Management Information SystemsQuestion Bank

1. Explain system entropy and suboptimisation with reference to system concept.

2. Define Information. Describe attributes of Information in brief.

3. Explain how would you develop and implement MIS in medium sized Production Company. How will you ensure its effectiveness?

4. Define MIS and explain MIS Pyramid.

5. Programmed and Non programmed decisions.

6. Write a brief note on Value of Information.

7. Organization structure and MIS.

8. “Management of a business in fact is the efficient Management of Information”. Discuss.

9. Discuss the concept of control in the System Design. What are the essential elements of control?

10. Write a brief note on Human behavior and Decision Making. Why user-machine interaction is considered very desirable for an information system.

11. Adams Chemicals is a company engaged in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. The company manufactures a total of 20 Medicines; five of them are in liquid form. At any time the company has raw material, work-in-process and finished goods Inventory.

The Company is facing grave problems in managing the Inventory. Suggest a Complete system of material management indicating problems areas and also Design appropriate solutions.

14. Mr.Ramkrishnan is the Personnel Manager of Amco Ltd. Because he is dealing with human resources, his department comes into contact with other departments of the company. The personnel department has also been equipped with computer facilities recently. The M.D. of Amco Ltd. Is displeased with Mr. Ram Krishnan, as he finds that there is total lack of control in the personnel department. You are expected to educate Mr. Ram Krishnan regarding: -

a) Process of Control a need for feedback Loops.b) The role computer can play to control the system. c) Other factors which you feel are necessary to streamline

the system. Make assumptions and use hypothetical information wherever necessary.

15. You are appointed as a consultant for installing management reporting system for Kinetic Honda Ltd.The Company is engaged in the manufacturing of two wheelers of various capacities namely 200cc, 500cc and 800cc. According to the organization chart the shop supervisors have to report to the shop superintendent. All shop superintendents to factory manager and all managers to the Managing Director. Suggest various reports at each of these three levels giving report name, frequency of reports and key information in each report. Out of these reports give one format of Exception report for each level of Management.

16. What has been the impact of information technology on the work relationship? activities and resources of managers?

17. Explain Marketing information system with its components.

18. How can transaction processing system play a strategic role in gaining competitive advantages for a business?

19. Discuss the role and reporting alternatives of Management Information Systems.

20. What is the difference between the ability of manager to retrieve information instantly on demand using an MIS and capabilities provided by a DSS.

21. What strategic role can information technology play in business process reengineering and total quality management?

22. What potential security problems do you see in the increasing use of the intranet and extranet in business? What might be done to solve such problems?

23.24.

25. How can information technology support a company’s business processes and decision making and give it a competitive advantage? Give examples to illustrate your answer.

26. How does the use of the Internet, intranets and extranets by companies today support their business processes and activities?

27. Why do big companies still fail in their use of information technology? What should they be doing differently?

28. How can a manager demonstrate that he or she is a responsible end user of information systems? Give several examples.

29. What are some of the toughest management challenges in developing IT solutions to solve business problems and meet new business opportunities?

30. Why are there so many conceptual classifications information systems? Why they are typically integrated in the information systems found in the real world?

31. Suppose you are a manager being asked to develop e-business and e-commerce applications to gain a competitive advantage in an important market for your company. What reservations might you have about doing so? Why?

32. How could a business use information technology to increase switching costs and lock in its customers and suppliers? Use business examples to support your answers.

33. In what major ways have information systems in business changed during the last 40 years? What is one major change you think will happen in the next 10 years?

34. How could a business leverage its investment in information technology to build strategic IT capabilities that serve as a barrier to entry by new entrants into its markets?

35. What strategic role can information play in business process reengineering?

36. How can Internet technologies help a business form strategic alliances with its customers, suppliers and others?

37. Information technology can’t really give a company a strategic advantage, because most competitive advantages don’t last

more than a few years and soon become strategic necessities that just raise the stakes of the game. Discuss.

38. MIS author and consultant Peter Keen says:” We have learned that it is not technology that creates a competitive edge, but the management process that exploits technology.” What does he mean? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

39. Why is there a trend toward cross-functional integrated enterprise systems in business?

40. What are the 13 tools for enterprise collaboration essential for any business to have today? Which of them do you feel area optional, depending on the type of business or other factor? Explain.

41. How could sales force automation affect salesperson productivity, marketing management, and competitive advantage?

42. How can Internet technologies be involved in improving a process in one of the functions of business? Choose one example and evaluate its business value.

43. What are several e-business applications that you might recommend to small company to help it survive and succeed in challenging economic times? Why?

44. Most businesses should engage in electronic commerce on the Internet. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your position.

45. Are you interested in investing in, owning, managing, or working for a business that is primarily engaged in electronic commerce on the Internet? Explain your position.

46. Why do you think there have been so many business failures among” dot-com” companies that were devoted only to retain e-commerce?

47. List and explain the e-commerce success factors.

48. If personalizing a customer’s website experience is a key success factor, then electronic profiling processes to track visitor website behavior are necessary. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your position.

49. All corporate procurement should be accomplished in e-commerce auction marketplaces, instead of using B2B websites that feature fixed-price catalogs or negotiated prices. Explain your position on this proposal.

50. Are the form and use of information and decision support systems for managers and business professional changing and expanding? Why or why not?

51. Has the growth of self-directed teams to manage work in organizations changed the need for strategic, tactical, and operational decision making in business?

52. What is the difference between the ability of; manger to retrieve in formation instantly on demand using an MIS and the capabilities provided by a DSS?

53. In what ways does using an electronic spreadsheet package provide you with the capabilities of decision support system?

54. Are enterprise information portals making executive information systems unnecessary? Explain your reasoning.

55. Can computers think? Will they ever be able to? Explain why or why not

56. What are some of the most important applications of AI in business? Defend your choices.

57. What are some of the limitations or dangers you see in the use of AI technologies such as expert systems, virtual reality, and intelligent agents? What could be done to minimize such effects?

58. Planning is a useless endeavor, because developments in e-business and e-commerce and in the political, economic, and societal environments are moving too quickly nowadays. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?

59. “Planning and budgeting processes are notorious for their rigidity and irrelevance to management action.” How can planning be made relevant to the challenges facing a business?

60. What planning methods would you use to develop business/ IT strategies and applications for your own business? Explain you choices.

61. What are several e-business and e-commerce strategies

and applications that should be developed and implemented by many companies today? Explain your reasoning.

62. How can a company use change management to minimize the resistance and maximize the acceptance of changes in business and technology? Give several examples.

63. “Many companies plan really well, yet few translate strategy into action.” Do you think this statement is true? Why or why not?

64. What major business changes beyond e-business and e-commerce do you think most companies should be planning for in the next ten years? Explain your choices.

65. How should a business store, access, and distribute data and information about their internal operations and external environment?

66. What role does database management play in managing data as a business resource?