Um &C

Information Management and Computers
Assignment A
Question 1:
What strategic role can information technology play in business
process reengineering and total quality management?
Answers:
Information technology is
"the
study,
design,
development,
implementation,
support
or
management
of
computer-based
information systems. It refers to the management and use of
information using computer-based tools and includes acquiring,
processing, storing, and distributing information. Usually, it is a term
used to refer to business applications of computer technology.
Information technology studies, in particular, software applications and
computer hardware. IT deals with the use of electronic computers and
computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and
securely retrieve information.
With the term information technology ballooning to encompass many
aspects of computing and technology, the umbrella has become quite
large, making the term very recognizable and covering many fields.
Information technology professionals are involved in a myriad of tasks
and perform a number of duties that range from installing applications
to designing complex computer networks and information databases.
Duties that IT professionals perform may also include database
management, network, computer hardware engineering, database and
software design, as well as the management and administration of
entire systems.
As the term is used broadly in business to refer to anything that ties
into the use of computers, information technology plays a significant
role in business process reengineering and total quality management.
Businesses today create data that need to be stored and processed on
computers. While small businesses either purchase or contract IT
businesses provide software packages and services such as hosting,

marketing web sites and maintaining networks, larger corporations
usually have their own IT staffs to develop software, and handle inhouse IT needs. For instance, businesses working with the federal
government are likely to need to comply with requirements relating to
making information accessible. The effective implementation and use
of information technology helps decrease liability by reducing the cost
Unauthorized copying, selling and redistribution of the content are prohibited. This
material is provided for reference only
Page 1
of expected failures and increasing flexibility by reducing the cost of
adjustment. The business reaction to the environment remains to be
the vital determinant for its effectiveness. The capabilities and
flexibilities of computer-communication systems make them gradually
more appropriate to businesses by being able to respond to any
specific information or communication requirement. Furthermore,
advances in IT would result in remarkable decline in the costs of
synchronization that would lead to new, concentrated business
structures. It enables the business to respond to the new and urgent
competitive
forces
by
providing
effective
management
of
interdependence. Improvements in telecommunications will make it
easier to control business units dispersed over different parts of the
world. Advances in telecommunications, would result in increased
distance-communication. Indirect communication would be preferred
for well-structured information for routine, preprogrammed and
decision processes. Through information technology, businesses are
updated on developments in the market, customer feedback on their
goods and services, and are able to operate more effectively and
efficiently.
Question 2:
What are various approaches of MIS development in the
organization? Explain any two approaches in detail.
Answer:
A management information system (MIS) is a planned system of the
collecting, processing, storing and disseminating data in the form of
information needed to carry out the functions of management. It is a

subset of the overall internal controls of a business covering the
application of people, documents, technologies, and procedures by
management accountants to solving business problems such as costing
a product, service or a business-wide strategy. As they are used to
analyze other information systems applied in operational activities
within the organization, management information systems are distinct
from regular information systems. The term is also used to refer to the
group of information management methods tied to the automation or
support of human decision making. Such support systems include the
decision support system (DSS), expert systems, and executive
information systems.
While MIS and
information system
are terms
often used
interchangeably, they should not be mistaken for the other as
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information systems include systems that are not intended for decision
making. The area of study called MIS is sometimes referred to, in a
restrictive sense, as information technology management. Information
technology management is an area of study that should not be
confused with computer science. Information technology service
management, on other hand, is a practitioner-focused discipline. MIS
has also some differences with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) as
ERP incorporates elements that are not necessarily focused on decision
support.
There are five approaches to MIS development in the organization.
These include the (a) traditional approach, (b) current practice
approach, (c) reaction approach, (d) cafeteria approach, and (e)
human service approach.
Question 3:
What are the benefits and limitations of the relational database
model for business applications today? Why is the Objectoriented database model gaining acceptance for developing
applications and managing the hypermedia databases at
business websites?
Answer:
A relational database is a database that groups data according to
common attributes found in a given data set. It consists of a collection

of tables that store particular sets of data. The resulting "clumps" of
organized data are much easier for people to understand. This kind of
grouping uses the relational model. The software used to do this
grouping is called a relational database management system. Thus,
such a database is called a "relational database. Relational databases
are currently the predominant choice in storing financial records,
manufacturing and logistical information, personnel data, and much
more. The invention of this database system has standardized the way
that data is stored and processed. This is evidenced in the fact that
most of the database systems in use today are based on the relational
system. Through the database, data is independent of any hardware or
storage system and provides for automatic navigation between the
data elements. In practice, this means that data should be stored in
tables and that relationships would exist between the different data
sets, or tables. The relation is the primary unit of storage in a
relational database, which is a two-dimensional table. A relational
database can contain one or more of these tables. Each table consists
Page 3
of a unique set of rows and columns. A single record is stored in a
table as a row, also known as a tuple. Attributes of the data are
defined in columns, or fields, in the table. The characteristics of the
data, or the column, relates one record to another. Each column has a
unique name and the content within it must be of the same type. The
benefits of such a database lie in its ability to cluster or group large
amounts of data, making it easier for users to understand the data
presented to them. The database makes storing records, information,
and personnel data much more manageable and easily accessible.
An object oriented database is a database model where information is
represented in the form of objects as used in object-oriented
programming. This is generally recommended for businesses with a
need for high performance processing on complex data. The reason
why the object-oriented database model is gaining acceptance for
developing applications and managing the hypermedia databases at
business websites lies in its ability to process complex sets of data,
making processing time shorter. As most object databases have some
kind of query language, objects can be found faster and data
processed quicker. Access to data becomes faster because joins are
often not needed (as opposed to the tabular implementation of a
relational database). This is because an object can be retrieved
directly without a search, by following pointers. Benchmarks have also
shown that ODBMS is clearly superior for certain kinds of tasks. The
main reason lies in its ability to perform operations using navigational
rather than declarative interfaces, as navigational access to data is
usually implemented very efficiently by following pointers. Pointerbased techniques are optimized for very specific "search routes" or
viewpoints. For general-purpose queries on the same information,
however, pointer-based techniques tend to be slower and more
difficult to formulate than relational ones. Hence, navigation appears
to simplify specific known uses at the expense of general, unforeseen,
and varied future uses. However, with suitable language support,
direct object references may be maintained in addition to normalized,
indexed aggregations, allowing both kinds of access. Furthermore, a
persistent language may index aggregations on whatever its content
elements return from a call to some arbitrary object access method,
rather than only on attribute value, which allows a query to 'drill down'
into complex data structures.
Page 4
Question 4:
What are the business benefit and management problems of
client/server networks? Discuss also in Network Computing
and Peer-to-peer networks?
Answer:
A client-server network refers to the popular model for computer
networking that utilizes client and server devices each designed for
specific purposes. Often used on the internet as well as local area
networks (LANs), it is a distributed system comprising both client and
server software wherein a client software process may initiate a
communication session while the server waits for requests from any
client. The client-server network describes the relationship between
two computer programs in which one program, the client program,
makes a service request to another, the server program. Standard
networked functions such as email exchange, web access and
database access, are based on the client-server model.
The client-server model has become one of the central ideas of
network computing. Most business applications being written today
use the client-server model. A server is simply a computer that is
running software that enables it to serve specific requests from other
computers, called clients. The server is called "dedicated" because it
is optimized to serve requests from the "client" computers quickly.
Aside from its ability to quickly process requests from client
computers, the business benefits of a client-server network include:
Optimization, as server hardware is designed to serve requests

from clients quickly;
Centralization, as files are stored in one location for easy access
and administration;
Security, as multiple levels of permissions can prevent users from
doing damage to files;
Redundancy and back-up, as data can be stored in redundant ways
making for quick restore in case or problems;
Cost savings
Scalability, as frequent changes within the IT infrastructure requires
continued strategic support for cooperative mechanisms that
render a forged cooperative database;
Manage workflow, as interfaced logic and legacy-based solutions
provide an under girth sub-structure endeavor;
Page 5
Multi-tier
service, as all tri-axial units provide sub-forth
instrumentation beyond all first level response units; and,
Instrumentablity, as utilization of data resources must have
exchange access quality of service to maintain inter-operability
amongst unified systems.
Peer-to-peer networks also enjoy the same business benefits.
However, its limitation lies in that it is only good for small networks.
Peer-to-peer networks perform best in an environment of 10-15
computers. Beyond that, computers start to slow down, processing of
client requests takes some time, file searching becomes harder, and
security is no longer existent. It is therefore important to identify and
establish the right kind of network for an organization to make the
most of its time and resources.
Question 5:
How can information systems support a companys business
operations, discuss making by their managers, and give them a
competitive advantage? Give examples to illustrate your
answer?
Answer:
Information systems support a companys business operations by
properly managing information databases and effectively and
efficiently disseminating information within the business. With proper
information systems put in place, information is readily available for
data users. The installation of proper information systems also helps
update various departments of the latest development in the business,

whether it concern their department or other departments. Such
information is valuable, helping business operations and the different
departments within it well-informed. Under this scenario, businesses
are able to operate efficiently and effectively.
In addition, the installation of proper information systems also aids
managers in making decisions regarding the future direction or course
of a business. The availability of such information for their perusal is
crucial and essential in making well-informed decisions. Based on data
presented to them, they are capable of making well thought-out
decisions regarding their business objectives and the future course of
their operations. Such decisions help make them more effective as an
organization and give them a competitive advantage. As managers
operate in an environment of uncertainty, getting hold of information
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is valuable and helps a business adjust its environment. This gives
them the competitive edge through the minimization of risks and the
maximization of outputs.
To best illustrate the edge that information systems have on a
business, given two businesses with varying levels of information
systems technology, the one better equipped would be better prepared
to adapt and adjust to the changing and uncertain times. An example
would be two businesses engaged in the manufacture of raw materials
into a finished product. A business with the proper information
systems would help it locate the best source of raw materials, where
available at the least amount of cost. As such, the business is already
minimizing its cost and would be able to maximize its profits even if it
sells at a lower price than its competitor. Another example would be a
business selling a particular good or commodity. With the proper
information systems in place, a business is able to collect data on
pricing and quality. With this information, a business is able to
competitively price its product, making its good or service more
attractive than its competitor. Clearly, the installation of appropriate
information systems help give businesses that competitive edge.
Page 7
Assignment B
Question 1:
What is meant by Network topology along with different
network models?
Answer:
Network topology is the study of the arrangement or mapping of the
elements (e.g. links, nodes, etc.) of a network, especially the physical
(real) and logical (virtual) interconnections between nodes. A local
area network (LAN) is an example of a network that exhibits a physical
topology and a logical topology. Any given node in the LAN will have
one or more links to one or more other nodes in the network and the
mapping of these links and nodes onto a graph results in a geometrical
shape that determines the physical topology of the network. The
mapping of the flow of data between the nodes in the network
determines the logical topology of the network. While the physical and
logical topologies in a particular network could be identical, it is also
possible that they could be different.
Network topology is determined only by the graphical mapping of the
configuration of physical and/or logical connections between nodes.
LAN network topology, therefore, is technically a part of graph theory
where
distances
between
nodes,
physical
interconnections,
transmission rates, and/or signal types may differ in two networks and
yet their topologies may be identical.
There are six basic types of topology in networks:
1. Bus topology
2. Star topology
3. Ring topology
4. Mesh topology
5. Tree topology
6. Hybrid topology
In addition, there are also three basic categories of network
topologies:
physical topologies
signal topologies
logical topologies
Page 8
Though there is a subtle difference between the two, signal topology
and logical topology are often used interchangeably and distinction
between the two terms is not often made or mentioned.
When referring to networking, "network model" and "network layer"
are terms often used. Network models define the set of network layers
and how these interact with one another. While there are several
different network models, the two most important are:
The TCP/IP Model sometimes referred to as the DOD model
as it was initially designed for the department of defense (DOD).
It is also called the internet model because TCP/IP is the protocol
used on the internet.
OSI Network Model - The International Standards Organization
(ISO) has defined a standard called the Open Systems
Interconnection (OSI) reference model. This is a seven layer
architecture.
Question 2:
Why there is a trend toward cross-functional integrated
enterprise systems in business?
Answer:
Organizations view cross-functional enterprise systems as a strategic
way to use information technology (IT) to share information resources,
improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes, and
develop strategic relationships with customers, suppliers, and business
partners.
The trend of businesses to move towards cross-functional integrated
enterprise systems lies in the systems ability to reengineer and
improve vital business processes regardless of business enterprise.
Many organizations have been using information technology to develop
integrated cross-functional enterprise systems that cross the
boundaries of traditional business functions in order to enhance
business processes and help achieve business objectives efficiently.
These organizations view cross-functional enterprise systems as a
strategic way to use IT to share information resources and improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of business operations.
As cross-functional integrated enterprise systems integrate and
automate many of the internal business processes of a company,
Page 9
businesses tend to use such systems. The cross-functional integrated
enterprise system serves as a backbone information system, helping
companies achieve efficiency and responsiveness required to succeed
in a dynamic business environment. The system also enables
companies a cross functional view of its core business processes, such
as production and sales, and its resources such as cash, raw materials,
production and people. While putting in place such a system is difficult
and costly, a properly implemented and functioning cross-functional
integrated system has plenty of benefits. Among these are:
Decreased costs companies with up and running systems have
reported a significant reduction in transaction processing
costs and hardware, software, and IT support staff compared
to those with the non-integrated legacy systems;
Decision support as the system is cross-functional, it provides
managers quickly with vital information on business
performance to significantly improve their ability to make
better decisions in a timely manner across the entire business
enterprise;
Enterprise agility with the integrated system, many former
departmental and functional walls have been broken down,
resulting in more flexible organizational structures, better
managerial responsibility, and clear-cut work roles. It also
resulted in a more adaptive organization and workforce that
can easily capitalize on new business opportunities; and,
Quality and efficiency it creates a framework for integrating
and improving a companys internal business processes that
results in significant improvements in the quality and
efficiency of customer service, production, and distribution.
In addition, businesses exposure to the multiplicity of security risks to
and the emergence of increasingly complex threats necessitate an
aggressive, integrated organizational approach to security. It is in this
light that cross-functional integrated systems are needed, and the
reason why there is an increasing trend among businesses to use such
systems.
Question 3:
How do you think sales force automation affects salesperson
productivity,
marketing
management,
and
competitive
advantage?
Page 10
Answer:
Sales force automation (SFA) system is a system that automatically
records all the stages in a sales process and is typically part of a
companys customer relationship management system. SFA includes a
contact management system, which tracks all contact that has been
made with a given customer, the purpose of the contact, and any
follow up that might be required. The system ensures that sales efforts
are not duplicated, reducing the risk of irritating customers. SFA also
includes a sales lead tracking system that lists potential customers
through paid phone lists, or customers of related products. Other
elements that can be found in an SFA system include sales forecasting,
order management, and product knowledge. The more advanced SFA
systems have features where customers can model a product to meet
their required needs through online product building systems. This
feature is becoming more and more popular in the automobile
industry, where customers can customize various features such as
color and interior features such as leather or upholstered seats. An
integral part of any SFA system is company wide integration among
different departments. If SFA systems arent adopted and properly
integrated to all departments, there might be a lack of communication
which could result in different departments contacting the same
customer for the same purpose. In order to mitigate this risk, SFA
must be fully integrated in all departments that deal with customer
service management.
As such, sales force automation clearly affects salesperson
productivity, marketing management, and competitive advantage.
Following is how sales force automation affects:
a) Sales person productivity:
The sales manager, rather than gathering all the call sheets from
various sales people and tabulating the results, will have the
results automatically presented in easy to understand tables,
charts, or graphs. This saves time for the manager;
Activity reports, information requests, orders booked, and other
sales information will be sent to the sales manager more

frequently, allowing him/her to respond more directly with
advice, product in-stock verifications, and price discount
authorizations. This gives management more hands-on control of
the sales process if they wish to use it; and,
Page 11
The sales manager can configure the system so as to
automatically analyze the information using sophisticated
statistical techniques, and present the results in a user-friendly
way. This gives the sales manager information that is more
useful in (a) providing current and useful sales support materials
to their sales staff; (b) providing marketing research data:
demographic, psychographic, behavioural, product acceptance,
product problems, detecting trends; (c) providing market
research data: industry dynamics, new competitors, new
products from competitors, new promotional campaigns from
competitors, macro-environmental scanning, detecting trends;
(d) coordinating with other parts of the firm, particularly
marketing, production, and finance; (e) identifying your most
profitable customers, and your problem customers; and, (f)
tracking the productivity of their sales force by combining a
number of performance measures such as: revenue per sales
person, revenue per territory, margin by customer segment,
margin by customer, number of calls per day, time spent per
contact, revenue per call, cost per call, entertainment cost per
call, ratio of orders to calls, revenue as a percentage of sales
quota, number of new customers per period, number of lost
customers per period, cost of customer acquisition as a
percentage of expected lifetime value of customer, percentage of
goods returned, number of customer complaints, and number of
overdue accounts.
b) Marketing management:
Understanding the economic structure of your industry;
Identifying segments within your market;
Identifying your target market;
Identifying your best customers in place;
Doing marketing research to develop profiles (demographic,
psychographic, and behavioral) of your core customers;
Understanding your competitors and their products;
Developing new products;
Establishing environmental scanning mechanisms to detect
opportunities and threats;

Understanding your company's strengths and weaknesses;
Auditing your customers' experience of your brand in full;
Developing marketing strategies for each of your products using
the marketing mix variables of price, product, distribution, and
promotion;
Page 12
Coordinating the sales function with other parts of the
promotional mix (such as advertising, sales promotion, public
relations, and publicity);
Creating a sustainable competitive advantage;
Understanding where you want your brands to be in the future,
and providing an empirical basis for writing marketing plans on a
regular basis to help you get there; and,
Providing input into feedback systems to help you monitor and
adjust the process.
c) Competitive advantage:
As mentioned earlier, productivity will increase. Sales staff will
use their time more efficiently and effectively. The sales
manager will also become more efficient and effective. The
increased productivity can create a competitive advantage in
three ways: it can reduce costs, it can increase sales revenue,
and it can increase market share;
Field sales staff will send their information more frequently.
Typically information will be sent to management after every
sales call (rather than once a week). This provides management
with current information, information that they will be able to
use while it is still valuable. Management response time will be
greatly reduced. The company will become more alert and more
agile;
These systems could increase customer satisfaction if they are
used with wisdom. If the information obtained and analyzed with
the system is used to create a product that matches or exceeds
customer expectations, and the sales staff use the system to
service customers more expertly and diligently, then customers
should be satisfied with the company. This will provide a
competitive advantage because customer satisfaction leads to
increased customer loyalty, reduced customer acquisition costs,
reduced price elasticity of demand, and increased profit margins.

Page 13
Question 4: Case Study
a) How Mr. Joshua is going to maintain information on Bank
branches and security password information on customers.
Mr. Joshua is going to maintain information on bank branches and
security passwords through proper information systems and
network models. The installation of proper information systems will
help collect, process, store, and disseminate data in the form of
information needed to carry out the functions of the bank and
management. This system will put in place a database to collect,
maintain, and store all information on the different bank branches
and information on its clients and customers. This database will
ensure that data on the various accounts the different bank
branches are holding, information on the numerous clients of the
bank, and the various services that the bank offers to its clients are
readily available for use of permitted users. Furthermore, the
installation of a proper information system ensures that information
is properly secured and used only by those with access to the
system.
In addition, putting in place the appropriate network model would
help in the circulation of information among the various users within
the network. Such a network system would make information
readily available for users and could process requests of the various
clients quickly, saving time and cost. The appropriate network
model would centrally manage clients accounts, as they may have
one or more accounts in the Bank spread across one or more
branches. As customers open bank accounts with a specified
opening balance and either deposit funds into the account or
withdraw from them, personal information is then uploaded to the
database. After doing so, transactions that involve the opening of
accounts, assignments of Account Numbers, and Deposit and
Withdrawal would then be stored and reflected in the central
database. The account Numbering scheme now uniquely identifies
the Bank Branch to which the account belongs. Customers often
travel to the bank branch to request for a new cheque book. To
ensure that Customers are ensured of high level security, the EBanking services need to provide Customers with a unique Personal
Identification password which can be changed from time to time. All
Services are accessible only upon correct password verification.
Page 14
b) Draw MIS design for the above case study covering every
aspect of e-Bank.
Above would be the proposed MIS design for the e-Bank. Each
computer in the figure represents various bank branches of e-Bank.
The central database, where all information from the various bank
branches are kept, is represented by the switch. Clients may have one
or more accounts in the Bank spread across one or more branches.
Customers open bank accounts with a specified opening balance and
may either deposit funds into the account or withdraw from them. The
transactions involve the opening of accounts, assignments of Account
Numbers, Deposit and Withdrawal transactions etc. One of the most
frequent requests for specific transactions carried out in the Bank. The
account Numbering scheme now uniquely identifies the Bank Branch to
which the account belongs. Customers often travel to the bank branch
to request for a new cheque book. To ensure that Customers are
ensured of high level security, the E-Banking services need to provide
Customers with a unique Personal Identification password which can
be changed from time to time. All Services are accessible only upon
correct password verification.
Page 15
Assignment C
Objective Type Questions
1. ESS
2. Model driven DSS

3. 2. Wide Area Network
4. True
5. False
6. 2. Scheduled Tasks
7. 3. Ring Topology
8. 1. Star Topology
9. 2. Resolution
10.
3. Motherboard
11.
1. True
12.
d. Generate monthly, hardcopy reports
13.
a. Model-driven DSS
14.
c. Data Mining
15.
d. Intelligence
16.
a. Database
17.
c. Forecasting
18.
d. Corporate Planning and Forecasting
19.
a. Geographic Information System (GIS)
Page 16
20.
a. Group Decision-Support System (GDSS)
21.
c. Electronic brainstorming tools
22.
d. Doing all of the above
23.
b. Software tools
24.
d. All of the above
25.
a. Group matrix
26.
a. Decision support system

27.
2. False
28.
1. True
29.
2. False
30.
3. CPU
31.
3. RAM
32.
4. Hardware
33.
1. Sale of goods and services
34.
4. Sale of goods to a business online only.
35.
1. True
36.
As disclosure problems hounded and surfaced in the case of
Enron, especially the growing numbers of earnings restatements
and the rising concern about "earnings management" expressed by
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and others, it is
highly likely that information technology played a major role in
Enrons fall.
Page 17
37.
Two business benefits of CRM: (a) increased sales through better
timing due to anticipating needs based on historic trends and (b)
identifying needs more effectively by understanding specific
customer requirements.
38.
None
39.
Yes
40.
No, business process reengineering would be hard to accomplish
without the use of information technology.
Page 18

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Information Management and Computers

businesses provide software packages and services such as hosting,

information needed to carry out the functions of management. It is a

common attributes found in a given data set. It consists of a collection

Optimization, as server hardware is designed to serve requests

update various departments of the latest development in the business,

sales information will be sent to the sales manager more

opportunities and threats;

material is provided for reference only

2. Model driven DSS

a. Decision support system

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