1

AK/ADMS 2511 - Management Information Systems – PRACTICE FINAL

EXAMINATION, Answer Guide

Question 1 - Multiple Choice - Answers:

1. B, Ch 10, p. 311
2. C, Ch 10, p. 314
3. A, Ch 3, p. 91 and Ch 8, p. 255
4. A, Ch 6, p. 189
5. B, Ch 4, p. 120
6. B, Ch 2, p. 37
7. D, Ch 5, p. 412
8. C, Ch 2, p. 39
9. A, TG2, p. 361
10. D, Ch 10, p. 322-3

Question 2

Part A
Describe five organizational and/or technological issues that FTD will need to deal with
in implementing the website solution.

(1 mark per point)

[This is a ‘common sense’ type question that requires integration of material across the
course. Some reference to Chapter 10]

Organizational
- FTD needs fewer people to take orders
- FTD will need to staff and support phone and internet order systems
- FTD will be responsible for customer billing
- FTD will be responsible for payment remittance to flower shops
- FTD will need to provide training, support to flower shops for new software

Technological
- Website access needs to be controlled by FTD
- E-commerce (esp. funds transfer) needs to be controlled by secure means
- Creation of website and other applications (E-commerce, remittance, …) requires
time, expertise and capital
- Website will need to be maintained and supported
 2

Part B
Describe the benefits and difficulties that the new website will create for the customer,
FTD and the flower shops.

Benefits:
To customer
- gets to see what he orders online
- can place order 24/7 (may be more convenient, efficient than phone order)

To FTD
- FTD gets payment first
- Reach is broader (global internet access), can expand business
- Order cycle time is reduced as part of supply chain management (e.g. customer order
to flower shop, receipt of payment, commission)

To Flower shop
- no longer needs to bill and collect from customer (reduces effort, risk)
- no longer needs to remit to FTD (reduces accounting, control effort)

Difficulties:
To customer
- may not like to give credit card number over the internet
- may be uncomfortable with internet order process (if web site difficult to use)
- has less personal touch/contact

To FTD
- may encounter resistance to change by flower shops/business partners
- may encounter resistance to change by employees

To Flower shop
- has to get new software
- cash flow problem if the flower shop needs to wait for payment from FTD
- does not get opportunity to “sell up” to the customer
 3

(C) A flower shop owner has many different types of roles throughout the day when
conducting his work. List and describe the three basic roles of managers (described by
Mintzberg). For each of the three basic roles, describe an example of how the flower shop
owner would perform these roles with his or her employees. (6 marks)

(See text, p. 270; one example is shown, others are also possible)

List and describe basic role Example of role in flower shop

Interpersonal role: includes figurehead,
leader, liaison
Informational role: includes monitor,
disseminator, spokesperson, arbitrator
Decisional role: includes entrepreneur,
disturbance handler, resource allocator,
negotiator
The owner decides what type of flowers to
order and display in the shop windows.
The owner supervises employees, to make
sure that they are handling flowers
carefully and know how to make the flower
arrangements.
The owner negotiates with suppliers to
obtain a good price for his/her flowers.

Question 3

Part A
You are the IT manager of a company in this building. Your company sells directly to
consumers through salesmen. What control measures should you have used to prepare for
such as disaster? What steps should you have taken after the disaster to minimize its
impact on your company?

(Ref. Chapter 3, Session 3 overheads and Don’t Pay that Ransom case) many answers
possible

- have a disaster recovery plan

- obtain Management commitment to the DRP
- DRP should include Ranking of business processes
- DRP should Identify minimum resources required
- DRP should include a Data centre and a User plan
- DRP should be Tested and kept current
- have a contingency plan to operate without systems during recovery period
- offsite storage of important backups: data, software, documents
- regular transport of backup offsite
- appropriate backup site available (secure, climate controlled, …)
- have recovery site available
- recovery site needs to have computers, offices – hot or cold site, based on need
- move people immediately to temporary offices / recovery site
- make arrangements for new permanent offices and computers
- make financial arrangements to tide the company over
 4

Part B
Normally, employees use the computer for processing sales orders, customer billing and
employee payroll, inventory monitoring, purchase orders and payments to suppliers.
What application programs would need to be recovered first? What application
recoveries could wait until the situation was less critical? Justify your answers.

(The answer to this part of the question is flexible, with appropriate justification of the
responses. Students could also use the framework of risk analysis described on text, page
84 to organize their answers.)

Necessary:
• Customer Billing (A/R) and payroll
• Justification: to guarantee business continuation (cash receipts to pay expenses,
retention of employees and suppliers)
• maybe limited accounts payable (A/P) or others, if appropriately justified
NOT Order entry, since salesmen can still continue to work without it

Not necessary:
• A/P, Order Entry, all the rest.(many possible – max 1 mark for others)
• Justification: can continue to operate without these for a short time, since there is
need to concentrate limited resources to recover critical systems first
• Maybe Payroll if appropriately justified - i.e. short time frame only, recover by next
pay date or pay staff manually (NOT - "employees will understand")

Part C
The fire was a blow to the company but also an opportunity to make improvements to
prevent future disasters. Identify 4 other types of disasters and their impacts. Also
describe controls that could be implemented to prevent or reduce the impact of each.

(Ref. Chapter 3, Session 3 overheads and Don’t Pay that Ransom case) many answers
possible; requires integration from multiple chapters, such as chapter 10

1 mark for type of disaster and its impact

1 mark for control (indented below disaster type below)

- Hardware failure – loss of income, unable to ship goods or sell services

- Physical security to provide a safe environment (from theft or damage)
- Redundant systems

- Denial of service – due to ‘hacker attack,’ same impact as above

- firewalls, logical access controls e.g. password protection

- Program failure/error – data loss, data error, operational problems or business failure
- Follow SDLC for all development, maintenance
- Program change controls
 5

- Unavailability of people who make key decisions, hold key passwords or functions -
limited ability to perform all business functions (e.g. IT operations)
- Train staff as backups to other employees
- Document job descriptions, procedures

- Deliberate or accidental physical damage to equipment - inability to conduct business

- Physical security to provide a safe environment (from theft or damage)
- DRP should cover this case

- Employee errors or sabotage - data loss, fraud, inability to conduct business, etc
- Employee Code of ethics
- Supervision

- Virus or other security penetration - data loss, fraud, inability to conduct business, etc
- Virus detection and removal s/w, updated regularly
- firewalls, logical access controls e.g. password protection

(D) List and describe the three control layers that exist in a company. Provide an example
of each control layer that pertains to the completion of the disaster recovery plan.
(6 marks)

(Chapter 3, p. 84, 85, 93; one example is shown, others are possible)

List and describe control layer Example that pertains to disaster recovery
plan
Control environment: encompasses Management commits resources to the
management attitudes towards controls development of the disaster recovery plan.
General controls: framework controls that Procedures are established to back up
protect the system regardless of the specific regularly data for all application cycles.
application
Application controls: controls that apply to Procedures are prepared for each
individual functional areas (applications) application on what users should do when
the information systems are unavailable.
 6

Question 4

(A) Identify the four effects of the new e-commerce based economy, providing an
example of how BLOSS has reacted, using the case facts above. (8 marks)

Effects of e-commerce economy (Session 1 How BLOSS has reacted (one example is
Overheads) shown, others are also possible)
Reduced cost BLOSS has implemented the Apparel
Buying Network, which enable lower
purchasing costs
Improved quality BLOSS can purchase from anywhere
around the world, looking for better quality
products
Increased speed of communication and data BLOSS uses the internet, it has an extranet
transfer called ApparelBuy.com
Faster pace of innovation BLOSS has established several web sites,
one for children and infants, in addition to
having its extranet

(B) BLOSS is looking at implementing an integrated system to replace its head office
purchase order processing systems. List and describe the eight phases of the systems
development process. For each phase, describe how users or management could be
involved in the process. (15 marks)

(This answer uses the eight-stage system from Chapter 10, figure 10.2, p. 310. See
Session 11 for examples of user and management involvement)

Systems development phase and Example of how users or management

description
1. Systems investigation: understanding the
business problem to be solved, the
technical options for systems, and the
problems that are likely to occur during
development. Includes feasibility study and
go/no-go decision.
2. Systems analysis: the examination of the
business problem to define the business
problem in more detail, identify its causes,
specify the solution, and identify the
information requirements that the solution
must satisfy.
3. Systems design: describes how the
system will accomplish the task. Includes
logical system design (functionally, what
will it do) and physical design (technology
components).
4. Programming: translates the design into
could be involved in the process
- users can help describe the problem to be
solved by the system
- management needs to decide whether or
not to proceed with the system
- users could explain why the application is
not satisfying current customer needs
- management could help identify potential
solutions to the specific problems
- users can list the contents of input screens
or of output reports
- management can approve the design
documents before it goes to programming
- management can approve the

computer code.
5. Testing: check to see if the computer
code will produce the expected and desired
results.
6. Implementation: the process of
converting from the old system to the new
system.
7. Operation: The system is used (operates)
as long as it meets its objectives.
8. Maintenance: Corrections or changes are
made to the system.
End of Answer Guide
7
programming language to be used
- users can help with the testing process by
actually testing or reviewing test results
- management approves the test plan and
the test results before the system is
implemented
- users enter data that will be used by the
new system
- users can assist with training
- management approves the implementation
plan
- users enter data, use reports and otherwise
keep the system in operation
- management assesses whether the system
is meeting its objectives
- users identify errors or problems with the
system
- management approves changes that are
made to the system