106. Explain how organizations use social networking sites.
ANSWER: Answers will vary. Organizations use social networking sites to give customers up-to-date information and how-to support via videos. These sites can reduce organizations’ costs by providing an inexpensive medium for targeting a large customer base.
107. Describe how information systems differ from information technologies.
ANSWER: Answers will vary. Information systems are broader in scope than information technologies, but the two overlap in many areas. Both are used to help organizations be more competitive and to improve their overall efficiency and effectiveness. Information technologies offer many advantages for improving decision making but involve some challenges, too, such as security and privacy issues.
108. Explain what a knowledge worker should know to understand the role of information in generating and using business intelligence.
ANSWER: Answers will vary. Knowledge workers need two types of knowledge to be competitive in the workplace: computer literacy and information literacy. Knowledge workers should know the following:
a. Internal and external sources of data
b. How data is collected
c. Why data is collected
d. What type of data should be collected
e. How data is converted to information and eventually to business intelligence
f. How data should be indexed and updated
g. How data and information should be used to gain a competitive advantage
109. Give an example of how a management information system (MIS) can be used in the public sector.
ANSWER: Answers will vary. In the public sector, an MIS for a police department, for example, could provide information such as crime statistics, crime forecasts, and allocation of police units. Management can examine these statistics to spot increases and decreases in crime rates or types of crimes and analyze this data to determine future deployment of law enforcement personnel.
110. Describe a database, and explain its role in an information system.
ANSWER: Answers will vary. A database, the heart of an information system, is a collection of all relevant data organized in a series of integrated files. A comprehensive database is essential for the success of any information system. To create, organize, and manage databases, a database management system (DBMS) is used, such as Microsoft Access or FileMaker Pro for home or small-office use. In a large organization, a DBMS such as Oracle or IBM DB2 might be used.
Databases are also important for reducing personnel time needed to gather, process, and interpret data manually. With a computerized database and a DBMS, data can be treated as a common resource that is easy to access and use.
111. Briefly explain the purpose of an information system’s process component.
ANSWER: Answers will vary. The purpose of an information system’s process component is generating the most useful type of information for making decisions. This component generally includes transaction-processing reports and models for decision analysis that can be built into the system or accessed from external sources.
An information system can include a wide range of models to support all levels of decision making. Users should be able to query an information system and generate a variety of reports. In addition, an information system should be able to grow with the organization so users can redefine and restructure models and incorporate new information into their analyses.
112. In the context of the major components of an information system, describe the factors affecting the usefulness of information.
ANSWER: Answers will vary. The quality of information is determined by its usefulness to users, and its usefulness determines the success of an information system. To be useful, information must have the following qualities:
a. Timeliness
b. Integration with other data and information
c. Consistency and accuracy
d. Relevance
If information lacks any of these qualities, the results are incorrect decisions, misallocation of resources, and overlooked windows of opportunity. If the system cannot give users a minimum level of confidence in its reliability, it will not be used or users might dismiss the reports it generates. Information must provide either a base for users to explore different options or insight into tasks.
Another factor affecting the usefulness of information is the information system’s user interface. Because this interface must be flexible and easy to use, most information systems make use of graphical user interfaces, with features such as menus and buttons. To be useful, information systems should also produce information in different formats, including graphics (e.g., pie charts and bar graphs), tables, and exception reports, which highlight information that is outside a specified range. Supplying information in a variety of formats increases the likelihood of users understanding and being able to use the information.