Chapter 3

Information Systems, Organizations, Management, and Strategy

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Chapter 3 Information Systems, Organizations, Management, and Strategy

Multiple-Choice Questions
1. The interaction between information technology and organizations is very complex and is influenced by a great many mediating factors, including the organization structure, business processes, politics, culture, management decisions and: a. b. c. d. 2. the surrounding environment. the economic basis of the company. the availability of trained employees. the cash flow within the company.

A stable, formal social structure that ta es resources from the environment and processes them to produce outputs is called a!n": a. b. c. d. micro system. organization. bureaucracy. value chain.

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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ are common features of all organizations. a. b. c. d. %ulture, routines, and politics &ower, technology, and business processes 'ormal structure, politics, and goals 'ormal structure, function, and environments

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The behavioral view of organizations emphasizes group relationships and $$$$$$$$$$$$. a. b. c. d. values abstract rules and procedures structures )oth a and c

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+n 1,11, this -erman sociologist called organizations bureaucracies: a. b. c. d. .ax /ebber 'ranz 0af a Anne 'ran &aul -erhardt

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Information Systems, Organizations, Management, and Strategy

Chapter 3

1.

2irtually all information systems that bring about significant changes in goals, procedures, productivity, and personnel are: a. b. c. d. doomed to failure. going to elicit serious political opposition. going to re3uire a %+4. unnecessary.

5.

6outines for producing goods and services are sometimes called: a. b. c. d. bureaucratic structures. standard operating procedures. routine tas s. formal structures.

7.

'undamental assumptions about what products the organization should produce, how it should produce them, where, and for whom is nown as: a. b. c. d. motivational factors. organizational culture. business processes. standard operating procedures.

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These information specialists constitute the principal liaisons between the information systems groups and the rest of the organization: a. b. c. d. systems analysts. programmers. end users. /eb8page developers.

19.

The role of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is a senior management position that oversees the use of information technology in the firm. a. b. c. d. %T4 %'4 %+4 %:4

11.

+nformation systems managers are: a. highly8trained technical specialists who write computer software instructions. b. specialists who translate business problems and re3uirements into information re3uirements and systems. c. leaders of the various specialists in the information system department. d. in change of the information systems function in the organization.

Chapter 3

Information Systems, Organizations, Management, and Strategy

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12.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ are representatives of departments outside of the information systems group for whom applications are developed. a. b. c. d. :nd users &rogrammers Analysts +; managers

1#.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$organizations use networ s to lin people, assets, and ideas. /or is no longer tied to geographic location. a. b. c. d. <ierarchical 2ertical 2irtual .anufacturing

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According to the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$model of human behavior, an individual identifies goals, ran s all possible alternatives actions by their contributions to those goals, and chooses the alternative that contributes most to those goals. a. b. c. d. hierarchical rational model choice model decisional model

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At the business level the most common analytical tool for identifying opportunities for strategic systems is: a. b. c. d. =;;. the value web. :;;. value chain analysis.

11.

The cost of ac3uiring a new customer has been estimated to be $$$$$$$$$$$$$ times that of retaining an existing customer. a. b. c. d. three six five seven

15.

/hich of the following is most li ely to raise switching costs: a. b. c. d. >ust8in8time supply method. stoc less inventory method traditional delivery method vendor8supported supply method

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Information Systems, Organizations, Management, and Strategy

Chapter 3

17.

/hen the output of some units can be used as inputs to other units, or if two organizations pool mar ets and expertise that result in lower costs and generate profits it is often referred to as creating: a. b. c. d. digital strategies. switching costs. synergies. low8cost producer strategies.

1,.

/hich of the following is not an example of firm8level strategy: a. b. c. d. an information system integrating the operations of a company and its subsidiaries an information system for nowledge8sharing an information system for cross8mar eting among a firm and its subsidiaries an information system enabling a firm and its suppliers to share order status data

29.

Another term for loosely coupled but interdependent networ s of suppliers, distributors, outsourcing firms, transportation service firms, and technology manufacturers is: a. b. c. d. 0eystone firm. ?iche firm. business portal. business ecosystem.

21.

The more any given resource is applied to production, the lower the marginal gain in output, until a point is reached where the additional inputs produce no additional output is referred to as: a. b. c. d. the point of no return. the law of diminishing returns. supply and demand. inelasticity.

Essay Questions
22.

Value hain analysis is useful at the !usiness le"el to highlight spe ifi a ti"ities in the !usiness #here information systems are most li$ely to ha"e a strategi impa t% &is uss this model, identify the a ti"ities, and ho# the model an !e applied to the on ept of information te hnology%