CIS 465 - Review for Final exam1 CIS 465 – 101/103 Fall 2000 Review for Final Exam

CIS 465 - Review for Final exam 1

CIS 465 – 101/103 Fall 2000

Review for Final Exam


Material Covered

• Alter Textbook – Chapters 2, 5 and 6• Class Notes:

– Introduction to Management Decision Making– Competitive Advantage and Electronic Commerce – Determining Executive Information Requirements– Groupware and Computer-Mediated Communications

– Data Warehousing • Articles:

– Van denHoven – Execuitve Support Systems and Decision-Making– Gorry & Scott Morton – A Framework for Management Decision Making– Wetherbe – Executive Information Requirements: Getting it Right– Lee, Do Electronic Markets Lower the price of Goods?– Bakos: Emerging Role of Electronic Markets on the Internet

• Other:– Electronic Markets and Decision-Making in the context of your Group Project

– Any question asked on the mid-term exam.

http://mis.njit.edu/Ullman/CIS465/00F/ppt/cis465F00_6Compadv.ppt



http://mis.njit.edu/Ullman/CIS465/00F/ppt/cis465f99_ExinfoReq.ppt

http://mis.njit.edu/Ullman/CIS465/00F/ppt/cis465F00_9Groupware.ppt

http://mis.njit.edu/Ullman/CIS465/00F/ppt/cis465F00_9Groupware.ppt

http://mis.njit.edu/Ullman/CIS465/00F/ppt/cis465F00_DataWarehouse.ppt


Format

• Identifications - approximately 30.

• Short-Answer Questions– Decision-making– Data Warehousing– Groupware– E-Commerce/E-Markets– WCA Application– Other

• Time Limit: 2 hours


Hints

• Understand the concepts in Chapter Outlines and Study Questions at beginning of each chapter in Alter text..

• Review terms and chapter summaries at end of Alter text. Be able to answer these study questions.

• From each article, be able to discuss the main points and identify key terminology.


Suggested Study Approach

• In Groups review all articles. Try to formulate 3 or 4 questions on the primary points of each article.

• Review previous exam. Make sure you understand the concepts being asked, and not just memorizing answers or terms.

• Review WCA concepts. (Alter Chapter 2)


Brief Review of Important Topics


Gorry and Scott Morton Article


Gorry and Scott Morton Framework

• Robert Anthony– levels of management

• Herbert Simon– types of decisions

Information Requirements by Management Level

Characteristicsof Information

OperationalControl

ManagementControl

StrategicPlanning

Source Largely Internal Internal andLargely External

Scope Well defined,narrow

Very wide

Level ofAggregation

Detailed Aggregate

Time Horizon Historical Future

Currency Highly current Need not be up tothe minute

RequiredAccuracy

High Lower, Estimatesare acceptable

Frequency of Use Very frequent Infrequent, ad-hoc


A Framework for Decision Making


Alter: Work Systems and WCA Framework (Chapter 2)


Work Systems

• What six elements can be used to summarize any work system?


Work Systems


Work Systems

• What is the relationship between information systems and work systems?


Work Systems


Work Systems

• What five perspectives can be used for thinking about work systems?


Five Perspectives for Understanding a Work System

ARCHITECTURE•What are the components of the system that performs the work and who uses the work product?•How are the components linked?•How do the components operate together?

PERFORMANCE•How well do the components operate individually?•How well does the system operate? (How well is the work performed?)•How well should the system operate?

INFRASTRUCTURE•What technical and human infrastructure does the work rely on? •In what ways does infrastructure present opportunities or obstacles?

CONTEXT•What are the impacts of the organizational and technical context?•In what ways does the context present opportunities or obstacles?

RISKS•What foreseeable things can prevent the work from happening, can make the work inefficient, or can cause defects in the work product?•What are the likely responses to these problems?


Work Systems

• What is the relationship between process architecture, process performance, and product performance?


Work Systems

• What is the relationship between process architecture, process performance, and product performance?– Improvements in a work system are usually related to the

links between the architecture and the performance perspectives.

– Customer satisfaction is largely determined by product performance.

– Product performance is determined by a combination of product architecture and the internal work system performance


**From work system architecture to customer satisfaction** - Be able to explain in detail


Systems Analysis

• What are the steps in systems analysis and how can business professionals apply these steps?


Systems Analysis


The 10 Issues in the Work-Centered Analysis Method

Systems analysis step

1. Define the problem

2. Describe the current work system in enough depth

and

3. Design potential improvements

4.Decide what to do

Corresponding issues for thinking about a system

Issue 1: Problem Definition

Issue 2: Improvements from product changesIssue 3: Improvements from process changesIssue 4: Improvements related to work system participantsIssue 5: Improvements from better informationIssue 6: Improvements from better technologyIssue 7: Improvements from shared infrastructureIssue 8: Improvements related to the business contextIssue 9: Improvements from risk reduction

Issue 10: Recommendation


Management Support


Management Support

• In what ways do information systems support various management roles?


Information systems related to Mintzberg’s management roles


Common Sources of Management Information

FORMAL, COMPUTER-BASED

Internal sources: Key indicators generated by internal tracking systems

External sources: Public databases

FORMAL, DOCUMENT-BASED

Internal sources: Planning reports, internal audits

External sources: Industry reports, books, magazines

FORMAL, VERBAL

Internal sources: Scheduled meetings

External sources: Industry forums

INFORMAL

Internal sources: Lunch conversations, gossip, management-by-walking-around

External sources: Trade shows, personal contacts


Data, Information, and Knowledge

• What is the relationship between data, information, and knowledge?


Data, Information, and Knowledge


Transaction Processing Systems

• What are some characteristics of transaction processing systems?

• How does this relate to the Gorry Scott -Morton Framework?


Transaction Processing System


Management Information System

• What are characteristics of Management Information Systems?

• How do they relate to the Gorry Scott Morton Framework?


Management Information System


Decision Support Systems

• Characteristics?– Models that are semi-structured and

unstructured.


Models

• Classifications of Models


Models

• Pounds– Historical - expectation based on extrapolation of past

experience.– Planning - the plan is the expectation– Inter-organizational - Models of other people in the organization

(e.g. superiors, subordinates, other departments, etc.)– Extra-organizational - models where the expectations are

derived from competition, customers, professional organizations, etc.

• Another:– Iconic Models - Analog Models– Mathematical Models - Mental Models


Groupware and CMC


Groupware

• Basic Communication Concepts (Alter pp. 150-154)– Social Context– Personal, Impersonal, Anonymous– Time, Place, Direction– Approaches for Improving Communication

• Benefits and Dysfunctions of working in groups.

• How can information systems leverage benefits and overcome dysfunctions?

• Nominal Group Technique and Delphi Method

• Groupware Spectrum: Shared Task and Shared Work environment.

• Why can asynchronous communication be more effective?


Groupware

• Basic Model classification groupware applications

• Theoretical Foundation for groupware or electronic meeting systems

• Issues and Challenges for Designers– note - some of these relate to advantages and

disadvantages of working in groups.

Common Communications Classified By Time and Place

Common Communications Classified By Time and Place

SAMEPLACE

DIFFERENTPLACE

SAME TIME DIFFERENT TIME

Presentation SystemsCopyboardsPC ProjectorsFacilitation ServicesPolling SystemsGroup Decision Rooms

Transaction databasesShared FilesElectronic MailVoice Mail

Shift Work Communications

Typical TelephoneVideo Telephone Video ConferencingLive Radio TV Broadcast

EDIElectronic MailComputer ConferencingVoice MailFax

Be able to discuss this model: Theoretical Foundations for Electronic

Meeting Systems

Be able to discuss this model: Theoretical Foundations for Electronic

Meeting Systems

Group

Task

Context

Technology

Process Outcome


Theoretical FoundationsTheoretical Foundations

• Meeting outcomes (e.g. efficiency, effectiveness, satisfaction, etc.) depend on the interaction within the meeting process of four things:– the group members – working on a task at hand– context factors – with the technology of the electronic

meeting system and the components of the technology the group uses (e.g. anonymity).


Theoretical Foundations: Group CharacteristicsTheoretical Foundations: Group Characteristics

• Group Size• Group Proximity• Group Composition (peers or hierarchical)• Group Cohesiveness, etc.


Foundations: Task CharacteristicsFoundations: Task Characteristics

• Activities to accomplish the task (idea generation, decision choice, etc)

• Task complexity, equivocality, structure, analyzability, importance, etc.

• Task Type:

– Creativity– Intellective– Preference– Planning– Cognitive Conflict– Mixed Motive


Foundations: Context CharacteristicsFoundations: Context Characteristics

• Environment:

– competition,– uncertainty,– time pressure,– evaluative tone (critical vs. supportive)

• Organizational:– information system– age– culture– reward structure (none vs. individual vs. group)

– power structure


Foundations: Technology CharacteristicsFoundations: Technology Characteristics

• The Technology used– (the computer-mediated communication system,– The GDSS– The EMS– How it was designed, its structures, its features etc).

• In other words, the design of the technology is important.

• Example: Try comparing 2 simple e-mail systems,


Group ProcessesGroup Processes

• Certain processes improve outcomes while others impair outcomes

• Meeting outcomes depend on the processes losses and gains


Decision Making


Management Decision-Making

• What do Managers do?– Fayol– Mintzberg– How can information systems support those roles?

• Basic Models of Decision-making– What happens in each phase?– How can information systems support each phase?


Summary - I

All models of decision making indicate the same basic ideas:

1. Problem finding - Identify situations where problems need to be solved.

2 Problem formulation - clearly state the problem.

3. Alternative Generation

4. Evaluate Outcomes.

5. Choice

6. Implement

7. Evaluate..


Summary -II

• In the models of decision-making, the most important aspects of the intelligence and design phases are:– I - Problem Finding– II - Problem Formulation– III - Alternative Generation

• How can information systems support these phases?


Decision-Making Concepts

• Four dimensions of decision types:– I. Knowledge of Outcomes– II. level of structure/programmability– III. criteria for the decision– IV. level of decision impact

• Dceision making under certainty and the concept of rationality.

• Decision-making under Risk and Expected Value.



• The Rational Manager View vs. the Satisficing View of decision making.

• Rationality, bounded rationality, and satisficing.• Individual Differences View - based on cognitive

style.• Common Flaws in Decision-making (Alter, pp.

154-161) and how might information systems counteract those flaws?

• Groupthink and Group Decision-making



• Deciding Among Alternatives– under conditions of certainty, using optimization

techniques. Name some.

• Role of Payoff Matrices and Decision Trees– ability to construct them.

• Review van den Hoven article. It is an excellent summary of decision-making concepts and how information systems can be designed to support the management function.


Be able to Explain and Discuss


Work Systems, Competitive Advantage, andE-Commerce


Alter - Chapter 6

• Customer’s View of the product - be able to describe examples showing information, physical, and service content.

• Explain controllability and adaptability.• Customer Involvement cycle• Role for Information Systems in improving the product of

a work system (p. 194)• Using Information Systems for Competitive advantage.• Value chain• Porter’s strategies.


E-Commerce

• Definitions and Examples of E-Commerce• Benefits and Limitations• Discuss Framework for E-Commerce• Inter-organizational Information Systems vs.

Electronic Markets; discuss differences; compare and contrast.

• How has the Internet affected Markets?• Be able to discuss Lee and Bakos articles



Wetherbe Article


Wetherbe: Determining Executive Information Requirements

• Why is it difficult?– Single-function systems vs. cross-functional– information ignorance– individual interviews– unstructured interviews– not allowing trial-and-error in the design process

• Joint Application Design• Interview Techniques• Role and value of Prototyping

– Traditional Systems Development Method vs. Prototyping


Framework for Information Requirements Interviews

BSP ProblemsDecisions

Solutions InformationInformation

CSF CriticalSuccess Factors

Decisions Information

E/M EndsMeans

Effectiveness InformationInformationEfficiency


Data Warehousing


Data Warehousing

• Good review: Alter pp. 175-176.

• You should review in detail the concepts in the Data Warehousing Slides


Multidimensionality

• What role does dimensional modeling play for senior management?

• What are typical dimensions in a business?

• What are typical facts or measures?

• How does this relate to drill-down analysis?


Dimensional Modeling

• Dimensional Modeling gives us a way to visualize data.• The CEO’s perspective:

– “We sell products in various markets, and we measure our performance over time.”

• From the data warehouse designer’s perspective, we hear three dimensions:

– We sell Products– in various Markets– and measure performance over time.


Dimensional Model of the Business

Product

Market

Ti

me


Typical Dimensional Model

Time_keyday-of-weekmonthquarteryearholiday_flag

Time_keyproduct_keystore_keydollars_soldunits_solddollars_cost

Product_keydescriptionbrandcategory

Store_keystore_nameaddressfloor_plan_type

Sales Fact

Time Dimension

Product Dimension

Store Dimension


Fact Table

• Fact Table is where numerical measurements of the business are stored.

• Each measurement is taken at the intersection of all the dimensions.

• The “best” facts are numeric, continuously valued and additive.

• For every query made against the fact table may use hundreds of thousands of individual records to construct an answer set.


Dimension Tables

• Dimension tables are where textual descriptions of the business are stored.

• Each textual description helps to describe a member of the dimension.

• Example: each member in the product dimension is a specific product. The product dimension database has many attributes to describe the product. A key role of the dimension table attribute is to serve as the source of constraints in a query.


Example

Brand

AxonFramisWidgetZapper

Dollar Sales

780104421395

Unit Sales

26350944439


Example Query

• Find all product brands that were sold in the first quarter of 1995 and present the total dollar sales as well as the number of units.

• Brand is a collection of individual products.• To construct:

– A. Drag attribute brand from product dimension. Place as Row Header.

– B. Drag Dollar Sales and Units Sold from the Fact Table, and place to the right of the Brand row header.

– C. Specify row constraint “1st Q 1995” on the quarter attribute in the Time Dimension Table.


Multi-dimensional database


Documents

CIS 465 - Review for Final exam1 CIS 465 – 101/103 Fall 2000 Review for Final Exam