Question 1

What are the four main ways of organizing businesses internationally, and what types of systems configurations do each of these types typically use?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the four main ways of...

Question 2

All of the following are psychological aspects of quality except:

Accepted Answer

A)  effective marketing. 
B)  the company's knowledge of its products. 
C)  the product's reputation. 
D)  the courtesy of salespeople. 
E)  the sensitivity of support staff.

Question 3

Which of the following statements about 3-D printing is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)  3-D printing is also known as additive manufacturing. 
B)  Unlike traditional techniques, 3-D printing results in some wasted material. 
C)  3-D printing can create objects from plastic, metal, or composite materials. 
D)  CAD systems supply data for 3-D printing. 
E)  3-D printing is often used to fashion items for small production runs.

Question 4

In network economics, the value of a commercial software vendor's software products:

Accepted Answer

A)  increases as more people use them. 
B)  decreases as more people use them. 
C)  increases due to higher marginal gain in output. 
D)  decreases according to the law of diminishing returns. 
E)  is unrelated to the number of people that use them.

Question 5

Business process reengineering involves the radical redesign of business processes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

All of the following could be considered substitute products for industrial electricity generation except:

Accepted Answer

A)  solar. 
B)  wind. 
C)  coal. 
D)  hydro-power. 
E)  ethanol.

Question 7

A firm can be said to have competitive advantage when it uses commonly available resources more efficiently.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

You are consulting with the owner of Better Bodies, a national chain of gyms. How could the use of information systems help them exert each of the four generic strategies in achieving competitive advantage?

Accepted Answer

The answer of You are consulting with the owner of...

Question 9

Which of the following statements about cycle time is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cycle time refers to the total elapsed time from the beginning of a process to its end. 
B)  Shorter cycle times mean that problems are caught earlier in the process. 
C)  Finding ways to reduce cycle time often means finding ways to simplify production steps. 
D)  The fewer steps in a production process, the more likely that an error will occur. 
E)  Information systems can help reduce cycle time.

Question 10

Which of the following illustrates the use of information systems to achieve product differentiation?

Accepted Answer

A)  A hot tub dealer's use of information systems to determine which models and options its customers are most likely to buy 
B)  A shoe manufacturer's use of information systems in selling custom, made-to-order shoes directly to customers 
C)  A PC manufacturer's use of information systems to facilitate direct access from suppliers to production schedules 
D)  A grocery store chain's use of information systems to produce products and services at a lower price than competitors 
E)  A hotel chain's use of information systems to analyze detailed data on guests to determine each guest's profitability

Question 11

Franchisers are firms that have their product created, designed, financed, and initially produced in the home country but rely heavily on foreign personnel for further production, marketing, and human resources.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Amazon used which of the following to reduce errors in order fulfillment?

Accepted Answer

A)  BPR 
B)  3-D printing 
C)  TQM 
D)  BPM 
E)  Six Sigma

Question 13

How does the definition of quality differ from the customer and manufacturer perspectives?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How does the definition of quality differ...

Question 14

In the value chain model, primary activities are those that are most directly related to the production and distribution of the firm's products and services.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

An information system can enable a company to focus on a market niche through:

Accepted Answer

A)  complex trend forecasting. 
B)  tailoring products to the client. 
C)  intensive product trend analysis. 
D)  intensive customer data analysis. 
E)  tightening linkages with suppliers.

Question 16

Which of the following is not a true statement about value webs?

Accepted Answer

A)  Value webs involve a collection of independent firms that use information technology to coordinate their value chains. 
B)  Value webs are more customer-driven than traditional value chains. 
C)  Value webs operate in a less linear fashion than traditional value chains. 
D)  Value webs are inflexible and cannot adapt quickly to changes in supply and demand. 
E)  Value webs involve highly synchronized industry value chains.

Question 17

You are advising the owner of Smalltown Computer, a new, local computer repair store that also builds custom computers to order. What competitive strategies would you advise Smalltown Computer to take? Which ones will it have difficulty exercising?

Accepted Answer

The answer of You are advising the owner of Smalltown...

Question 18

A firm that locates all systems development and operations at its headquarters is using a ________ system configuration.

Accepted Answer

A)  unilateral 
B)  centralized 
C)  decentralized 
D)  networked 
E)  virtual

Question 19

Benchmarks may be external industry standards, standards other companies set, internally developed standards, or some combination of these.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

The ________ strategy is characterized by heavy centralization of corporate activities in the home country of origin.

Accepted Answer

A)  domestic exporter 
B)  multinational 
C)  franchise 
D)  transnational 
E)  virtual company

Exam 3: Achieving Competitive Advantage With Information Systems

What are the four main ways of organizing businesses internationally, and what types of systems configurations do each of these types typically use?

All of the following are psychological aspects of quality except:

Which of the following statements about 3-D printing is not true?

In network economics, the value of a commercial software vendor's software products:

Business process reengineering involves the radical redesign of business processes.

All of the following could be considered substitute products for industrial electricity generation except:

A firm can be said to have competitive advantage when it uses commonly available resources more efficiently.

You are consulting with the owner of Better Bodies, a national chain of gyms. How could the use of information systems help them exert each of the four generic strategies in achieving competitive advantage?

Which of the following statements about cycle time is not true?

Which of the following illustrates the use of information systems to achieve product differentiation?

Franchisers are firms that have their product created, designed, financed, and initially produced in the home country but rely heavily on foreign personnel for further production, marketing, and human resources.

Amazon used which of the following to reduce errors in order fulfillment?

How does the definition of quality differ from the customer and manufacturer perspectives?

In the value chain model, primary activities are those that are most directly related to the production and distribution of the firm's products and services.

An information system can enable a company to focus on a market niche through:

Which of the following is not a true statement about value webs?

You are advising the owner of Smalltown Computer, a new, local computer repair store that also builds custom computers to order. What competitive strategies would you advise Smalltown Computer to take? Which ones will it have difficulty exercising?

A firm that locates all systems development and operations at its headquarters is using a ________ system configuration.

Benchmarks may be external industry standards, standards other companies set, internally developed standards, or some combination of these.

The ________ strategy is characterized by heavy centralization of corporate activities in the home country of origin.