Chapter 12: End-of-Chapter Questions

1. Early computer systems addressed the same applications that had been performed by punched card and keydriven machines—accounting.

2. Many early MIS efforts failed for a number of reasons. Perhaps most important was the inability of the managers to articulate their information needs. Running a close second was the inability of the information specialists to draw the descriptions of the managers’ information needs out of them.

3. The MIS database contains primarily data provided by the accounting information system. In addition, information and data that meets special needs of the MIS are gathered from inside the firm and from the firm’s environment.

4. The MIS uses report writing and mathematical modeling software.

5. All users of MIS output are located within the firm. They can include nonmanagers as well as managers.

6. Marketing was the first area to embrace the idea of functional information systems.

7. The interest of the strategic planning level in developing information systems unique to its needs exists in the form of the EIS.

8. The two types of reports are special and periodic. You use a query language to prepare a special report.

9. Management by exception can be incorporated into reports by preparing reports only when exceptions occur, using report sequence in a certain way, grouping exceptions together, and showing variance from the norm.

10. The phenomenon that a model represents is called the entity.

11. A dynamic model is similar to a motion picture. A static model resembles a snapshot.

12. Probabilities enable a model to handle phenomena that do not always happen the same way all of the time.

13. By being able to change the scenario elements the model can simulate different situations. The scenario variables increase the flexibility of the model.

14. If you manipulate more than a single decision variable at a time you are not really certain what produces the output.

15. By including scenario elements and decision variables on the output, the output tells the entire story.

16. A tabular display would be better than a graphic display when reporting such detailed data as the number of hours that each employee in a department works each week. If the department head wants a summary of the data then a graph would be in order.

17. If you put the data values at the end of the bars you improve the information value of a bar chart.

18. People tend to resist computer projects because of fear. In the early days of the computer the people feared loss of their jobs. Although some of this fear may still exist the modem employee is more likely to fear that the computer will change his or her job in some adverse way such as by eliminating or minimizing the personal interaction with other employees or by providing management with too much information.

19. Fear can be minimized by (1) using the computer to make jobs more interesting and rewarding, (2) keeping everyone informed concerning computer plans, (3) building a bond of trust between management and the employees, and (4) using the computer to accomplish goals that are compatible with employees’ goals.

20. MIS supports problem solving by making information resources available throughout the firm, and doing an especially good job of providing information that enables problems to be identified and then understood.

21. The main weakness of the MIS is that it is intended to meet the general information needs of large groups of managers and is not tailored to the specific needs of any one manager.

Topics for Discussion

1. Answers will vary.

2. Computer graphics appeal more to some people than to others. To managers who suffer from information overload, the graphics represent a good way to boil down a large volume of information. To managers who are rushed and do not have time to pour over tabular reports, the graphics represent a good way to quickly come to grips with the key points. The visual appeal of the graphics probably also comes into play; many of the graphics are especially pleasing to the eye, even though they might not do a good job of communication.

3. Much can be accomplished by means of education to overcome persons’ fears of the computer. The elementary school students of today who are growing up in a computer society will have much less to fear than do today’s employees. College courses should be tailored to build confidence in students that computers are used in an ethical way to benefit society, and that the students’ career strategies should incorporate the computer as a positive, rather than negative, force.