Deck 1: Decision Support Systems and Business Intelligence

Question 1

Government regulations,political instability,competition,and changing consumer demands cause uncertainty that makes it difficult to predict the consequences of a decision.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Dashboards and information portals are data visualization tools.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

One of the major objectives of computerized decision support is to minimize the gap between the current performance of an organization and its desired performance.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The first phase in the decision-making process is design which involves inventing,developing,and analyzing possible alternative courses of action or solutions.

Question 5

Managers,especially those at high managerial levels,are primarily hands-on problem solvers.

Question 6

Globalization has significantly reduced the complexity of the business environment.For example,companies can find suppliers and customers in many countries where materials are cheaper,which reduces competition and complexity.

Question 7

Automated decision systems (ADS)are rule-based systems that provide solutions to repetitive managerial problems,usually in one functional area (e.g.,finance,manufacturing).

Question 8

The two major DSS types are the model-oriented DSS,in which quantitative models are used to generate a recommended solution to a problem,and data-oriented DSS,which support ad hoc reporting and queries.

Question 9

The management of Norfolk Southern,a large freight railroad company,invested in data warehousing technologies.Even though railroad transportation is a mature industry,Norfolk Southern gained a competitive advantage by using its data warehousing technologies to squeeze additional efficiency from its operations.

Question 10

A BI system has three major components: a data warehouse with source data; business performance management (BPM)for monitoring and analyzing performance; and a user interface such as a dashboard.

Question 11

Computerized systems enable people to overcome their cognitive limits by quickly accessing and processing vast amounts of stored information.

Question 12

The term Decision Support Systems (DSS)can be used as an umbrella term to describe any computerized system that supports decision making in an organization.

Question 13

Research and development (R & D)planning and social responsibility planning are unstructured decisions,which cannot be supported by computerized decision support systems.

Question 14

Computer applications have progressed from transaction processing and monitoring to problem analysis and solution applications,and much of the activity is supported by spreadsheet technologies.

Question 15

When faced with a turbulent business environment,organizations are best able to survive or even excel by minimizing changes until the environment stabilizes.

Question 16

The objective of computerized decision support,regardless of its name or nature,is to help managers solve problems and assess opportunities faster and better than would be possible without computers.

Question 17

Accounts receivable and accounts payable processes are highly structured,which makes them easy to program.

Question 18

Most DSS are constructed to directly support specific decision making.In contrast,BI systems,in general typically provide accurate and timely information to support decision support indirectly.This difference is diminishing because decision support tools are being added to BI software packages.

Question 19

One measure of productivity is the ratio of inputs to outputs.

Question 20

Because managerial decision making is complex,it is more important to emphasize methodical,analytical decision making rather than interpersonal communication skills.

Question 21

For years in the past,managers considered decision making a(n)________,that is,a talent acquired over a long period through experience and by using intuition.

A) science
B) strategy
C) art
D) methodology

Question 22

Mintzberg's (1980)classic study of top managers suggests that managers perform ten major roles that can be classified into three major categories.Each of the following is one of those major categories except:

A) relational
B) interpersonal
C) decisional
D) informational

Question 23

Which of the following is not a component of DSS architecture?

A) Data
B) Model
C) Knowledge
D) Web

Question 24

Business environment factors that create pressures on organizations include all of the following except:

A) workforce that is younger and shrinking
B) need for real-time, on-demand transactions
C) booming electronic markets on the Internet
D) innovative marketing methods

Question 25

Which of the following is an organizational response to a business environmental factor?

A) customer demand
B) government regulations
C) new business models
D) globalization

Question 26

Norfolk Southern Railroad built a ________ application that pulls data from the data warehouse and then graphically depicts actual performance against planned performance.

A) dashboard
B) graphical interface
C) transaction processing
D) forecasting

Question 27

Solving semistructured problems may involve a combination of both standard solution procedures and human judgment.Management science can provide models for the portion of the decision-making problem that is ________.

A) controlled
B) semistructured
C) unstructured
D) structured

Question 28

Decision-making processes fall along a continuum that ranges from ________ to ________.

A) highly structured; highly unstructured
B) semistructured; unstructured
C) managerial; strategic
D) ad hoc; nonprogrammed

Question 29

One of the major objectives of ________ is to facilitate closing the gap between the current performance of an organization and its desired performance,as expressed in its mission,objectives,and goals.

A) business alliances
B) customer relationships
C) business models
D) computerized decision support

Question 30

The major benefit of ________ to the company is the ability to provide accurate information when needed.

A) data warehouse
B) analytical models
C) management information systems
D) business intelligence

Question 31

Numerous types of business ________ result from today's business climate.

A) decisions
B) responses
C) support
D) pressures

Question 32

Today's computerized systems possess capabilities that can facilitate decision support in a number of ways,including each of the following except:

A) Increased productivity of group members
B) Improved communication and collaboration
C) Agility support
D) Reduced environmental pressures

Question 33

Which of the following is one of the two major types of Decision Support Systems?

A) Number-oriented
B) Text-oriented
C) Model-oriented
D) Application-oriented

Question 34

According to Mintzberg's ten managerial roles,a ________ is responsible for the motivation and activation of subordinates.

A) leader
B) figurehead
C) liason
D) spokesperson

Question 35

Norfolk Southern Railroad invested in a Teradata ________,which is a central repository of historical data that is organized for easy access and manipulation to support decision making.

A) database
B) data warehouse
C) data repository
D) data disk

Question 36

According to Mintzberg's ten managerial roles,a ________ is symbolic head; or someone who is obliged to perform a number of routine duties.

A) leader
B) figurehead
C) liason
D) spokesperson

Question 37

Phases in the decision-making process include each of the following except:

A) intelligence
B) analysis
C) design
D) choice

Question 38

Management is a process by which organizational goals are achieved by using resources.The resources are considered ________,and attainment of goals is viewed as the ________ of the process.

A) expenses; profits
B) inputs; output
C) pressures; opportunities
D) scarce; success

Question 39

A(n)________ is a rule-based system that provides a solution,usually in one functional area,such as finance or manufacturing,to a specific repetitive managerial problem.

A) decision support systems (DSS)
B) transaction processing system (TPS)
C) online analytical processing (OLAP) system
D) automated decision system (ADS)

Question 40

Companies are facing each of the following impacts of globalization except:

A) Easier to find suppliers and customers in many countries
B) Less complex business environment
C) Cheaper materials
D) More and stronger competitors

Question 41

List and define the three interpersonal roles of a manager as described by Mintzberg.

Question 42

________ are a type of user interface that provides a comprehensive visual view of corporate performance measures,trends,and exceptions.

Question 43

________ is the application of scientific approach and mathematical models to the analysis and solution of managerial decision situations.

Question 44

Structured problems,which are encountered repeatedly,have a high level of ________.

Question 45

Business intelligence's major objective is to enable ________ access to data,enable manipulation of these data,and to provide business managers and analysts the ability to conduct appropriate analysis.

Question 46

________ is the efficient and effective execution of specific tasks.

Question 47

________ indicates that an individual's problem-solving capability is limited when a wide range of diverse information and knowledge is required.

Question 48

________ involves transforming the real-world problem into an appropriate prototype structure.

Question 49

Making a decision means selecting the best alternative from two or more ________ solutions.

Question 50

The process of business intelligence is based on the ________ of data to information,then to decisions,and finally to actions.

Question 51

________ is a process of searching for unknown relationships or information in large databases or data warehouses,using intelligent tools such as neural computing,predictive analytics techniques,or advanced statistical methods.

Question 52

Decision support systems are computer-based support systems for management decision makers who deal with ________ problems.

Question 53

Gorry and Scott-Morton suggested,for example,that for semistructured decisions and unstructured decisions,conventional ________ and management science (MS)tools are insufficient.

Question 54

Management is a process by which organizational goals are achieved using ________.

Question 55

________ which is also referred to as corporate performance management (CPM),is an emerging portfolio of applications and methodology that contains evolving BI architecture and tools in its core.

Question 56

Automated Decision Systems (ADS)is a business ________ system that uses intelligence to recommend solution to repetitive decisions (such as pricing).

Question 57

The level of organization's ________,or the success of management,depends on the performance of managerial functions,such as planning,organizing,directing,and controlling.

Question 58

________ is the first component of the DSS architecture.

Question 59

________ defines long-range goals and policies for resource allocation.

Question 60

A ________ is a system in which human participants and/or machines perform a business process,using information,technology,and other resources,to produce products and/or services for internal or external customers.

Question 61

List and define the three informational roles of a manager as described by Mintzberg.

Question 62

Describe the three categories that comprise Anthony's taxonomy of management.

Question 63

List and define the four decisional roles of a manager as described by Mintzberg.

Question 64

Distinguish between structured and unstructured problems.

Question 65

Describe the four phases in the decision-making process.

Question 66

List the components of the architecture of business intelligence.

Question 67

Describe the nine elements of a work system.

Question 68

List the steps involved in the management science (MS)approach to problem solving.