.	enterprise resource planning system	

____	48.	When Pet Inc. decided to link its intranet to three of its favored vendors, it created a(n) ____.
a.	WAN	c.	intranet-extension network	
b.	extranet	d.	Internet	

____	49.	The cart, the marketplace and Main Street differ as business platforms ____
a.	in who comes to whom when	c.	In terms of complexity	
b.	In terms of history	d.	In unimportant ways; they’re essentially the same	

____	50.	All the following are examples of intermediation except ____
a.	Finding the lowest cost supplier	c.	Checking a customer’s credit rating	
b.	Delivering purchased goods	d.	Handing over the goods at the end of a sale