Mist 520: Management Information Systems Question Paper
Mist 520: Management Information Systems
Course:Master Of Business Administration (Mba)
Institution: Kabarak University question papers
Exam Year:2011
KABARAK UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS
2011/2012 ACADEMIC YEAR
FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
MIST 520: MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
DAY: MONDAY DATE: 16/04/2012
TIME: 3.00 – 6.00 P.M. STREAM: SEM 2
INSTRUCTIONS:
• Answer Any THREE questions
• All Questions carry equal marks
Question One
a) Discuss the primary features and capabilities of an enterprise resource planning system.
(10 marks)
b) Explain problems that you are likely to encounter when attempting to integrate data
across the entire company? Suggest ways you might solve these problems.
(4 marks)
c) Suggest three reasons why most large companies choose to purchase Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) packages rather than developing their own custom software with their
own staff.
(6 marks)
Question Two
a) Explain the difference between data and information (2 marks)
b) Explain the concept of database approach. Discuss the benefits the database approach
can provide to an organization. (8 marks)
c) E-commerce, whether it is B2B, B2C, or C2C, continues to expand globally. The number
of e-commerce applications is increasing and the electronic payment infrastructure to
support e-commerce continues to improve.
Required
i. One of the main types of e-commerce applications is investment and finance. Identify and
describe any five other main types of m-commerce services and applications. (10 marks)
Question Three
a) Discuss how information technology can be used to gain a competitive advantage in a
business organization. (10 marks)
b) Explain the costs and potential dangers of being on the leading edge of technology.
(5 marks)
c) Describe how technology can be used to search for an advantage over rivals.
(5 marks)
Question Four
a) Information technology and the Internet in particular, pose real threats to personal and
organizational privacy. Suggest and discuss ANY five security threats to information
systems and corresponding measures that could be used in an internet-based e-commerce
web site to keep customers? information safe and to prevent fraud. Discuss. (20 marks)
Question Five
a) Explain ANY two importance of having information systems (IS) in organizations.
(4 marks)
b) Using suitable examples explain some of the business drivers for today's information
systems. (4 marks)
c) There are two major types of information systems in organizations: operations support
systems and management support systems. Effective management support systems are
designed and developed to help management make decisions and control the business.
Required:
i. Identify the three major types of management support systems. For each type of
system, identify the level of decision making it typically supports and the types of
problems it helps solve, such as unstructured problems. (6 marks)
ii. Anita works for a large electronics manufacturing firm. Anita’s company does a
lot of group decision making. She would like to acquire an information system
that would assist all of her company’s committees, design teams, and
brainstorming groups. Identify the type of information system that Anita should
recommend her company acquire. Briefly describe three characteristics that this
system should have. (6 marks)
Question Six
a) Should governments be granted more powers to monitor and investigate people and
transactions on the Internet? Discuss (8 marks)
b) Explain the ethical responsibilities of users in terms of information systems. (4 marks)
c) Explain the four key technology trends that raise ethical issues. (8 marks)
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