INSTRUCTOR’S RESOURCE MANUAL
EXPERIENCING MIS
5TH CANADIAN EDITION
CHAPTER NO. 1: INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND YOU
STUDY QUESTIONS
Q1-1 What is an information system?
Q1-2 What is MIS?
Q1-3 How does an IS differ from IT?
Q1-4 How important are information systems to our economy?
Q1-5 How do successful business professionals use information systems?
Q1-6 What is the shape of things to come?
Q1-7 What is this class about?
ANSWERS TO USING YOUR KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS
1. “Outlook on Human Resources in the ICT Labour Market: 2008–2015” suggests that
ICT workers need to have several core skills.
a. What are these key skills?
Technical skills
Specific technology and industry experience
Satisfactory communications and other business skills
b. Identify ways that a student could best obtain these skills.
Technical Skills: in this class
Specific technology and industry experience: co-ops
Satisfactory communications and other business skills: business classes
c. Do you believe a business student can work effectively in the ICT
industry? Would a business student have a competitive advantage over a
computing science student? Why or why not?
, Yes, because as the ICTC report displays, there are three different occupations that
are all very business-centric. A business student can have an advantage based on
their communication and business skills, which are unlikely to be taught in a
specific engineering or computer science courses.
2. The interview with Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, focuses on six themes: 1)
flexible corporations, 2) corporations and work, 3) free goods and value, 4) workers
and managers, 5) computer monitoring and risks, and 6) changes in industries. Choose
one of these themes and discuss in more detail the implications of the change for you
personally. Provide specific examples where possible. You can find the article at
www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Strategy/Innovation/Hal_Varian_on_how_the_Web_
challenges_managers_2286.
Note: There will be a number of answers to this question. More successful answers will be
able to show how these themes might affect their own personal lives. Encourage students to
use examples in their own experiences.
3. Consider costs of a system in light of the five components: costs to buy and maintain
the hardware; costs to develop or acquire licenses to the software programs and costs
to maintain them; costs to design databases and fill them with data; costs of developing
procedures and keeping them current; and finally, human costs both to develop and use
the system.
a. Over the lifetime of a system, many experts believe that the single most expensive
component is people. Does this belief seem logical to you? Explain why you agree
or disagree.
It is likely that this belief is true. An information system is only as good as the
people who have developed it and who make use of it to perform their business
functions more effectively and efficiently. It is very costly to hire and retain
qualified, creative, and motivated people. Without those people, however, even the
most technically sophisticated system will be of little value to the organization.
b. Consider a poorly developed system that does not meet its defined requirements.
The needs of the business do not go away, but they do not conform themselves to
the characteristics of the poorly built system. Therefore, something must give.
Which component picks up the slack when the hardware and software programs
do not work correctly? What does this say about the cost of a poorly designed
system? Consider both direct monetary costs as well as intangible personnel
costs.
If a system does not meet its requirements, the people and procedures will have to
, adjust and “pick up the slack.” People will have to change their behaviors to work
with the system. This may result in reduced productivity at a minimum. In addition,
annoyance and frustration may build to the point where people actually avoid the
system in some fashion…they may find a way not to use the system at all (thus
defeating the system’s purpose); they may avoid using it by increasing absenteeism;
or they may find another job.
c. What implications do you, as a future business manager, take from questions (a)
and (b)? What does this say about the need for your involvement in requirements
and other aspects of systems development? Who eventually will pay the costs of a
poorly developed system? Against which budget will those costs accrue?
It is hoped that students will appreciate how important it is that the business
professionals play an active role in systems development. Requirements not only
must be delineated for the system, but business managers (who are paying the bills)
must ensure that the requirements are being fulfilled in the new system. If they are
not fulfilled, the business unit not only will have wasted the development costs; it
will also experience ongoing costs of decreased productivity and possibly higher
staff turnover.
ANSWERS TO COLLABORATIVE EXERCISES
1. Watch the video “Humans need not apply” available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU. Discuss this video with your group,
and identify three specific impacts that you think the information in this video will
have on your business career. Be as specific as possible, and link the ideas to
your intended major, interests, and career aspirations.
There is no single answer to this question. This is a common theme in collaborative
exercises. The answer is not as important as the process that the students go through in
developing their answers to the questions. The question is intended to get students
thinking about changes in technology and linking these changes to the business
environment around them. It is important for students to be as specific as possible,
since they learn more when they tie these ideas to things happening in their own lives.
, 2. Watch the video “A Vision of Students Today” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=
dGCJ46vyR9o). Discuss this video with your group and identify three ways that courses
could be designed to improve the way students engage in the course. Be as specific as
possible and be prepared to share your ideas with the class.
Again, no simple answers. Encourage the students to Google “A Vision of Students
Today” and read through the blogs about it. Ask them to form their own opinions. This
can be done as an in class exercise. We suggest a three-step process:
1) Show the movie clip
2) Have students form small groups of 3 or 4 to talk about it for a few minutes
3) Elicit some opinions from the class
This is a good way to start the class, as it is likely to intrigue students and start them
thinking about the class in a different way.
ANSWERS TO CASE STUDIES
MIS In Use:1a– Social Media: Changing the Relationship between Customers and
Business
1. Are the social media sites that Mabel’s Labels uses Information Systems?
Yes, these are systems. Information is collected, processed, and distributed. They may
not be thought of as traditional applications but information is the key resource in these
systems and they support the company’s processes.
2. What do you think are the benefits to Mabel’s Labels of joining and participating in
their various social media sites?
The benefits are access to a wider audience and hence a wider customer base than using
traditional marketing (newspapers, flyers in the mail, etc. What is remarkable is that
many of these systems do not have an obvious application cost. They are largely free to
participate it. However, the cost of maintaining the web presence on these applications
can be quite onerous. The major cost is the time that has to be spent monitoring and
replying. This time should be factored in when considering whether to invest in these
technologies.
EXPERIENCING MIS
5TH CANADIAN EDITION
CHAPTER NO. 1: INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND YOU
STUDY QUESTIONS
Q1-1 What is an information system?
Q1-2 What is MIS?
Q1-3 How does an IS differ from IT?
Q1-4 How important are information systems to our economy?
Q1-5 How do successful business professionals use information systems?
Q1-6 What is the shape of things to come?
Q1-7 What is this class about?
ANSWERS TO USING YOUR KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS
1. “Outlook on Human Resources in the ICT Labour Market: 2008–2015” suggests that
ICT workers need to have several core skills.
a. What are these key skills?
Technical skills
Specific technology and industry experience
Satisfactory communications and other business skills
b. Identify ways that a student could best obtain these skills.
Technical Skills: in this class
Specific technology and industry experience: co-ops
Satisfactory communications and other business skills: business classes
c. Do you believe a business student can work effectively in the ICT
industry? Would a business student have a competitive advantage over a
computing science student? Why or why not?
, Yes, because as the ICTC report displays, there are three different occupations that
are all very business-centric. A business student can have an advantage based on
their communication and business skills, which are unlikely to be taught in a
specific engineering or computer science courses.
2. The interview with Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, focuses on six themes: 1)
flexible corporations, 2) corporations and work, 3) free goods and value, 4) workers
and managers, 5) computer monitoring and risks, and 6) changes in industries. Choose
one of these themes and discuss in more detail the implications of the change for you
personally. Provide specific examples where possible. You can find the article at
www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Strategy/Innovation/Hal_Varian_on_how_the_Web_
challenges_managers_2286.
Note: There will be a number of answers to this question. More successful answers will be
able to show how these themes might affect their own personal lives. Encourage students to
use examples in their own experiences.
3. Consider costs of a system in light of the five components: costs to buy and maintain
the hardware; costs to develop or acquire licenses to the software programs and costs
to maintain them; costs to design databases and fill them with data; costs of developing
procedures and keeping them current; and finally, human costs both to develop and use
the system.
a. Over the lifetime of a system, many experts believe that the single most expensive
component is people. Does this belief seem logical to you? Explain why you agree
or disagree.
It is likely that this belief is true. An information system is only as good as the
people who have developed it and who make use of it to perform their business
functions more effectively and efficiently. It is very costly to hire and retain
qualified, creative, and motivated people. Without those people, however, even the
most technically sophisticated system will be of little value to the organization.
b. Consider a poorly developed system that does not meet its defined requirements.
The needs of the business do not go away, but they do not conform themselves to
the characteristics of the poorly built system. Therefore, something must give.
Which component picks up the slack when the hardware and software programs
do not work correctly? What does this say about the cost of a poorly designed
system? Consider both direct monetary costs as well as intangible personnel
costs.
If a system does not meet its requirements, the people and procedures will have to
, adjust and “pick up the slack.” People will have to change their behaviors to work
with the system. This may result in reduced productivity at a minimum. In addition,
annoyance and frustration may build to the point where people actually avoid the
system in some fashion…they may find a way not to use the system at all (thus
defeating the system’s purpose); they may avoid using it by increasing absenteeism;
or they may find another job.
c. What implications do you, as a future business manager, take from questions (a)
and (b)? What does this say about the need for your involvement in requirements
and other aspects of systems development? Who eventually will pay the costs of a
poorly developed system? Against which budget will those costs accrue?
It is hoped that students will appreciate how important it is that the business
professionals play an active role in systems development. Requirements not only
must be delineated for the system, but business managers (who are paying the bills)
must ensure that the requirements are being fulfilled in the new system. If they are
not fulfilled, the business unit not only will have wasted the development costs; it
will also experience ongoing costs of decreased productivity and possibly higher
staff turnover.
ANSWERS TO COLLABORATIVE EXERCISES
1. Watch the video “Humans need not apply” available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU. Discuss this video with your group,
and identify three specific impacts that you think the information in this video will
have on your business career. Be as specific as possible, and link the ideas to
your intended major, interests, and career aspirations.
There is no single answer to this question. This is a common theme in collaborative
exercises. The answer is not as important as the process that the students go through in
developing their answers to the questions. The question is intended to get students
thinking about changes in technology and linking these changes to the business
environment around them. It is important for students to be as specific as possible,
since they learn more when they tie these ideas to things happening in their own lives.
, 2. Watch the video “A Vision of Students Today” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=
dGCJ46vyR9o). Discuss this video with your group and identify three ways that courses
could be designed to improve the way students engage in the course. Be as specific as
possible and be prepared to share your ideas with the class.
Again, no simple answers. Encourage the students to Google “A Vision of Students
Today” and read through the blogs about it. Ask them to form their own opinions. This
can be done as an in class exercise. We suggest a three-step process:
1) Show the movie clip
2) Have students form small groups of 3 or 4 to talk about it for a few minutes
3) Elicit some opinions from the class
This is a good way to start the class, as it is likely to intrigue students and start them
thinking about the class in a different way.
ANSWERS TO CASE STUDIES
MIS In Use:1a– Social Media: Changing the Relationship between Customers and
Business
1. Are the social media sites that Mabel’s Labels uses Information Systems?
Yes, these are systems. Information is collected, processed, and distributed. They may
not be thought of as traditional applications but information is the key resource in these
systems and they support the company’s processes.
2. What do you think are the benefits to Mabel’s Labels of joining and participating in
their various social media sites?
The benefits are access to a wider audience and hence a wider customer base than using
traditional marketing (newspapers, flyers in the mail, etc. What is remarkable is that
many of these systems do not have an obvious application cost. They are largely free to
participate it. However, the cost of maintaining the web presence on these applications
can be quite onerous. The major cost is the time that has to be spent monitoring and
replying. This time should be factored in when considering whether to invest in these
technologies.
