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Fundamentals of Information Systems, 8th Edition
Solutions – Chapter 6
Discussion Questions
1. A geographic information system could help to find the best location for a wind farm.
Note that the wind farm may not be:
▪ On bumpy, uneven terrain
▪ Placed near large animal populations
2. Student responses will vary. The community that will be affected should be able to
participate in defining the primary constraints.
1. No. A satisficing model is one that finds a good—but not necessarily the best—
solution to a problem. On the other hand, an optimization model finds the best
solution, the one that will best help the organization meet its goals. Optimization
models use problem constraints.
2. A geographic information system can help city departments analyze the physical
infrastructure of the city to determine the best location for public and private
facilities.
Discussion Questions
1. After the disaster, the president ordered a commission to investigate the incident and
to determine what went wrong. The commission was able to review the recordings
between the Thiokol and NASA teams to help with the investigation process.
2. Student responses will vary. Tracking individual contributions can be used to rank
performance.
Fundamentals of Information Systems, 8th Edition
1. Student responses will vary. Thiokol and NASA managers appear to have trusted the
system more than the engineers, who did not have enough data to determine whether
the O-rings could seal properly at lower temperatures.
Review Questions
1. Decision making is a component of problem solving. In addition to the intelligence,
design, and choice steps of decision making, problem solving also includes
implementation and monitoring.
2. A satisficing model is one that finds a good—but not necessarily the best—solution to
a problem. Satisficing is used when modeling the problem properly to get an optimal
decision would be too difficult, complex, or costly. Satisficing normally does not look
at all possible solutions but only at those likely to give good results.
An optimization model finds the best solution, the one that will best help the
organization meet its goals. Optimization models use problem constraints. A limit on
the number of available work hours in a manufacturing facility is an example of a
problem constraint.
In the design stage, you develop alternative solutions to the problem and evaluate
their feasibility. The last stage of the decision-making phase, the choice stage,
requires selecting a course of action.
4. Structured decisions are ones where the variables that comprise the decision are
known and can be measured quantitatively. Unstructured decisions are ones where the
variables that affect the decision cannot be measured quantitatively.
Examples include:
6. The output of most MISs is a collection of reports that are distributed to managers.
These include:
▪ Scheduled reports: These are produced periodically, such as daily, weekly, or
monthly.
▪ Demand reports: These are developed to provide certain information upon
request.
▪ Exception reports: These are reports automatically produced when a situation is
unusual or requires management action.
▪ Drill-down reports: These provide increasingly detailed data about a situation.
8. Social networking Internet sites, such as Facebook, can be used to support group
decision making. Many organizations have developed their own social networking
sites to help their employees collaborate on important projects. With Ning, for
example, companies and individuals can create their own social networking sites.
9. A marketing MIS is a system that uses data gathered from both internal and external
sources to provide reporting and aid decision making in all areas of marketing. The
primary activities include market research, product design, pricing, media selection,
advertising, selling, and channel distribution.
10. A human resource MIS (HRMIS) is concerned with activities related to previous,
current, and potential employees of the organization. Some of the activities performed
by this important MIS include workforce analysis and planning, hiring, training, job
and task assignment, and many other personnel-related issues.
12. Using GPS and location analysis from cell phone towers, advertisers will be able to
promote products and services in stores and shops that are close to people with cell
phones. In other words, you could receive ads on your cell phone for a burger
restaurant as you walk or drive close to it. Other marketing research companies are
performing marketing research on customer engagement and attentiveness in
responding to ads. If successful, this marketing research might result in advertisers
charging more for higher levels of customer engagement and attentiveness instead of
charging for the number of viewers of a particular advertisement.
13. Software tools used in group support systems include IBM’s Lotus Notes, Collabnet,
OpenMind, and TeamWare.
Component Definition
Model base Software that coordinates the use of models in a DSS
Database Storage of data and information used by a DSS
External database Interface to external data sources
access
Access to Internet, Interface to external computing resources
networks, and other
computers
Dialogue manager An interface allowing decision makers to easily access and
manipulate the DSS using familiar terminology
15. A group support system, or GSS, has an objective of supporting the decision-making
process in a group or collaborative setting. A GSS is different from a DSS in several
ways. Among these are: 1) a group orientation (DSS only focuses on a single decision
maker) 2) the ability to manage multiple lines of reasoning and organize responses
and 3) its communication facilities, which offer users anonymity and the ability to be
geographically dispersed.
16. A GSS can support different decision-making approaches, including the Delphi
approach, a structured, interactive, iterative decision-making method that relies on
input from a panel of experts. Its purpose is to solicit responses from a panel of
experts regarding a particular problem or situation and hopefully converge on a
“correct” answer.
Fundamentals of Information Systems, 8th Edition
In another approach, called brainstorming, members offer ideas “off the top of their
heads,” fostering creativity and free thinking. The group consensus approach is a
group decision-making process that seeks the consent of the participants. Giving
consent does not mean that the solution being considered is a participant’s first
choice. Group members can vote their consent to a proposal because they choose to
work with the group to accomplish some result, rather than insist on their personal
preference.
The nominal group technique (NGT) is a structured method for group brainstorming
that encourages contributions from everyone. It has several advantages over simple
brainstorming. It avoids the domination of discussion by a single person and gets all
participants involved in making suggestions.
Multivoting is any one of a number of voting processes used to reduce the number of
options to be considered. For example, following the first four steps of a nominal
group technique session, the group may have identified 14 options for consideration.
17. A decision room is a room that supports decision making, includes decision makers in
the same building, and combines face-to-face verbal interaction with technology to
make the meeting more effective and efficient. It is ideal for situations in which
decision makers are located in the same building or geographic area, and the decision
makers are occasional users of the GSS approach.
Discussion Questions
1. Students should describe how they used the decision-making and problem-solving
steps discussed in this chapter to solve a recent problem.
3. Some of the activities performed by human resource MIS include workforce analysis
and planning, hiring, training, job and task assignment, and many other personnel-
related issues. Note that human resource subsystems and outputs range from the
determination of human resource needs and hiring through retirement and
outplacement. Most medium and large organizations have computer systems to assist
with human resource planning, hiring, training and skills inventorying, and wage and
salary administration.
5. Marketing MISs are critical to the sales and success of the retail and car
manufacturing industries.
7. The DSS approach has resulted in better decision making for all levels of individual
users. However, some DSS approaches and techniques are not suitable for a group
decision-making environment. A group decision support system (GSS) consists of
most of the elements in a DSS, plus software to provide effective support in group
decision-making settings. Group decision support systems are used in business
organizations, nonprofits, government units, and the military. They are also used
between companies when the firms are involved in the same supply chain.
9. When conducting this discussion, remind students that a group decision support
system provides features, in addition to those offered by a DSS, specifically designed
to support group interaction. In a group environment, decision making becomes more
complex. Each member brings a variety of experiences, opinions, and education to
the session. As a result, what seems intuitive to one person may be ludicrous to
another. The variety of opinions and backgrounds help make the GDSS a powerful
tool. Synergy can result from group interaction.
Challenges for the information system involved with group decision making include
finding ways to extract information from members (facilitate information exchange)
and finding ways to manage and organize this information to ensure it can be fully
utilized.
Fundamentals of Information Systems, 8th Edition
Problem-Solving Exercises
1. Students should use the Internet to identify two GSS software solutions that can be
used to facilitate group decision making.
2. Students should use the data in Table 6.5 to prepare a set of bar charts that show the
data for this year compared with data from last year.
3. As the head buyer for a major supermarket chain, students should develop a simple
spreadsheet DSS program that can be used to estimate the change in profits from
adding or deleting items from inventory.
Team Activities
1. Students use the Internet to identify three GSS software solutions that can be used to
facilitate group decision making.
2. Students should make a group decision to identify ways to improve their grade in this
course.
3. Students should work in teams to design a human resource MIS for a medium-sized
retail store.
Web Exercises
1. Students should use the Internet to find an example of an external audit that
uncovered serious problems at an organization.
2. Students should use the Internet to explore applications for smartphones and tablet
computers that can be used in decision making.
Fundamentals of Information Systems, 8th Edition
3. Students should search the Internet using Yahoo!, Google, or another search engine to
find software packages that offer optimization features, and then write a report
describing one or two of the optimization software packages.
Career Exercises
1. Students should give list three types of reports that could help them make better
decisions on the job.
2. Students should describe the features of a decision support system that they would
want.
Case Studies
Discussion Questions
1. A lot of the tools available were only IT tools and only IT people could use
them. Irish Life needed software that its business managers could use in their
decision making without having to become technical specialists.
2. Student response will vary. Note that it is essential that users of a DSS be
properly trained in how to interact with the system to obtain information.
1. Workforce data is one example of the type of information that Life needs to analyze.
2. Customers can speak with better informed financial experts or they can go online and
access their own pension information and estimate what financial resources they will
have in the future depending on their own pension choices.
Discussion Questions
2. The transition from mechanical to electronic controls involves more than just
replacing one part with a slightly different one. In making these inventory decisions,
reports must be used along with sales forecasts and careful analysis to ensure that the
right amounts of the right items are on hand.
1. Daily reports include scheduled reports and key indicator reports. Monthly reports
include scheduled reports and drill-down reports.
2. Student responses will vary. If part numbers were not standardized across the
factories, inventory tracking would be difficult and prone to errors.
Discussion Questions
1. MISs are at the heart of its financial management, providing profit and loss reports
and multiple views of transaction information over time to assist with auditing and
financial planning. Managers and decision makers are provided with daily key
indicator reports, as well as monthly and quarterly reports that compare current
profits and earnings to those from previous years. Altitude Online uses MISs in its
human resources department to manage employee records, insurance and benefits
packages, salaries, and vacation time.
2. MISs and decision support systems (DSSs) also play an important role in Altitude
Online’s product line. Altitude Online provides its clients with software tools that
analyze traffic on their Web sites, providing useful information such as what pages
capture the interest of visitors and which visitors are likely to make purchases.
1. Altitude Online is integrating its MISs into the new Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP) system. Doing so allows Altitude Online to merge the MISs scattered across its
locations and divisions into one cohesive system. After unifying these systems, the
company’s top executives will be able to capture snapshots of the state of the
enterprise at any given time.
Kun he nyt olivat tulleet kummun yli, kohtasi heitä voimakas valo
englantilaisen ravintolan punaverhoisista ikkunoista. Se oli
rakennettu pitkäsivu tielle päin, aivan kuin siten osoittaakseen
tavatonta vieraanvaraisuuttaan. Kaikki sen kolme ovea olivat auki, ja
iloinen nauru ja hälinä kuului sieltä kulkijoittemme korviin.
"On kylmä", sanoi isä Brown, "juokaamme hiukan viiniä tai olutta."
"Niin, se oli iloinen talo", sanoi isä Brown. "Talo oli hauska ja
iloinen niin kauan kuin hän oli. Luuletteko, että se pysyy yhtä iloisena
nyt, kun hän on kuollut?"
"Vai niin", sanoi Gilder vetelästi. "Kun juna oli lähtenyt, oli hänkin
kadonnut. Jokseenkin häpeämätön pahantekijä, vai mitä? Hän
pakeni samalla junalla, jonka piti hakea poliisit tänne."
"Te olette, arvelen minä, aivan varma siitä, että hän on murhannut
isäntänsä?" kysyi nuori mies.
"Kyllä, poikaseni, siitä olen aivan varma", vastasi Gilder kiivaasti
"jo sen yksinkertaisen tosiseikan vuoksi, että hän on ottanut
mukaansa kahdenkymmenen tuhannen punnan edestä
arvopapereita, jotka olivat hänen isäntänsä kirjoituspöydän
laatikossa. Ainoa, mitä voisi sanoa vaikeaksi, on saada selville tapa,
millä murha on tehty. Näyttää siltä, kuin pääkallo olisi murskattu
jollain suurella aseella, mutta täällähän ei ole minkäänlaista asetta,
ja murhaajasta on kai ollut epämukavaa kuljettaa asetta mukanaan,
vaikka se olisi ollutkin niin pieni, ettei kukaan olisi huomannut sitä."
"Te olette aivan oikeassa, sir", sanoi hän isä Brownille. "Se on
nuoranpätkä."
Kun hän puhui, ymmärsi jokainen, että tuo ääni oli saattanut
pysäyttää junan. Hän oli uneliaan näköinen, tukka suora ja musta,
kasvot värittömät ja niissä vaakasuorissa halkeamissa, jotka
ilmaisivat suun ja silmien paikan, oli jotain, mikä vei ajatuksen
Itämaille. Hänen syntyperänsä ja nimensä olivat hämärän peitossa
aina siitä saakka, kun sir Aaron oli pelastanut hänet tarjoilijan
paikasta eräässä Lontoon ravintolassa ja monesta paljon
pahemmastakin tilanteesta, sanoivat muutamat. Mutta hänen
äänensä oli yhtä elävä kuin hänen kasvonsa kuolleet. Liekö se
johtunut siitä, että hän koetti tehdä ajatuksensa ymmärrettäviksi
vieraalla kielellä, tai isännän tähden, joka oli ollut hiukan kuuro, yhtä
kaikki oli Magnuksen äänen paino hyvin heläjävä ja läpitunkeva, ja
koko ryhmä säpsähti, kun hän puuttui puheeseen.
"Minä olen aina tiennyt, että näin tulisi käymään", sanoi hän
kovasti ja korskeasti. "Minun vanha isäntä parkani teki pilaa minusta,
sen vuoksi että olin aina mustissa, mutta minä sanoin, että tahdoin
olla valmiina hänen hautajaisiaan varten."
"Mutta sir Aaronin rahat olisivat kai olleet turvassa hänen oman
perheensä huostassa", sanoi Gilder.
Isä Brown kohotti äkkiä kasvonsa, jotka loistivat kuin äsken pestyt:
Seuraava tosiseikka, joka tuli heidän tietoonsa oli se, että Patrick
Royce suurine, kumarine päineen astui piiriin ja lausui seuraavat
kummalliset sanat:
"Jos minun täytyy lähteä, pitää minun saada hiukan huvitella sitä
ennen."
Hänen mahtava käsivartensa kohosi ja rautanyrkillä suuntasi hän
Magnuksen irvistelevään mongoolinaamaan tuustin, joka ojensi
hänet, litteänä kuin pannukakun, maahan. Pari kolme poliisia tarttui
heti Royceen, mutta kaikki muut saivat sen käsityksen kuin kaikki
järki olisi hävinnyt ja maailman kaikkeus surisisi ympäri päättömässä
pantomiimissa.
"Mitä tarkoitatte?"
"Se, mitä tuo mies on puhunut, on täyttä totta", sanoi Royce. "Miss
Armstrong makasi tosiaankin lattialla pyörryksissä. Mutta hän ei ollut
tarttunut veitseen hyökätäkseen isänsä kimppuun, vaan
puolustaakseen häntä."
"Ketä vastaan?"