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Melissa Hinton

CINS 3050

Ch. 9 Review Questions

1. Describe the productivity paradox. The observation that productivity increases at a rate that is lower than expected when new technologies are introduced.

2. Describe how to make a successful business case, contrasting faith-, fear-, and fact-based arguments. For a proposed system, the case will be used to determine whether the new system is a “go” or a “no-go.” For an existing system, the case will be used to determine whether the company will continue to fund the system. Whether a new system or an existing one is being considered, your goal is to make sure that the investment adds value that it helps the firm achieve its strategy and competitive advantage over its rivals, and that money is being spent wisely.

3. Compare and contrast tangible and intangible benefits and costs.a. Tangible—A benefit of using a particular system or technology that is quantifiable.b. Intangible—A benefit of using a particular system or technology that is difficult to

quantify.4. Contrast the perspectives of different stakeholders involved in making information systems

investment decisions.a. Management—Representatives or managers from each of the functional areas within

the firm.i. Greater strategic focus; largest product sizes, longest project durations

b. Steering committee—Representatives from various interest groups within the organization (they may have their own agendas at stake when making investment decisions.

i. Cross-functional focus; greater organizational change; formal cost-benefit analysis; larger and riskier projects

c. User department—Representatives of the intended users of the systemi. Narrow, nonstrategic focus; faster development

d. IS executive—Has overall responsibility for managing IS development, implementation, and maintenance of selected systems

i. Focus on integration with existing systems; fewer development delays; less concern with cost-benefit analysis

5. Define a proxy variable and give an example.a. Proxy variable—Alternative measurement of outcomes, used when it is difficult to

determine and measure direct effects.i. Reduction in administrative tasks, more customer contact

6. What are the five phases of the systems development life cycle (SDLC)?a. Systems planning and selectionb. Systems analysisc. Systems designd. System implementation and operation

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e. Systems maintenance7. List and describe five techniques used in requirements collection.

a. Interviews. i. Analysts interview people informed about the operation and issues of the

current or proposed system.b. Questionnaires.

i. Analysts design and administer surveys to gather opinions from people informed about the operation and issues of the current or proposed system.

c. Observations. i. Analysts observe workers at selected times to see how data are handled and

what information people need to do their jobs.d. Document Analysis.

i. Analysts study business documents to discover issues, policies, and rules as well as concrete examples of the use of data and information in the organization.

e. Joint Application Design. i. Joint application design (JAD) is a group meeting–based process for

requirements collection (see Figure 9.13). During this meeting, the users jointly define and agree on system requirements or designs. This process can result in dramatic reductions in the length of time needed to collect requirements or specify designs.

8. What are the three major components/tasks of the systems design phase of the SDLC?a. Human-computer interfaceb. Databases and filesc. Processing and logic

9. What are the four options for system conversion? How do they differ from each other?a. Parallel

i. Old and new systems used at the same timeb. Direct

i. Old system is discontinued on one day, and the new is used on the nextc. Phased

i. Parts of the new system are implemented over timed. Pilot (single location)

i. Entire system is used in one location10. Compare and contrast the four types of systems maintenance.

a. Corrective maintenance i. Making changes to an information system to repair flaws in the design, coding,

or implementationb. Adaptive maintenance

i. Making changes to an information system to evolve its functionality, to accommodate changing business needs, or to migrate it to a different operating environment

c. Perfective maintenance

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i. Making enhancements to improve processing performance or interface usability, or adding desired but not necessarily required system features (in other words, "bells and whistles")

d. Preventive maintenance i. Making changes to a system to reduce the chance of future system failure

11. What are the advantages and disadvantages of prototyping? a. Advantages

i. Quickb. Disadvantages

i. Repetitive refinementsii. Trial and error approach

12. Define outsourcing and list three general types of outsourcing relationships. Outsourcing is the moving of routine jobs and/or tasks to people in another firm to reduce costs.

a. Basic relationshipb. Preferred relationshipc. Strategic relationship

13. What are some of the reasons outsourcing is more popular than ever?a. Cost and quality concernsb. Problems in IS performancec. Supplier pressuresd. Simplifying, downsizing, and reengineeringe. Financial factorsf. Organizational culturesg. Internal Irritants

14. What are the three recommendations made in this chapter for managing an IS outsourcing relationship?

a. A strong, active chief information officer (CIO) and staff should continually manage the legal and professional relationship with the outsourcing firm.

b. Clear, realistic performance measurements of the systems and of the outsourcing arrangement, such as tangible and intangible costs and benefits, should be developed.

c. The interface between the customer and the outsourcer should have multiple levels (e.g., links to deal with policy and relationship issues and links to deal with operational and tactical issues).

15. List and describe two main types of software licenses.a. Shrink wrap license

i. A type of software license that is used primarily for consumer products; the contract is activated when the shrink wrap on the packaging has been removed.

b. Enterprise licensei. A type of software license that is usually negotiated and covers all users within

an organization. Also known "volume license.”16. What is software asset management, and why is it important for organizations?

a. Software asset management (SAM)

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i. A set of activities performed to better manage an organization’s software infrastructure by helping to consolidate and standardize software titles, decide to retire unused software, or decide when to upgrade or replace software.

ii. They are useful because they can manage their software infrastructure by being able to consolidate and standardize their software titles, decide to retire unused software, or decide when to upgrade or replace software.

17. What is system benchmarking, and what are some common benchmarks?a. Systems benchmarking:

i. A standardized set of performance tests designed to facilitate comparison between systems.

1. Response time given a specified number of users2. Time to sort records3. Time to retrieve a set of records4. Time to produce a given report5. Time to read in a set of data